Clashes over 'The Assassin(s)' at Parliamentary Audit: "Third-Rate Conspiracy Theory" vs. "Censoring Minds"

[Anchor]

Today (October 7), parliamentary audit committee rooms across the National Assembly were heated with intense debates over the film 'The Assassin(s)'. The People Power Party, arguing that the movie spreads a "third-rate conspiracy theory," and the Democratic Party, accusing the ruling camp of "censoring even what is in citizens' minds," clashed head-on.

Kim Jin-u reports.

[Reporter]

From the very beginning of the parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the ruling and opposition parties clashed over whether to summon director Hur Jin-ho, the screenwriters, and other production crew members of the film 'The Assassin(s)' as witnesses.

[Kim Seung-su / People Power Party Lawmaker: A great many citizens are wondering about the intentions behind such malicious editing.]

[Choi Min-hee / Democratic Party Lawmaker: A movie is just a movie. The parliamentary audit is hardly a place for ideological censorship.]

When asked by People Power Party lawmakers whether the film constitutes a distortion of history, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choe Hwi-young replied, "It is a matter for the public and moviegoers to judge."

[Choe Hwi-young / Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism: I lean toward the view that there should be no constraints on imagination and artistic creation.]

At the Ministry of Education audit, People Power Party lawmakers asked whether the Ministry of Education should step in to block group movie viewings by some school students, arguing that it could instill a distorted understanding of history in students.

[Jung Sung-kook / People Power Party Lawmaker: It is rooted in a third-rate conspiracy theory that implies it could have been a setup staged by former President Park Chung-hee and the Korean Central Intelligence Agency.]

Lawmakers aligned with the ruling bloc pushed back, asking if they intend to censor even what is inside the public's minds.

[Kang Kyung-sook / Rebuilding Korea Party Lawmaker: The National Assembly is not a film censorship board. Right now, the People Power Party is mobilizing its entire party strength over a single movie.]

Minister of Education Choi Kyo-jin said there are limits to meddling in students' film viewing.

[Choi Kyo-jin / Minister of Education: I believe it is educationally necessary to help students learn to distinguish fact from fiction.]

People Power Party lawmakers yesterday sent a letter to the Singapore International Film Festival, which selected 'The Assassin(s)' as its opening film, asking it to withdraw the selection. However, the film festival stated today that it is "aware of the series of discussions surrounding 'The Assassin(s)', respects the filmmakers' creative vision, and will screen the film as its opening film as planned."

(Video: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan, Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing: Yoo Mi-ra)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.