Culture minister defends creative freedom amid controversy over film's historical inaccuracies

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SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- The culture minister on Wednesday defended creative freedom amid a growing dispute over alleged historical distortion in the Korean film "The Assassin(s)," saying the government should not interfere in the content of artistic works.

"There should be no restrictions on imagination and creative work," Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young said during a parliamentary audit into the ministry.

The film, which depicts a 1974 assassination attempt on then South Korean President Park Chung-hee that resulted in the death of the first lady, has faced strong criticism, mostly from conservatives, for implying that Park and the state intelligence agency were involved in his wife's death, in contrast to the established account that the assassin, Moon Se-kwang, was accountable for the fatal shooting.

Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young answers a question from a lawmaker during a regular parliamentary audit into the ministry at the National Assembly on Oct. 7, 2026. (Yonhap)

Asked whether films based on historical events should enjoy unlimited creative freedom, Chae said, "The government does not intervene in the content of creative works in any way in South Korea where freedom of expression is guaranteed and prior censorship is strictly prohibited."

But Chae declined to rule on whether the film had distorted history, saying it was for the public and audiences to decide.

"If anyone feels they have suffered serious defamation, legal procedures are available," he said.

The minister also defended his decision to speak out on social media against protests outside the homes of cast members, including actor Yoo Hae-jin, and attempts to disrupt advertising activities involving the film's actors.

In the post on Sunday, Chae called on the police to take stern measures against any illegal acts by the protesters, saying, "Criticism of a film is free, but personal threats against its creators are the destruction of democracy."

He said his intervention was prompted by concern that criticism of the film had escalated into personal threats against cultural figures.

Members of the main opposition People Power Party sought to summon director Hur Jin-ho and other members of the film's production team as witnesses during the parliamentary audit on Wednesday, but the plan fell through due to opposition from ruling Democratic Party lawmakers.

sshim@yna.co.kr (END)

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Culture minister defends creative freedom amid controversy over film's historical inaccuracies

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首尔，10月7日（韩联社）——韩国文化部长官周三就韩国电影《刺客》涉嫌歪曲历史引发的争议，为创作自由辩护，称政府不应干预艺术作品的内容。

“想象力和创造性工作不应该受到任何限制，”文化体育观光部长蔡辉荣在国会对该部进行审计时表示。

这部电影讲述了 1974 年韩国总统朴正熙遇刺未遂事件，导致第一夫人身亡。该片因暗示朴正熙和国家情报机构参与了其妻子的死亡而受到强烈批评，批评者主要来自保守派人士，这与官方认定刺客文世光应对致命枪击事件负责的说法相悖。

2026年10月7日，文化体育观光部长官蔡辉映在国会接受议员质询时，出席了该部例行的国会审计。（韩联社）

当被问及根据历史事件改编的电影是否应该享有无限的创作自由时，蔡先生表示：“在韩国，政府不会以任何方式干预创作作品的内容，言论自由受到保障，事先审查被严格禁止。”

但蔡先生拒绝就该电影是否歪曲历史作出裁决，称这应由公众和观众来决定。

他说：“如果有人认为自己遭受了严重的诽谤，可以采取法律程序。”

该部长还为自己在社交媒体上公开反对在包括演员柳海珍在内的剧组成员家门口举行的抗议活动以及试图干扰涉及该电影演员的广告活动的行为辩护。

蔡在周日的帖子中呼吁警方对示威者的任何非法行为采取严厉措施，并表示：“批评电影是自由的，但对电影创作者进行人身威胁是对民主的破坏。”

他说，他之所以介入，是因为他担心对这部电影的批评已经升级为对文化人物的人身威胁。

主要反对党人民力量党的成员试图在周三的国会审计中传唤导演许镇浩和该电影制作团队的其他成员作为证人，但由于执政的民主党议员的反对，该计划未能实现。

sshim@yna.co.kr（完）

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