Choi Wook to Host Screening of 'The Assassin(s)': "The Film Is Entertaining, the Controversy Is Unfortunate"

Broadcaster Choi Wook, host of the YouTube program "Maebul Show," is hosting a private screening event for the film "The Assassin(s)."

On the afternoon broadcast of "Maebul Show" on October 28, director Hur Jin-ho, who directed "The Assassin(s)," made an appearance. Addressing the historical distortion controversy surrounding the film and the tangible and intangible attacks from the political sphere, director Hur Jin-ho said, "It has been about 30 years since my directorial debut, and this is the first time I have experienced something like this. I have never experienced civic group members showing up at an actor's house to protest, or a lawmaker making disparaging remarks about an actor. When a situation like this happens, I cannot help but feel intimidated. On the other hand, I am also feeling a lot of the power of solidarity. I probably could not have fought this alone."

Choi Wook responded, "I watched the movie, and compared to the MBC documentary, it was such a mild version. To the point where I wondered why everyone was making such a fuss about it."

Director Hur Jin-ho said, "Before the film's official release, we held audience preview screenings for about 20,000 people. At that time, such talk did not come up. Nor did any talk about historical distortion ever come up during the press preview. I do not understand how it turned out like this."

He continued, questioning the series of events leading to the growing controversy around the film: "The warning sign was the ratings on web portal sites. Consecutive 1-star ratings kept appearing, so I wondered, 'What is this?' There is even a place where verified viewers leave reviews, but that was strange too. Then, as soon as Chuseok ended, the political sector brought in frames of 'immorality' and 'historical distortion.'"

Director Hur Jin-ho said, "There was a huge gap between the investigation announcement in 1974 and the investigation announcement released following the information disclosure request in 2005. At that time in 2005, many broadcasting networks and daily newspapers covered the new facts. So it is strange that now people are saying we are distorting history. When I started this movie, I thought that I could not draw a conclusion. Because if I were to assume I planned this incident, the details do not add up. If you assume North Korea masterminded it, hiring Mun Se-gwang, who was severely nearsighted and had never even fired a gun, makes no sense. And even if the KCIA were involved, letting Mun Se-gwang into the event hall without giving him an entry badge makes no sense either, which is why I took the form of asking questions when making it into a film."

Reporter Bong Ji-wook, who also appeared on the broadcast that day, presented materials he had gathered and investigated, refuting item by item the claims of historical distortion raised by the political sector. In addition, he announced that a private screening of "The Assassin(s)" would be held on October 1, along with a GV featuring director Hur Jin-ho, a reporter from the Dong-A Struggle Committee for Free Press, and Father Ham Sei-woong.

In response, Choi Wook also decided during the broadcast to host a screening event for "The Assassin(s)." He added, "The movie itself is entertaining. That is why this controversy felt all the more unfortunate," urging people to watch the movie and evaluate it as a movie.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)