[2026 National Assembly Audit] 'Assassin(s)' Controversy Reaches Education Committee... Opposition Warns of "Historical Distortion," Ruling Party Cries "Film Censorship"

People Power Party: "Concerns Over Distortion of Students' Historical Awareness"
Democratic Party: "Critical Thinking Education, Not Film Censorship, Is Needed"

During the national audit at the National Assembly's Education Committee, controversy over the movie "Assassin(s)," which deals with the shooting incident involving First Lady Yuk Young-soo, emerged as a central issue. The People Power Party criticized the film for highlighting unverified allegations, arguing it could distort students' perception of history. In contrast, the Democratic Party of Korea countered that it is not a matter for film censorship, but that critical thinking education should be strengthened to help students differentiate between fact and fiction.

At the Ministry of Education's audit by the National Assembly's Education Committee on the 7th, Jeong Seongguk, a member of the People Power Party, stated, "Media has a very significant influence on the formation of students' values and historical understanding," and pointed out, "The film gives the impression that, in addition to the real assassin, Mun Segwang, other conspiracy theories exist."

Assemblyman Jeong further argued, "It suggests a third-rate conspiracy theory, implying that the incident may have been orchestrated by former President Park and the Central Intelligence Agency." He referenced a case in which a high school in Ulsan canceled its plans for a group viewing of the film after a student vote, and called for a response from the Ministry of Education.

On the 7th, Minister of Education Kyojin Choi (center in photo) is responding to questions during the national audit of the Ministry of Education and the National Education Commission held at the National Assembly's Education Committee. Photo by Yonhap News

Minister of Education Kyojin Choi responded, "For works that are fictionalized based on historical facts, it is necessary to ensure that students can distinguish fact from fiction." However, he added that there are limits to how much the Ministry of Education can intervene in decisions regarding the viewing of individual films.

Assemblyman Park Junghoon of the People Power Party also pressed Minister Choi, asking whether he agreed with the director's claims of "cinematic imagination" and "freedom of expression." He also mentioned remarks by students from Paichai High School, who suggested visiting Starbucks, which had previously sparked controversy due to marketing involving the 5·18 Democratization Movement.

Assemblyman Park argued, "Minister Choi took a strongly critical position regarding the students' previous comments, and as a result, two students quit baseball," adding, "But now, by partially recognizing freedom of expression in relation to this film, you are demonstrating a double standard."

In contrast, Assemblywoman Baek Seung-Ah of the Democratic Party of Korea cited Representative Jang Donghyuk of the People Power Party, who said last year about the film "War of Establishment 2" that "history should be subject to verification, not ideology." She stated, "Providing education that fosters students' critical thinking so they can determine what is factual and what is fictional imagination after watching 'Assassin(s)' is sufficient," adding, "Movies can also serve as an opportunity to spark students’ interest in the historical period depicted."

Kang Kyungsook of the Rebuilding Korea Party interjected during Assemblyman Jeong’s questioning, saying, "The National Assembly is not a film censorship board," and raised an issue by remarking, "The People Power Party is mobilizing all its forces over a single movie."

Assemblyman Kim Junghyuk of the Democratic Party of Korea stressed, "Freedom of expression is different from mockery disguised as such," emphasizing, "Regardless of political orientation, comprehensive media literacy education that enables students to critically assess and accept creative works is important."

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