Democratic Party Urges End to "Anachronistic Political Censorship" over "Assassins" Film Controversy

"Artistic Imagination Must Be Distinguished from Conspiracy Theories"

Members of the Democratic Party of Korea on the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee stated on the 6th, "Immediately cease this excessive political offensive and anachronistic political censorship that distorts creative freedom," in response to the conservative bloc's claims of historical distortion related to the film "Assassins."

The scene of the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee plenary session held on the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News

Ruling party lawmakers on the committee issued a statement that day, criticizing, "Demands for the appearance of the film's production team and related personnel as witnesses at the National Assembly audit, talk of legal measures, and unfounded allegations of undue outside pressure during the state-run bank investment process are clear cases of cultural and artistic oppression and blatant attempts at political censorship."

The lawmakers emphasized, "Artistic imagination and conspiracy theories must be distinguished," and added, "To label a film as immoral or as distorting history simply because it suggests a different conclusion or raises questions compared to the official account amounts to excessive censorship and unfounded speculation toward the arts."

They further stressed, "Diverse interpretations and questions regarding historical events should be the subject of free public debate—not a matter for a political party to take the lead in denouncing and threatening punishment against a particular work," urging, "Stop framing such issues for political gain."

Additionally, they stated, "Attempts to control the viewing or evaluation of a specific film reflect the arrogance of viewing the public as subjects who need guidance," and declared, "The Democratic Party will firmly uphold the principle that no political power can infringe upon freedom of expression or the creative autonomy of culture and the arts."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.