Korean Political Dispute Over ‘The Assassin(s)’ Reaches Singapore Film Festival
South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party is preparing to ask the Singapore International Film Festival to drop ‘The Assassin(s)’ as its opening film, extending a domestic dispute over the political thriller to an overseas cultural event.
A political dispute in South Korea over the historical thriller “The Assassin(s)” is moving beyond the country’s borders, as opposition lawmakers prepare to challenge its selection as the opening film of the Singapore International Film Festival.
The festival has announced that the South Korean production will open its program on Oct. 21. Lawmakers from the main opposition People Power Party are working on a collective letter asking organizers to reverse that decision. Rep. Joo Jin-woo is leading the effort, and a party lawmaker said almost all of the party’s members were expected to participate. The People Power Party holds 109 of the National Assembly’s 299 seats.
Joo said the appeal could also be sent to organizers in other countries where the film may be screened, including Brazil. The campaign therefore raises the prospect that a domestic debate about history, artistic interpretation and political memory could follow the film through its international festival run.
“The Assassin(s)” centers on questions surrounding the August 1974 killing of first lady Yuk Young-soo, the wife of then-President Park Chung-hee. Mun Se-gwang, a Korean resident of Japan, was arrested at the scene, and his links to a leftist organization were disclosed. He was executed in December 1974. The film draws on long-running speculation connected to reported differences between the shots attributed to Mun and the number of shots witnesses said they heard.
Conservative critics argue that the production distorts established history and implies that Park may have been involved in his wife’s death. They describe that suggestion as an insult to the former president and contend that the film obscures North Korea’s role in the assassination. Their objections have targeted not only the film but also people associated with its production, performance and financing.
The controversy has not prevented strong audience interest. The film attracted more than 2 million moviegoers during its first 11 days in South Korean theaters through Saturday. Its commercial momentum, together with overseas festival invitations, has widened the arena in which the debate is unfolding.
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok was also scheduled to visit Yuk’s birthplace in Okcheon County, North Chungcheong Province, on Monday, though details of the visit had not been disclosed. The Singapore festival’s response to the planned letter was not immediately reported.
The dispute places festival organizers in the middle of competing claims about historical accuracy and artistic freedom. Whether Singapore changes its opening selection may determine if the campaign remains a Korean political controversy or becomes a broader test of how international cultural institutions handle pressure surrounding politically contentious films.