PPP to visit Jongmyo, Taereung instead of Busan

'Positions too divided to go together,' lawmaker says

A session of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee national audit proceeds Wednesday after People Power Party members walked out over the panel's failure to subpoena the director of the film "The Assassin." [Yonhap]
A session of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee national audit proceeds Wednesday after People Power Party members walked out over the panel's failure to subpoena the director of the film "The Assassin." [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmakers on the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee will skip a scheduled field visit to Busan on Thursday, citing irreconcilable differences with the Democratic Party over the film "The Assassin."

Rep. Cho Eun-hee, who leads the PPP's side on the committee, announced during Wednesday's national audit that her party would instead visit Jongmyo Shrine and the planned site of a 6,800-unit housing development in Taereung — locations that require no additional public spending on hotel accommodations or transportation. The PPP plans to hold an on-site meeting at both venues.

The last-minute withdrawal from Busan appears to reflect the party's sensitivity to the controversy surrounding "The Assassin." A PPP member of the committee said by phone that the two parties' positions on the film were clearly at odds. "They say we're going to Busan to encourage filmmakers at the Busan International Film Festival, but our positions are so sharply divided that it's hard to go together," the lawmaker said.

The divide played out openly during Wednesday's national audit, when PPP members attempted to subpoena Heo Jin-ho, the director of "The Assassin," only to be blocked after the two parties failed to reach an agreement. Cho argued that calling in the filmmaker was not about conducting an ideological screening, but Democratic Party Rep. Lee Jae-jeong, who chairs the committee, declared that prior censorship runs counter to constitutional values and pushed ahead with a vote. PPP members walked out, and the committee passed the witness summons in their absence.

The PPP has maintained that the Busan field visit was decided without adequate consultation with the opposition. At the Sept. 16 session where the 2026 national audit plan was adopted, Cho stated through a procedural remark that the schedule and content of the field visit had not been sufficiently discussed between the two parties.

In response, Rep. Lee Jeong-mun of the Democratic Party, who leads his party's side on the committee, said reaching an agreement would be ideal, but added that "when opinions diverge, it is also necessary to follow established practice."

At that earlier session, proposals including splitting into separate groups had been raised, but Busan was ultimately chosen as the destination, reportedly because of the committee's small membership. The controversy over "The Assassin" subsequently deepened and the two parties' positions diverged further, leading to the change in venue.

A PPP official on the committee said the party had also floated the idea of stopping in Busan before visiting another location, but that those talks appeared to have broken down.


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