A promotional image for the film "The Assassin" [Hive MEDIAcorp]
A promotional image for the film "The Assassin" [Hive MEDIAcorp]

Controversy surrounding "The Assassin," a film depicting the 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo, has spread well beyond the screen. What began as a dispute over alleged historical distortion has since drawn a demand from the Park Chung-hee Presidential Memorial Foundation to halt screenings, and now allegations from the political sphere that Chinese money is behind the production. The film's production company has issued official statements on two consecutive days, flatly rejecting both the narrative-distortion claims and the funding allegations.

Hive MEDIAcorp, the production company behind "The Assassin," said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that "there is absolutely no fact to the claim that Chinese capital was involved in the production or investment process of our company or the film."

The company added that the film "was independently planned and produced under the leadership of domestic cast and crew, using domestic capital," and said that while it respects criticism and diverse opinions about the work, "the matter of investment and production capital is an objectively verifiable fact, and we hope that inaccurate information will not be further amplified and reproduced."

The Chinese funding claims originated with People Power Party lawmaker Ju Jin-woo, who said in a YouTube broadcast Monday that "there were media reports that CLSA Capital, an affiliate of Chinese state-owned conglomerate Citic Group, would invest 40 billion won ($29.4 million) in Hive MEDIAcorp," arguing that "this shows a direct connection to Chinese capital, and we must also consider the possibility of behind-the-scenes manipulation from China under the guise of investment."

Earlier, the Park Chung-hee Presidential Memorial Foundation, along with groups commemorating the late first lady and ruling party leadership, took a hard line against the film's portrayal of a hypothesis involving government involvement in the 1974 incident. In a statement Monday, the foundation strongly condemned "the distortion of a historical tragedy that inflicted irreparable pain on the former president and his bereaved family," and demanded that the production company "officially apologize for the historical distortion and immediately halt screenings."

A promotional poster for "The Assassin" displayed at a movie theater in Seoul [Yonhap]
A promotional poster for "The Assassin" displayed at a movie theater in Seoul [Yonhap]

Amid a barrage of criticism from ruling party figures — including People Power Party floor leader Jang Dong-hyeok ("Is insulting Park Chung-hee freedom of expression?") and lawmaker Ju ("an immoral crime deserving strict punishment") — the production team issued an initial response Monday, saying the film "does not identify any specific individual as a mastermind anywhere, and is a creative work with no political purpose." When politicians raised the Chinese capital theory the following day, the company issued a second statement.

As political pressure over alleged historical distortion and calls to pull the film have intensified, YouTube creators who reviewed or recommended "The Assassin" have found themselves targeted by coordinated harassment and abusive comments. Some film YouTubers have deleted their videos or posted apology broadcasts.

According to industry sources, G-Movie, South Korea's largest film-focused YouTube channel with 4.17 million subscribers, quietly deleted its introductory video for "The Assassin." Individual reviewers have also faced backlash. Kim Dan-gun, a creator with about 240,000 subscribers, posted a review sharing thoughts on the film's narrative quality after watching it, but after a wave of criticism went live separately to bow in apology, saying, "I failed to consider that this could be a film that makes some people uncomfortable. I was politically ignorant."

At the box office, the post-holiday weekday drop in attendance combined with the controversy to shake up the rankings. According to the Korean Box Office Information System, "The Assassin" drew about 67,000 admissions Monday, capturing a 26.8 percent revenue share, but was edged out by "Tazza: Song of Beelzebub" — which drew about 68,000 — by roughly 1,000 tickets, landing in second place. The film's CGV Golden Egg rating, based on verified audience reviews, remains high at 91 percent. Its Naver user score, however, has been dragged down to 2.2 out of 10 by what appears to be an organized review-bombing campaign, reflecting a sharp polarization in audience reception.


shee@heraldcorp.com