Hong Hye-geol's criticism of 'The Assassin' draws online backlash against wife's company

A controversy over historical distortion surrounding "The Assassin," a film depicting the 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo, has spilled beyond cultural debate into real-world conflict. After broadcaster Hong Hye-geol, a former medical journalist, sharply criticized the film's portrayal of history, the backlash landed on the health supplement company run by his wife, Dr. Yeo Esther.

According to a video published Friday on the YouTube channel "Yeo Esther's Esther TV," the online message board of Yeo's health supplement company was flooded with hostile comments almost immediately after Hong posted his criticism on his personal Facebook page.

In the video, Yeo said the company's internet message board was "plastered with malicious comments" after the post went up, adding that employees "had to abandon their regular work entirely to spend their time deleting the abusive messages."

She also revealed that Hong had "written a pledge to permanently delete his social media accounts," only to reverse course the following morning, saying he would limit his online activity to medical and cultural topics. Yeo said the situation had been serious enough that a separation was discussed. Hong softened his stance, saying he was "a complete centrist, not leaning to either side politically," and that he would "stop expressing opinions that could provoke social conflict."

Earlier, Hong had written on Facebook that "The Assassin" made him uncomfortable, questioning whether it was appropriate to "insult a person revered by half the nation, with surviving family members still alive, through a far-fetched conspiracy theory."

Directed by Hur Jin-ho, "The Assassin" is a political thriller that traces the forces behind the Aug. 15 assassination attempt of 1974. The film hints at possible involvement by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency and the inner circle of the then-ruling government, and sparked fierce debate before and after its release.

The production team and Hur said they did not "identify any specific individual as the mastermind behind the incident or present cinematic hypotheses as historical fact," describing the film as "a product of cinematic imagination intended to illuminate the power structure of the time and the multifaceted nature of the event."

The ideological clash surrounding the film appears to be fueling audience interest rather than dampening it. According to data released Saturday by the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing system, "The Assassin" drew 160,976 viewers on Friday alone — the first day of the Hangul Day holiday — to hold the top spot at the box office. Its cumulative audience has reached 2,745,841.