'Assassins' excluded from National Assembly audit witness list again... People Power Party boycotts vote and leaves

National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee holds plenary session on the 14thDebate over historical distortion controversy... Concerns about infringement of creative freedomAmidst ongoing controversy between the ruling and opposition parties over the film 'Assassination(s)', which deals with the assassination of Yuk Young-soo, the summoning of witnesses and references for the parliamentary audit has once again failed. The photo shows a trailer for 'Assassination(s)' being screened on the large screen at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall. / Reporter Seo Ye-won[THE FACT|Reporter Kim Saet-byeol] The summoning of director Huh Jin-ho and the production team as witnesses for the parliamentary audit, related to the historical distortion controversy of the film 'Assassination(s)', has once again failed. The People Power Party demanded the summoning of witnesses, but the ruling and opposition parties failed to reach an agreement, and the People Power Party lawmakers, protesting this, walked out during the meeting.The National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (Culture Committee) held a plenary session at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 14th, and resolved the matter of summoning witnesses and references for the parliamentary audit. The summoning of director Huh and the production team, as requested by the People Power Party, was excluded from the list due to disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties.At the meeting, there was an ongoing debate between the ruling and opposition parties over the summoning of film industry officials as witnesses. Lee Jeong-moon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out, "The interpretation of historical facts in a film is the domain of the audience, historians, the media, and civil society," adding, "If a precedent is set in the National Assembly (for summoning witnesses), who would be able to freely create works of art?"In contrast, Cho Eun-hee, the floor leader of the People Power Party, demanded the summoning of witnesses, stating, "We are not calling for ideological verification of producers and directors." She then mentioned controversial merchandise sold during the film's screening and asked why even production company officials could not be summoned as witnesses.Lawmakers from the People Power Party reiterated their stance that the National Assembly needs to verify the film's historical distortion. Rep. Kim Seung-soo argued that not only the historical distortion controversy but also government investment, release date, theater allocation, and value assessment reports need to be verified. Rep. Kim Seok-ki said, "I cannot agree that works that intentionally and clearly distort history and instill a wrong historical perception in future generations should be allowed."Lee Jae-jeong, the chairperson of the Culture Committee, drew a line, stating, "The Republic of Korea, in accordance with its constitutional values, does not engage in prior censorship, but rather holds individuals accountable afterward," and added, "Even if the two floor leaders reach an agreement, I, as the chairperson, cannot summon them as witnesses."Subsequently, lawmakers from the People Power Party, protesting the disagreement over the summoning of witnesses, did not participate in the vote and walked out. The Culture Committee, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, resolved the motion to summon witnesses and references.'Assassination(s)' is a film released on the 23rd of last month, which adds cinematic imagination to the assassination of Yuk Young-soo that occurred during the Liberation Day ceremony on August 15, 1974, to investigate the suspicions and masterminds behind the incident. At the time, the investigative authorities concluded it was the sole act of Moon Se-kwang, but as the film deals with the possibility of another person's involvement, a controversy over historical distortion arose in some political circles.Previously, the People Power Party had also demanded the summoning of director Huh and others as witnesses and references for the parliamentary audit on the 29th of last month, but it failed due to the lack of agreement between the ruling and opposition parties.[Entertainment Desk | ssent@tf.co.kr]sstar1204@tf.co.kr