Film groups broaden demand to end attacks on ‘Assassin(s)’ creators
Version 2: New since the last report: nineteen film industry organisations issued a joint statement on Oct 5 demanding an end to pressure on individuals, and President Lee Jae-myung commented on irresponsible extremism without naming the film.
In short
Nineteen South Korean film industry organisations issued a joint statement on Oct 5 demanding an end to pressure on individuals involved in “Assassin(s)”, a film about the 1974 shooting of Yuk Young-soo that critics including the conservative People Power Party call a distortion of history. The statement followed Oct 4 remarks by the Directors Guild of Korea that criticism of a film is legitimate but must not destroy a creator’s life and livelihood, after conservative groups rallied outside lead actor Yoo Hae-jin’s home in Seoul. President Lee Jae-myung wrote on X on Oct 4 that irresponsible extremism must be guarded against; Newsis did not say whether he was referring to the film dispute.
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Nineteen South Korean film industry organisations issued a joint statement on Oct 5 calling for an end to attacks on the people behind “Assassin(s)”, saying debate over the film had spread beyond its content to the daily lives and safety of those who took part in it or commented on it, Newsis and Chosun Ilbo reported. The group, which includes the Producers Guild of Korea, the Directors Guild of Korea and Women in Film Korea, said criticism of a work and pressure on an individual must be clearly separated, and that disagreements over historical interpretation should be raised through criticism, debate and public questions rather than at a person’s home. It asked the public to keep the dispute from targeting people and told fellow filmmakers it would stand with anyone facing threats alone. [ 2 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]
The statement followed remarks from the Directors Guild of Korea on Oct 4. The guild said a creator can be criticised for their work but that criticism must not destroy the creator’s life and livelihood, and that what it faced was an attack on the person rather than criticism of the film, according to Chosun Ilbo, Seoul Economic Daily and Maeil Business. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the Producers Guild of Korea and the Cinematographers Guild of Korea issued statements two days earlier, saying they were seriously concerned that debate had spread into threats against the production company, director, actors and staff. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 10 ]
“Assassin(s)”, directed by Huh Jin-ho and starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, is based on the Aug 15, 1974 shooting of Yuk Young-soo and follows a police officer and a reporter tracing who was behind the assassination, implying the Korean Central Intelligence Agency was entangled in the case. The production team said in a Sept 28 statement that the film does not designate any particular person as the mastermind and does not present its hypotheses and dramatic settings as historical fact, Seoul Economic Daily and Maeil Business reported. Hankook Ilbo and Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the People Power Party demanded on Sept 29 that screenings be halted and that director Huh appear at a parliamentary audit. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 10 ]
Pressure moved outside the cinema. On Oct 4 conservative groups including New Freedom Solidarity held a rally outside lead actor Yoo Hae-jin’s home in Seoul’s Seongbuk district, and Hankook Ilbo reported that groups had announced protests there throughout the month and that a hamburger company for which he is an advertising model had also been attacked. Distributor Hive Media Corp cancelled film-related events for the safety of audiences and attendees: Yoo and Lee Min-ho will not attend the Oct 6 Busan International Film Festival opening, the film’s Oct 7 outdoor stage greeting and Lee’s “Actor’s House” talk were cancelled, and stage greetings planned for Oct 3–5 were dropped, Kyunghyang Shinmun reported. The same outlet said the film drew 150,000 admissions on Oct 3 and passed 2 million viewers. [ 1 , 2 , 6 ]
President Lee Jae-myung wrote on X on Oct 4 that irresponsible extremism must be guarded against “whether left or right, front or back” and that incitement by irresponsible extremists was spreading like a trend, Newsis reported. The available text does not say whether he was referring to the film dispute. Hankook Ilbo, in an Oct 3 editorial, argued that creators’ freedom of expression should be guaranteed but is not unlimited, that works about real events and people demand higher responsibility in verifying facts and separating them from imagination, and that the attacks on the actors and crew had nevertheless crossed a legitimate line amid excessive political involvement in culture. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The dispute has moved from argument over a film’s historical accuracy to pressure on named individuals, and the industry’s guilds warn that creators may avoid sensitive subjects if works are judged through a partisan lens. It already has concrete consequences: the distributor cancelled promotional events and two lead actors withdrew from the Busan International Film Festival. A presidential comment on irresponsible extremism has widened the political frame, though the documents do not establish a direct link to the film.
Key facts
- “Assassin(s)”, directed by Huh Jin-ho and starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, is based on the Aug 15, 1974 shooting of Yuk Young-soo and follows a police officer and a reporter tracing who was behind the assassination, implying the Korean Central Intelligence Agency was entangled in the case. [ 2 , 5 , 10 ]
- The production team said in a Sept 28 statement that the film does not designate any particular person as the mastermind and does not present its hypotheses and dramatic settings as historical fact. [ 5 , 10 ]
- The People Power Party demanded on Sept 29 that screenings be halted and that director Huh Jin-ho appear at a parliamentary audit. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Directors Guild of Korea said on Oct 4 that a creator may be criticised for their work but that criticism must not destroy the creator’s life and livelihood, calling the current situation a personal attack that had crossed a line. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 10 ]
- Nineteen film industry organisations, including the Producers Guild of Korea, the Directors Guild of Korea and Women in Film Korea, issued a joint statement on Oct 5 saying criticism of a work and pressure on an individual must be clearly separated. [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]
- Conservative groups including New Freedom Solidarity held a rally outside lead actor Yoo Hae-jin’s home in Seoul’s Seongbuk district on Oct 4, and Hankook Ilbo reported groups had announced protests there throughout the month. [ 1 , 2 , 6 ]
- Distributor Hive Media Corp cancelled film-related events for the safety of audiences and attendees; Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Min-ho will not attend the Oct 6 Busan International Film Festival opening. [ 2 ]
- President Lee Jae-myung wrote on X on Oct 4 that irresponsible extremism must be guarded against “whether left or right, front or back”, Newsis reported. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The film “Assassin(s)” deals with the Aug 15, 1974 shooting of Yuk Young-soo and raises questions about who was behind the assassination, including an implication that the Korean Central Intelligence Agency and former President Park Chung-hee may have been involved. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 10 ]
- The production team said in a Sept 28 statement that the film does not name a mastermind and does not present its hypotheses and dramatic settings as historical fact. [ 5 , 10 ]
- The People Power Party demanded a halt to screenings and the director’s appearance at a parliamentary audit. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Directors Guild of Korea issued a statement on Oct 4 saying criticism of a film is legitimate but must not destroy a creator’s life and livelihood. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 10 ]
- Nineteen film industry organisations issued a joint statement on Oct 5 saying debate over the film had spread to the daily lives and safety of individuals and that criticism and personal pressure must be distinguished. [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]
- Conservative groups held a rally outside lead actor Yoo Hae-jin’s home in Seoul’s Seongbuk district over the film. [ 1 , 2 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the film distorts history. Critics including the People Power Party and conservative groups call it a distortion, while the production team says its hypotheses and dramatic settings are not presented as historical fact; the documents do not resolve the dispute.
- Whether President Lee Jae-myung’s remarks about irresponsible extremism referred to this film dispute. The report is from a single outlet, Newsis, and its article text is truncated; it carries no reference to the film in what is available.
- Which film-related events and appearances were called off. The details — the Oct 6 Busan International Film Festival opening, the Oct 7 outdoor stage greeting and the “Actor’s House” talk, and stage greetings planned for Oct 3–5 — come from a single outlet, Kyunghyang Shinmun.
- The box-office figures for the film. The 150,000 admissions on Oct 3 and the 2 million total come from a single outlet, Kyunghyang Shinmun.
- Who is behind the online attacks on the film’s cast and on those who recommended it. Kyunghyang Shinmun reports malicious comments on social media but no document names organisers or quantifies them; Hankook Ilbo reports attacks on a hamburger company that uses Yoo Hae-jin as an advertising model without identifying those responsible.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Oct 3: Hankook Ilbo publishes an editorial arguing the attacks on the film’s cast and crew have crossed a legitimate line, while saying works about real events and people carry a higher responsibility to verify facts. [ 1 ]
- Oct 4: Kyunghyang Shinmun reports the statements by the directors’, producers’ and cinematographers’ guilds, the rally outside Yoo Hae-jin’s home in Seoul, the cancelled Busan International Film Festival events, and that the film passed 2 million admissions on Oct 3. [ 2 ]
- Oct 4: Newsis reports that President Lee Jae-myung wrote on X that irresponsible extremism must be guarded against “whether left or right, front or back”. [ 3 ]
- Oct 4: Chosun Ilbo carries the Directors Guild of Korea statement saying the situation has moved beyond criticism of the film to personal attacks. [ 4 ]
- Oct 4: Seoul Economic Daily reports the guild’s statement and the production team’s Sept 28 denial that the film names a mastermind or presents new historical conclusions. [ 5 ]
- Oct 4: Hankook Ilbo reports the rally in front of Yoo Hae-jin’s home and the directors’ guild’s warning that criticism must not destroy creators’ lives. [ 6 ]
- Oct 5: Chosun Ilbo reports that nineteen film industry organisations issued a joint statement warning that individual safety should not be threatened. [ 7 , 8 ]
- Oct 5: Newsis details the joint statement, in which the nineteen organisations say criticism and personal pressure must be separated and offer solidarity to filmmakers facing threats. [ 9 ]
- Oct 5: Maeil Business reports the directors’ guild statement and the film’s background and production team response. [ 10 ]
- Oct 5: Chosun Ilbo reports further statements by film organisations urging an end to personal attacks on the production team. [ 11 ]