Ex-MBC chief calls 'Park Chung-hee mastermind' theory in film 'The Assassin' a step too far

Choi Seung-ho, a Newstapa producer and former MBC president, has publicly criticized the narrative premise of "The Assassin," a film about the 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo, saying it risks deepening the ideological divide in Korean society.

Writing on his Facebook page Wednesday, Choi said imagining that Park Chung-hee or the Korean Central Intelligence Agency under him had orchestrated the attack on Yuk "is something I believe would deepen the left-right fracture in our society even further."

He added that "suspecting the Park Chung-hee government of killing the first lady is not showing basic human decency." The remarks amounted to an open rebuke of director Heo Jin-ho's film, which has been embroiled in a controversy over alleged historical distortion.

Choi recalled being in his first year of middle school at the time of the shooting. "I remember how much grief Yuk's death brought to the public," he wrote, adding that he still carries the image of Park resting his hand on his wife's hearse with a dazed expression. "After that incident, President Park visibly fell apart, and he too ended his life tragically," Choi said.

He also called for a balanced assessment of Park's historical legacy. "Park Chung-hee had many faults, but no one can deny that he was a giant who made South Korea's economic leap possible," Choi wrote. "Can you explain South Korea today without him?"

He went on to say that if former presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun are highly regarded for their contributions to modern history, Park deserves equal recognition for his achievements. "Future generations must be made aware of both his faults and his merits," he said. "That is how South Korea can build a shared history."

Choi also linked the controversy to the broader political climate, urging senior figures on the progressive side to speak up responsibly. "Since Yoon Suk Yeol's emergency martial law declaration, I am deeply worried about the increasingly extreme polarization between progressives and conservatives," he wrote. "If 'The Assassin' is stirring controversy, shouldn't the elders of the progressive camp draw a line and say this is a step too far in imagination?" Choi joined MBC in 1986 and directed programs including "PD Notebook." After being dismissed, he worked at Newstapa before serving as MBC president from 2017 to 2020, then returned to Newstapa.

"The Assassin" has faced fierce criticism from conservative political parties and the Park Chung-hee Presidential Memorial Foundation, who have demanded an immediate halt to screenings, calling the film's use of a fictional hypothesis — suggesting possible involvement by state authorities in the Aug. 15, 1974 shooting by Moon Se-gwang — "a depraved distortion of a historical tragedy."

Hive MEDIAcorp, the production company, said the film "has no intention of establishing any specific historical conclusion or distorting facts," adding that it is "a purely creative work that does not identify any specific individual as a mastermind."

Even after that statement, some in political circles raised claims of "Chinese capital backing," citing an investment by CLSA Capital, a China-linked financial firm. Hive MEDIAcorp pushed back on two consecutive days, saying the film "was independently produced with 100 percent domestic capital" and urging people to stop spreading false information.

The dispute has since spilled into legal action and hardship for the cast. Former Seoul city council member Lee Jong-bae filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against director Heo, the production company's chief and the screenwriter on charges of defamation through false statements of fact. Heo appeared Wednesday in an interview on the YouTube channel "Bong Ji-wook's Off the Record," saying he had not written the film to suggest Park ordered Yuk's killing because "it would be logically contradictory and implausible." He said he was heartbroken that "actors who worked so hard are suffering because of the historical-distortion framing."

The backlash has extended well beyond the screen. The YouTube comments section for a global fast-food brand's advertisement featuring lead actor Yoo Hae-jin was shut down after being flooded with hostile remarks. Fellow actors Lee Min-ho and Ryu Hye-young have also been targeted, as have Kim Go-eun — who said at a VIP preview that the film made her "feel grateful for the present" — and Lee Young-ae, whose personal social media accounts have been inundated with critical comments.