[Edaily Starin Gim Ga Yeong Reporter] The program “100-Minute Debate” will cover the film “The Assassin(s),” which has sparked a controversy over historical distortion that has even extended into political circles.

On the 13th, the production team of MBC’s “100-Minute Debate” announced that the day’s broadcast would be held under the theme “The ‘Assassins’ Controversy… How Far Can History Go in a Movie?” with guests including Rep. Noh Jong-myeon of the Democratic Party of Korea, Rep. Yoon Yong-geun of the People Power Party, film critic Jeon Chan-il, and Shim Yong-hwan, director of the History N Education Research Institute.
“The Assassin(s)” raises yet another question for our society regarding the interpretation of history, exploring just how far cinematic imagination based on historical events can be permitted.
Regarding the hypothetical premise—which implies the possibility of intervention by the ruling elite at the time—the People Power Party and other conservative factions are pushing back, calling it “a distortion of history that undermines judicial rulings and established historical facts.” In contrast, the Democratic Party of Korea and other progressive factions argue that “excessive political interference could infringe upon creative freedom and stifle the film industry.”
Compounded by political debates over the Film Rating Board’s review criteria and the autonomous execution of state-funded investment funds, as well as pressure directed at the cast and production crew, the controversy appears to be spiraling out of control. Attention is now focused on the question of just how far artistic license should extend in films based on modern history, and how to strike a balance between historical imagination and social responsibility.
The film *Assassins* is based on the 1974 assassination attempt on First Lady Yuk Young-soo and uses cinematic imagination to reconstruct the stories of the figures involved in the incident. However, as controversies over historical distortion surrounding the film have persisted recently, a heated debate has erupted both within and outside the political and film communities.
Meanwhile, “100-Minute Debate” airs every Tuesday at 11:20 p.m.