Actors who praised 'thrilling' film draw backlash over history-distortion row

Actors who praised the film "The Assassin(s)," which has sparked a historical distortion controversy, are facing a wave of public criticism.

Actor Lee Young-ae attended a VIP preview of "The Assassin(s)" on Sept. 21 and left a review calling it "thrillingly moving."

Actor Kim Go-eun, who attended the same event, wrote that she "felt a deep sense of gratitude for the present" and urged audiences to "watch it together and feel it." Actor Kim Min wrote that the film had "a cold yet burning tension" and that she "really enjoyed it."

Some who objected to the film flooded Lee's Instagram and other social media accounts with comments expressing disappointment, asking "how could you leave a review like that." Similar critical comments also appeared on Kim Go-eun's Instagram.

"The Assassin(s)" is based on the shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo at a Liberation Day ceremony on Aug. 15, 1974. In the film, detectives and journalists who witnessed or covered the event grow suspicious when the official findings of the investigative headquarters contradict what they saw and reported, and they set out to uncover the truth.

At the time, a special investigative headquarters concluded that Moon Se-gwang, acting on orders from North Korea and the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, known as Chongryon, had attempted to assassinate then-President Park Chung-hee but failed, and that Yuk was struck by a stray bullet and killed in the process.

The film follows a journalist and a detective as they trace the incident, hinting at the possibility of accomplices and involvement by state authorities — a narrative approach that has fueled the historical distortion controversy.

The controversy has spilled into politics. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok criticized the film, saying, "You threaten to sue anyone who touches former President Roh Moo-hyun, but insulting former President Park Chung-hee is freedom of expression?" He added, "Is freedom of expression the exclusive property of the left?"

Lawmaker Ju Jin-woo called it "a morally depraved act that tears at the hearts of the bereaved family and something that deserves strict punishment." Lawmaker Yoo Young-ha and chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon also sharpened their criticism, calling it "blatant political propaganda and incitement."

The Park Chung-hee Presidential Memorial Foundation also issued a statement saying the film "distorted the facts by reducing a national tragedy to entertainment," and demanded a public apology from the production company and the immediate halt of screenings at cinemas nationwide.