North Korean defector YouTuber slams 'The Assassin' as resembling Pyongyang propaganda film

Han Song-i, a YouTuber who defected from North Korea, has sharply criticized the film "The Assassin," saying it bore a striking resemblance to propaganda films she had seen in the North.

A video titled "The Assassin... A North Korean defector's impressions!!!" was posted Tuesday on her YouTube channel "Han Song-i TV."

In the video, Han shared her thoughts after watching the recently released film, saying she found the content disappointing. "The story was far too similar to 'Nation and Destiny,' a multi-part film produced for North Korean propaganda purposes," she said. "I felt it was almost identical to the films I watched when I was living in North Korea."

While she praised the cast's performances, Han said she took issue with what she described as a distorted storyline. "The actors gave such passionate performances that it was enjoyable to watch," she said, "but I felt something was off — the story was too distorted."

Han said she had learned about the assassination of first lady Yuk Young-soo after coming to South Korea and had watched footage of the scene on YouTube. "I saw everything, including the arrest of the assassin at the time," she said. She added that she had also come to learn that the gunman had been dispatched by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan and was acting under orders from North Korean authorities.

"In North Korea, I was taught through 'Nation and Destiny' as propaganda, but when I came to South Korea, the content was completely different," Han said. "Watching 'The Assassin,' I was deeply shocked by how closely the story resembled what I had seen in North Korea."

Han went further, saying: "They say a people who forget their history have no future, but a people who distort their history have no answer at all. I want to say that a film that distorts history like this should be removed from South Korean screens."

"The Assassin," directed by Heo Jin-ho and starring Yoo Hae-jin and Park Hae-il, is a mystery thriller that examines the circumstances and unresolved questions surrounding the shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo at a Liberation Day ceremony on Aug. 15, 1974.

The film has sparked fierce controversy, particularly in political circles, because it raises questions about the origin of the bullet that struck Yuk and the forces behind the attack — departing from the conclusion reached by investigators at the time, who determined she was killed by a shot fired by Moon Se-gwang.

In response, the film's production company said the movie "was not made with the intention of denying or distorting established facts."

The special investigative headquarters that handled the case concluded that Moon Se-gwang, acting on orders from North Korea and the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, had attempted to shoot then-President Park Chung-hee as he delivered his Liberation Day address but failed. Yuk, who was seated beside Park, was struck by a bullet and died.

Moon was executed at Seoul Detention Center on Dec. 20 of that year.