Film critic Lee Dong-jin pulls review of 'The Assassin' amid history-distortion controversy

A review video by film critic Lee Dong-jin has been made private amid a growing controversy over alleged historical distortions in the film "The Assassin."

The YouTube channel "B tv Lee Dong-jin's Pyaakia" said Tuesday that it had set the review video, uploaded Saturday, to private "as debate surrounding the film continues." The move is considered unusual for the channel.

In the video, Lee had given "The Assassin" three out of five stars, praising it as a work that "digs with density into the flow and gaps of events."

The decision drew fierce backlash in the comments section, particularly over a remark Lee made during the review that the film's content "cannot simply be dismissed as a conspiracy theory."

One online commenter pointed to Lee's response in July, when he had rebuffed criticism after giving the film "Hope" four stars, writing: "You pushed back hard over 'Hope,' but this one is indefensible?"

"The Assassin," directed by Heo Jin-ho, reimagines through cinematic license the Aug. 15, 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo.

According to the investigation conducted by a special task force at the time, Zainichi Korean Mun Se-gwang carried out the attack on orders from North Korea and Chongryon — the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan — in an attempt to assassinate then-President Park Chung-hee, fatally shooting Yuk instead.

The film suggests there may have been hidden circumstances behind the incident, and has drawn criticism for implying possible government involvement and distorting history. Conservative voices, led by the People Power Party, have been particularly vocal in their condemnation.

The production team rebuffed the criticism, saying the film "does not identify any specific individual as the mastermind anywhere, and is a creative work with no political purpose."

The controversy has not subsided despite the filmmakers' explanation. Lead actors Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, as well as actors who attended the preview and offered praise, have continued to face a torrent of malicious comments online. As the backlash intensified, Jimovie — a film YouTuber with about 4.17 million subscribers — also deleted a review video of "The Assassin."

Conservative politicians, the Park Chung-hee Presidential Memorial Foundation and the Yuk Young-soo Memorial Foundation have called for the film to be pulled from theaters. Former Seoul city council member Lee Jong-bae of the People Power Party filed a complaint Tuesday with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against director Heo and the production team on charges of defamation through false statements of fact under the criminal code.