Park Ji-man speaks out on 'The Assassin' controversy: 'Do you hate my father that much?'

Park Ji-man, chairman of EG and son of late President Park Chung-hee, has spoken out for the first time about the historical distortion controversy surrounding the film "The Assassin." The film has stirred debate amid suggestions that it implies Park Chung-hee orchestrated the 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo. Park rebuffed the conspiracy theory, asking, "Do you hate my father that much?"

In an interview with the Chosun Ilbo published Friday, Park recalled the night of Aug. 15, 1974 — when his mother died — as he was in his first year of high school.

"My father came back from Seoul National University Hospital and suddenly embraced me, saying, 'Ji-man, your mother has passed away,' and wept so hard his chest heaved," Park said. "I had never once seen my father cry out loud like that."

Park also strongly rebuffed the film's central premise — that his father was behind the assassination attempt.

"Does it even make sense that someone would risk their life to carry out an assassination at the very place where they themselves are giving a speech and could be hit by a bullet?" he said. "Do you hate my father that much?"

However, Park drew a line at taking legal action to halt the film's release.

He said he had no interest in seeking an injunction to suspend screenings or filing a damages claim.

"Rather than going to court, if this becomes an opportunity for the younger generation to properly learn about my father, Park Chung-hee, I would actually welcome it," he said.

Meanwhile, the controversy over "The Assassin" has spilled into the political arena.

The People Power Party called the film "a third-rate conspiracy theory and historical distortion," demanding an apology from the filmmakers and an end to screenings.

Lawmaker Joo Ho-young said Friday that "'The Assassin' is not mere cinematic imagination — it is historical distortion, a lie, and nothing more than a third-rate conspiracy theory," urging that screenings be halted as soon as possible.

Lawmaker Yoo Young-ha also criticized the film as historical distortion, citing a handwritten letter Park Chung-hee sent to then-daughter Park Geun-hye two days after Yuk's death. The letter included the line: "The bullet meant for your father was taken by your mother instead."

The Democratic Party of Korea, by contrast, urged caution against political pressure it said infringes on artistic freedom, arguing that "a film should be seen as a film."