The political battle over the film 'Assassins,' which depicts the assassination of Yuk Young-soo, is intensifying. The People Power Party (PPP) has decided to send a letter signed by all its lawmakers to the Singapore International Film Festival, demanding the withdrawal of the film as the opening selection. They are also raising concerns about the funding sources and investment processes involving national funds, as well as controversies surrounding ratings on Naver. The Democratic Party has criticized the PPP as a 'film censorship party' and called for an immediate retraction of the withdrawal request.
According to reports on October 4, the PPP plans to send a letter to the Singapore International Film Festival requesting the withdrawal of 'Assassins' as the opening film.
Initially, lawmaker Joo Jin-woo intended to send the letter in his personal capacity, but as more lawmakers expressed support, the response was escalated to a party-level initiative.
Chief Spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon explained to reporters at the National Assembly, "Many members voluntarily joined in voicing their opinions, so we decided to proceed with this as a party matter."
In a previously released personal letter, Joo Jin-woo stated, "The film turns the family of the murdered victim into suspects and imposes a horrific narrative that implicates the father in the mother’s death. We must not lend the authority of the film festival to this grotesque historical distortion that insults the victims and their families."
The PPP is also questioning the sources of the investment funds for the film.
Lawmaker Kim Seung-soo, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, revealed that an analysis of investment records from Korea Venture Investment showed that nine funds invested a total of 7.8 billion won in 'Assassins' from November last year to August this year.
Kim claimed that representatives from three of the funds, which invested a total of 2.4 billion won, have ties to the Democratic Party or the current government. According to Kim, the representative of Ilshin Venture Investment served on the Democratic Party's Special Committee on New Growth, while the representative of KC Ventures was a member of the Investment Subcommittee of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Cultural Exchange, established in October last year. The CEO of Saltlux Ventures, the parent company of Saltlux, served as the vice-chair of the Democratic Party's AI powerhouse committee during Lee Jae-myung's leadership.
However, Korea Venture Investment stated that it does not interfere in individual investment decisions. They clarified to Kim's office, "The selection of individual investment targets and decisions are the exclusive rights of the fund's managing members, and Korea Venture Investment does not participate in the individual investment review and decision-making process."
Kim argued, "It has been revealed that a film criticized for malicious and grotesque historical distortion received funding from the Ministry of Culture's venture funds," suggesting that there may have been external pressure in the investment process.
The investments from national banks in the production company are also under scrutiny.
Joo Jin-woo held a press conference at the National Assembly, stating, "The Industrial Bank invested 14 billion won and the Small and Medium Business Bank invested 14.2 billion won indirectly in the production company Hive Media Corp.," claiming that national bank funds are effectively enriching this production company.
He urged, "The investment funds should be immediately recovered, and the circumstances of the investment should be investigated."
The scrutiny also extends to Naver's management of the film's rating board. Lawmaker Na Kyung-won criticized Naver for changing the default setting of the 'Assassins' rating board to show the latest ratings, claiming it was a weak excuse for alleged macro manipulation that led to police investigations.
Na stated, "Does this mean that the recommendation system of the largest portal in South Korea is so poorly designed that it can be easily manipulated by a macro?" She called for an examination of Naver's rating and comment management and the potential for public opinion manipulation during the National Assembly's audit.
The party leadership continues to press the issue. PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk is scheduled to hold a press conference on October 5 at the birthplace of Yuk Young-soo in Okcheon County, Chungbuk.
In response, the Democratic Party has labeled the PPP's actions as 'cultural censorship.'
Democratic Party spokesperson Jeon Eun-soo criticized in a written briefing, "Is the PPP a 'film censorship party' that intervenes even in the screening of international film festivals?"
Jeon pointed to the blacklist of the cultural and arts sector during the Park Geun-hye administration and the controversy over satirical cartoons during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, stating, "This is not an unfamiliar scene."
He added, "The PPP claims to champion freedom, yet they ruthlessly silence any content that does not align with their views. This is the true nature of the PPP as a party that suppresses freedom of criticism," urging them to immediately retract their demand for the withdrawal from the Singapore International Film Festival and asserting that audiences should not be deprived of their right to enjoy culture.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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