'OK for "The Assassin" but not May 18?' — PPP presses for halt to film, national audit testimony

The People Power Party kept up its offensive Tuesday over "The Assassin," a film depicting the shooting of former first lady Yuk Young-soo, accusing the Democratic Party of Korea of applying a double standard on historical distortion by comparing the controversy to legal protections surrounding the May 18 pro-democracy movement. Some within the party went so far as to call for scrapping the law that criminalizes distortion of the May 18 uprising.

Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok, who had proposed a film boycott on Monday, wrote on Facebook Tuesday: "The generation that resists the left's assault most powerfully is the youth in their 20s and 30s. Young people have spontaneously started a boycott of 'Assassins.' The strength of youth will clean out the left's strongholds and defend liberal democracy."

Five-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won argued on Facebook that laws punishing distortion of the late first lady's assassination and of the Korean War should be enacted immediately. "If that is not possible," she wrote, "then the May 18 Historical Distortion Punishment Act, which enshrines only a select history as sacred, must be abolished."

Na also said that if a similar film had been made about former presidents Kim Dae-jung or Roh Moo-hyun, "the Democratic Party would have driven that production company out of business." She called it "horrific hypocrisy" to protect certain historical events with the threat of imprisonment while treating other historical tragedies as fair game for artistic expression, and said such hypocrisy "must be judged."

Lawmaker Lee Jin-suk, who recently drew sharp criticism from the ruling camp after hosting a National Assembly forum at which remarks glorifying former President Chun Doo-hwan were made, also joined the chorus. At a press conference at the Assembly, Lee said: "The left, which calls May 18 sacred and untouchable, is now trying to rewrite the history of President Park Chung-hee."

Lawmaker Ju Jin-woo also invoked May 18, referencing a controversy last July over a slogan at Paejae High School that alluded to Starbucks. "Just as Paejae High School students were made to pay their respects at the May 18 cemetery, the director, actors and crew of the immoral film 'Assassins' should bow and apologize before the grave of President Park Chung-hee," he said.

Calls to halt the film's screening continued from party leadership. Supreme Council member Shin Dong-wook wrote on Facebook that "if factual distortions were made intentionally for a specific political purpose from the outset, the work cannot be recognized as having artistic value and cannot be protected under creative freedom," and demanded an immediate halt to screenings.

The controversy has begun spilling into the National Assembly's national audit season. Cho Eun-hee, who leads her party's side on the culture and sports committee, cited the Democratic Party's conduct during last year's national audit over "The Birth of Korea" and raised the need for director Heo Jin-ho and others connected to "The Assassin" to appear before the audit.

At a floor strategy meeting, Cho noted that director Kim Deok-young of "The Birth of Korea" appeared in person as a reference witness at the culture committee's national audit on Oct. 23 last year, at which Democratic Party lawmakers "directly pushed back, calling it a work that denies historical facts such as the Jeju April 3 incident." She said it would be problematic if the standard were to change a year later, and called for either an issue inquiry or the appearance of director Heo and others at the national audit.

National Assembly Vice Speaker Park Deok-heum, whose constituency of Okcheon in North Chungcheong Province includes the birthplace of the late first lady, took issue with how the shooting is characterized in the film. Writing on Facebook, Park described Yuk's death as "a clear act of terrorism by North Korea" and said the production team and distributor "must apologize to the bereaved family and the public, and at the very least make clear to audiences that this film differs from historical fact."

Lawmaker Yun Jae-ok of Dalseo-eul in Daegu, whose constituency is near the private residence of former President Park Geun-hye, also sharply condemned the filmmakers. "Do not disgrace artists. It is revolting," he said.