Rival Parties Clash Fiercely: "Historical Distortion" vs. "Hate-Mongering"

[Anchor]

The clash between the ruling and opposition parties is also growing increasingly fierce. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok visited the birthplace of former first lady Yuk Young-soo today (October 5), criticizing the film "The Assassin(s)" for attempting to deny the legitimacy of the Republic of Korea, while the Democratic Party pushed back, calling it an attempt to control culture and censor cinema.

Reporter Bae Seong-jae reports.

[Reporter]

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok visited the birthplace of former first lady Yuk Young-soo, the wife of former President Park Chung-hee, located in Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province.

Jang argued that the film "The Assassin(s)," which covers the fatal shooting of first lady Yuk, distorts history and seeks to deny even the legitimacy of the Republic of Korea, warning that leaving this unchecked would pose a threat to the liberal democratic system.

[Jang Dong-hyeok / Leader, People Power Party: Distorting historical facts by overlaying unverified allegations goes beyond freedom of expression.]

The People Power Party decided to send a letter signed by all of its lawmakers to the Singapore International Film Festival, where "The Assassin(s)" was selected as the opening film, demanding that the selection be rescinded, while launching an offensive by alleging that 40 billion won in government funds, including the fund of funds, was injected into the film and its production company.

The Democratic Party countered that the People Power Party's bid to block domestic and international screenings stems from an intent to censor films and control culture.

It also criticized the offensive, stating that the film is a work that sheds light on the harsh era of the Park Chung-hee regime to raise awareness, and that criticism of the film's content must not escalate into pressuring creators.

[Shin Hyun-young / Spokesperson, Democratic Party of Korea: Attacks directed at individual creators paradoxically and clearly demonstrate why freedom of creation and democracy are necessary in South Korean society.]

The Democratic Party emphasized that People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-sook's posting of an AI-generated poster denouncing former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, as well as film personnel, constitutes hate-mongering that crossed the line, vowing to hold her accountable.

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.