[Full Text] Film Critic Lee Dong-jin Breaks Silence on 'The Assassins' Controversy: "Review Made Private, No Apology"

*This content was translated by AI.

Film critic Lee Dong-jin has made his review video for the film "The Assassins" private and directly explained the controversial remarks.

Lee stated on his blog on September 30, "Yesterday afternoon, I received a notice from the production team of 'B tv Lee Dong-jin's Pyakia' that they would make the review video uploaded on September 25 private due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the film 'The Assassins.' Subsequently, the video was made private."

He continued, "In this video, I expressed my views while pointing out various aspects regarding the completeness, strengths, and weaknesses of 'The Assassins.' However, a specific line where I said, 'It cannot be dismissed as just a conspiracy theory,' has been quoted separately, leading to ongoing controversy over the intent behind my statement."

Lee explained, "I made that remark while explaining how the film handles questions surrounding the whereabouts and location of the bullets fired at the National Theater on August 15, 1974, as well as points that were not easily resolved by the official announcements at the time. It did not mean that all hypotheses raised by the film are true. Furthermore, it had nothing to do with the claim that Park Jeong-hui (President) was behind the shooting of Mrs. Yoo Young-soo."

He added, "What I discussed in my review was the questions raised by the film and the way those questions were dramatically structured, not a claim definitively identifying a specific person as the mastermind behind an assassination. I also encountered criticism that my statement contradicts what I said 19 years ago about the documentary 'The Road to Guantanamo.' What I pointed out at that time was the danger that can arise when the boundary between actual events and actors' reenactment scenes becomes blurred within a documentary containing strong political claims. In my view, documentaries are fundamentally based on the sensation of directly witnessing events that actually occurred as facts before one's eyes."

Lee stated, "In contrast, 'The Assassins' is a feature film performed by actors, and audiences watch it with the awareness that it is a dramatized story, so the same criteria applied to documentaries cannot be used. Of course, since there is always room for discussion on where the boundary between fact and fiction should lie in a feature film based on historical events, 'The Assassins' can also be criticized from that perspective, and I believe such discussions are necessary. However, if it is a debate about this film, I hope it takes place after watching the entire movie. I also hope that criticism of my review is based on an overall understanding of the context in which I spoke."

Along with this, Lee added, "Over the past 30 years of reviewing films, I have received alternating criticism from people holding diametrically opposite positions depending on the work. My views expressed through this video regarding this film are entirely unrelated to my views as a citizen regarding the current political situation in South Korea. My cinematic judgment regarding 'The Assassins' remains the same today. Therefore, I have no intention of retracting the evaluation I made in that review or apologizing for the evaluation itself. However, I wanted to clearly leave on record what I said and what I did not say."

"The Assassins" is a mystery thriller that tracks the suspicions and masterminds behind the incident where Mrs. Yoo Young-soo, then First Lady, was shot and killed at the Liberation Day commemoration ceremony on August 15, 1974. Directed by Heo Jin-ho, who directed "Ordinary Family" and "Astronomy: A Journey to the Skies," the film stars Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho.

"The Assassins" continued its box office success, surpassing 1 million cumulative admissions within four days of its release on the 23rd, but has once again drawn attention due to issues of historical distortion. "The Assassins" is drawing anger from conservative circles by implying that the late President Park Chung-hee Jeon (President) was behind the murder of the late Mrs. Yoo Young-soo.

In response, the production team stated, "'The Assassins' is a feature film reconstructed with cinematic imagination based on various records written about the historical event that occurred in 1974 and related to it at the time. The production team extensively investigated published records, materials, books, documentaries, etc., and completed a story by combining fictional characters and situations while using actual events and people as motifs." They emphasized, "It is not a film produced to newly establish specific historical conclusions or to deny or distort existing facts. Nowhere in the film is a specific person defined as the mastermind of the incident, nor are the hypotheses and dramatic settings within the film presented as historical facts."

They added, "As it is a work featuring historical events and real people, various interpretations and criticisms may exist. The production team respects such opinions. However, we would like to state that the film was not produced with specific political purposes beyond its unique creative intent and nature." They concluded, "Please view the work solely as a product of creation."

Yesterday afternoon, I received a notice from the production team of 'B tv Lee Dong-jin's Pyakia' that they would make the review video uploaded on September 25 private due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the film "The Assassins." Subsequently, the video was made private.

In this video, I expressed my views while pointing out various aspects regarding the completeness, strengths, and weaknesses of "The Assassins." However, a specific line where I said, "It cannot be dismissed as just a conspiracy theory," has been quoted separately, leading to ongoing controversy over the intent behind my statement.

I made that remark while explaining how the film handles questions surrounding the whereabouts and location of the bullets fired at the National Theater on August 15, 1974, as well as points that were not easily resolved by the official announcements at the time. It did not mean that all hypotheses raised by the film are true. Furthermore, it had nothing to do with the claim that Park Jeong-hui (President) was behind the shooting of Mrs. Yoo Young-soo.

I fully understand that there may be audiences who read different implications from specific scenes or settings even after watching the same film. However, I believe that such nonsensical and terrible claims are not included in this film, either as dialogue or scene descriptions. In my judgment, it is difficult for audiences to come up with the interpretation that "Park Jeong-hui (President) was behind the assassination of Mrs. Yoo Young-soo" while watching this film. Therefore, I find it difficult to accept the criticism asking how one could raise a conspiracy theory that "Park Jeong-hui (President) was behind the assassination of Mrs. Yoo Young-soo" while the bereaved family members are still alive, as it attacks a claim that does not exist.

Therefore, I felt it necessary to clearly state my position regarding the situation where claims I did not actually make are being accepted as my views. What I discussed in my review was the questions raised by the film and the way those questions were dramatically structured, not a claim definitively identifying a specific person as the mastermind behind an assassination.

I also encountered criticism that my statement contradicts what I said 19 years ago about the documentary "The Road to Guantanamo." What I pointed out at that time was the danger that can arise when the boundary between actual events and actors' reenactment scenes becomes blurred within a documentary containing strong political claims. In my view, documentaries are fundamentally based on the sensation of directly witnessing events that actually occurred as facts before one's eyes. In contrast, "The Assassins" is a feature film performed by actors, and audiences watch it with the awareness that it is a dramatized story, so the same criteria applied to documentaries cannot be used. Of course, since there is always room for discussion on where the boundary between fact and fiction should lie in a feature film based on historical events, "The Assassins" can also be criticized from that perspective, and I believe such discussions are necessary.

However, if it is a debate about this film, I hope it takes place after watching the entire movie. I also hope that criticism of my review is based on an overall understanding of the context in which I spoke.

Over the past 30 years of reviewing films, I have received alternating criticism from people holding diametrically opposite positions depending on the work. My views expressed through this video regarding this film are entirely unrelated to my views as a citizen regarding the current political situation in South Korea.

My cinematic judgment regarding "The Assassins" remains the same today. Therefore, I have no intention of retracting the evaluation I made in that review or apologizing for the evaluation itself. However, I wanted to clearly leave on record what I said and what I did not say.

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*This content was translated by AI.