DP committee chair opposes audit summons for “Assassin(s)” director amid history row
Version 2: New coverage names director Hur Jin-ho as the witness the opposition sought and reports he was left off the audit witness list for lack of agreement, adds the Busan International Film Festival event cancellations and the Democratic Party's response, reports the opposition's plan to ask the Singapore International Film Festival to drop the screening, and identifies the film's production company.
In short
Lee Jae-jung, a Democratic Party lawmaker who chairs the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, said in a Facebook post on October 5 that the film “Assassin(s)” did not distort history and that it was politics that distorted the film. He opposed the People Power Party's demand to call witnesses on the film at the committee's parliamentary audit, calling it a gag on creative work. Hankook Ilbo reported the party sought director Hur Jin-ho as an audit witness, but he was left off the witness list because the parties could not agree.
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Lee Jae-jung, a Democratic Party lawmaker and chair of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, said in a Facebook post on October 5 that the film “Assassin(s)” did not distort history and that it was the political sphere that distorted the film. He wrote that he had favoured keeping politics out, but went to the cinema alone after what he described as violent situations beyond the line against cast members and creators and what he called the political sphere's excessiveness. He said bringing the film into the parliamentary audit was a gag on creative work and “reckless violence”, and that he would be firm in upholding principles as chair. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Lee said the film clearly did not include the possibility of former President Park Chung-hee's involvement even within the realm of cinematic imagination, asking who would dare make a beloved wife a sacrifice to power; Hankook Ilbo reported he said the scenes featuring Park and Yuk Young-soo amount to only a few dozen seconds. On the disputed line about the “line above the KCIA”, NoCut News reported Lee argued it pointed to forces leaning on the then-regime rather than to Park, and he asked whether what was disliked was the renewed mention of the long-term dictatorship symbolised by Park's emergency decrees, the KCIA's abuses and press suppression. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
The People Power Party asked that the film's director be called as a witness at the committee's parliamentary audit, and Lee opposed the demand. Hankook Ilbo reported the party wanted director Hur Jin-ho to appear, but that no agreement between the ruling and opposition parties was reached and he was not included in the witness list. Chosun Ilbo reported the film is expected to remain a subject of continued ruling-opposition sparring at the audit. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
NoCut News reported that People Power Party lawmakers were moving to send a letter in the name of all the party's lawmakers asking an international film festival to withdraw the screening; Hankook Ilbo identified the festival as the Singapore International Film Festival and said the party decided to send a letter seeking withdrawal of the opening-film selection. Lee told the party to stop embarrassing the country before the international community, saying those receiving the document would think of the 2024 martial law. [ 3 , 5 ]
Korea Economic Daily reported the film's events at the 31st Busan International Film Festival were cancelled entirely, including the opening ceremony red carpet and the outdoor stage greeting, and that Democratic Party spokesperson Shin Hyun-young called the cancellation of the Busan preview and BIFF events an “unfortunate result”, expressing strong regret over threats to actors and production staff. NoCut News reported Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young asked the National Police Agency and related authorities to provide safety measures for the film's actors and personnel and to enforce the law strictly against illegal acts, after controversy over threats that included a rally in front of an actor's home. [ 3 , 4 ]
Korea Economic Daily identified the film as a new work by Haive Media Corp, the production company behind “Seoul Spring”, which it said drew 13.13 million viewers, and noted the film's link to the August 15, 1974 Liberation Day ceremony. Newsis reported Lee spoke on September 29 at the committee's third plenary of the 439th National Assembly session in connection with the 2026 audit witness attendance request. [ 4 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The dispute sets up a ruling-opposition clash at the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee's parliamentary audit, where the opposition wants the film taken up and the committee chair says he will block it. It has already extended beyond parliament: Korea Economic Daily reported the film's Busan International Film Festival events were cancelled, and the opposition's move to ask a foreign festival to drop a screening drew the chair's criticism.
Key facts
- Lee Jae-jung is a Democratic Party lawmaker and chair of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Lee said in a Facebook post on October 5 that the film “Assassin(s)” did not distort history and that the political sphere distorted the film. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- Lee said the film clearly does not include the possibility of former President Park Chung-hee's involvement even within the realm of cinematic imagination. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- Lee opposed the People Power Party's demand to call witnesses and reference persons on the film at the committee's parliamentary audit, calling it a gag on creative work. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reported the People Power Party sought director Hur Jin-ho as an audit witness, but he was not included in the witness list because the ruling and opposition parties could not agree. [ 5 ]
- NoCut News reported People Power Party lawmakers were moving to ask an international film festival to withdraw the screening; Hankook Ilbo named the festival as the Singapore International Film Festival. [ 3 , 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Lee Jae-jung is a Democratic Party lawmaker and chair of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Lee said in a Facebook post on October 5 that the film “Assassin(s)” did not distort history and that the political sphere distorted the film. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- Lee said he went to the cinema alone after what he described as violent situations beyond the line against cast members and creators and the political sphere's excessiveness. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- Lee said the film clearly does not include the possibility of former President Park Chung-hee's involvement even within the realm of cinematic imagination. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- Lee opposed the People Power Party's demand to call witnesses and reference persons on the film controversy at the committee's parliamentary audit, calling it a gag on creative work, and said he would be firm in upholding principles as chair. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- People Power Party lawmakers sought to have an international film festival withdraw the screening of the film. [ 3 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the film's director will appear as a witness at the committee's parliamentary audit. Documents 2 and 3 report the demand and the chair's opposition without an outcome; Hankook Ilbo alone reports the director was left off the witness list after the parties failed to agree.
- The meaning of the film's disputed line about the “line above the KCIA”. NoCut News reports Lee's reading that it referred to forces leaning on the then-regime rather than to Park Chung-hee, but the documents give no direct reading from the critics, and the dispute is unresolved.
- The nature and details of the threats and “violent situations” against the film's actors and creators. Yonhap, NoCut News and Hankook Ilbo refer to them generally; only NoCut News reports the culture minister's request for police protection, and none gives specifics.
- Whether the People Power Party's letter to the international film festival was sent. NoCut News reports a move to request withdrawal and Hankook Ilbo reports a decision to send a letter in all members' names to the Singapore International Film Festival, but neither says whether it was delivered.
- The cancellations of the film's Busan International Film Festival events and the opposition party's response. Reported only by Korea Economic Daily, in article text made up of separate items about the film.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- September 29: Lee Jae-jung speaks at the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee's third plenary of the 439th National Assembly session in connection with the 2026 parliamentary audit witness attendance request, Newsis reports. [ 6 ]
- October 2: Democratic Party spokesperson Shin Hyun-young calls the cancellation of the Busan preview and Busan International Film Festival events an “unfortunate result” and expresses strong regret over threats to actors and production staff, Korea Economic Daily reports. [ 4 ]
- October 5: Yonhap publishes Lee's Facebook remarks rejecting the history-distortion claims around “Assassin(s)”. [ 1 ]
- October 5: Chosun Ilbo reports Lee's opposition to the People Power Party's demand to call witnesses on the film at the committee's audit. [ 2 ]
- October 5: NoCut News reports further details, including Lee's reading of the disputed line and the party's move to seek withdrawal of a screening at an international film festival. [ 3 ]
- October 6: Korea Economic Daily reports the film's Busan International Film Festival events were cancelled entirely and identifies its production company. [ 4 ]
- October 6: Hankook Ilbo reports the People Power Party sought director Hur Jin-ho as an audit witness and that he was not included in the witness list. [ 5 ]
- October 6: Newsis publishes a photo and caption from the September 29 committee meeting on the audit witness request. [ 6 ]