[Anchor]

Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, visited the birthplace of former First Lady Yuk Young-soo and cited the film 'The Assassin(s)', arguing that historical distortion poses a threat to the nation's system. The Democratic Party countered that criticism must not escalate into pressure on creators.

Bae Seong-jae reports.

[Reporter]

Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, visited the birthplace of the late Yuk Young-soo, 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 Yuk, distorts history and seeks to deny the legitimacy of the Republic of Korea, claiming that leaving it unchecked would pose a threat to the liberal democratic system.

[Jang Dong-hyeok / People Power Party Leader: "Distorting historical facts by layering unverified suspicions over them 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International Film Festival, where 'The Assassin(s)' was selected as the opening film, demanding that the selection be rescinded. The party also launched an offensive, claiming that 40 billion won in government funds, including the fund of funds, was poured into the film and its production company.

The Democratic Party hit back, saying that the People Power Party's attempt to block both domestic and international screenings stems from a mindset of censoring films and controlling culture.

It also noted that the film sheds light on the harsh era of the Park Chung-hee administration to raise awareness, stressing that criticism of the film's content must not turn into pressure against its creators.

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

The Democratic Party emphasized that Representative Lee Jin-sook of the People Power Party crossed the line into hate-mongering by posting AI-generated composite posters defaming former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun as well as film personnel, vowing to hold her accountable.

(Video by Lee Seung-hee)