NEWSTAPA PD Choi Seung-ho: "'Assassin(s)' is far-fetched speculation that deepens the left-right divide"

[Financial News]  Formerly with Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)'s PD Note, Choi Seung-ho, a NEWSTAPA PD who directed the documentaries 'Confession' and 'Criminal Conspiracy' and served as MBC president, shared his views on the controversy surrounding the film 'Assassin(s)'. He expressed concern about how historical tragedies are addressed and how political divisions are spreading.

First, he said, "I believe that imagining President Park Chung Hee or the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) under his command as the mastermind behind the tragic shooting of Yuk Young-soo only serves to further deepen the divide between the left and right in our society."
He continued, "Because the investigation into Mun Se-gwang's shooting was conducted in a short period and quickly led to a trial and execution, it may be possible to identify various problems in the evidence that remains. But how can anyone go so far as to suspect that the Park Chung Hee regime was responsible for killing the first lady? I do not think that shows basic respect for a human being."
He also recalled the funeral of Yuk Young-soo, which he witnessed as a child. "Although I was only a first-year middle school student at the time, I remember the magnitude of the sorrow Yuk Young-soo's death caused among the public," he said. "I also remember President Park standing with his hand on his wife's hearse, wearing a stunned expression. President Park appeared to decline rapidly after the incident, and he, too, ended his life tragically," he added.

Choi stressed that both the former president's achievements and shortcomings should be examined. "Park Chung Hee had many faults, but no one can deny that he was a giant who enabled South Korea to achieve the economic leap it has made today," he said. "Can anyone explain South Korea today without him?" he asked rhetorically.
He added, "If we highly value the marks that Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun left on modern history, then we must assess President Park Chung Hee's achievements just as highly for the sake of balance. Alongside criticism of his faults, later generations should be given detailed knowledge of his contributions. Only then can South Korea build a shared history."
His concerns extended beyond a single film to the political division in South Korean society. Choi said, "I am deeply concerned about the divide between progressives and conservatives, which has been becoming increasingly extreme since Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of emergency martial law." He then asked, "If we continue to hate each other as we do now, can the country remain whole?"
He also expressed concern about the repeated confrontation in which policies are reversed whenever power changes hands, saying, "If the conservatives take power in the next administration, what will happen to the prosecution reform carried out by the current Democratic Party of Korea administration? Then the Democratic Party of Korea will take power again and return everything to its original state..."
Finally, he urged, "If 'Assassin(s)' is causing controversy, shouldn't senior progressive figures draw the line and say that it is 'far-fetched speculation'?" He also criticized a political figure who encouraged people to see the film, saying, "An elderly lawmaker who is over 80 told me to watch more of the movie. I was dumbfounded."
[email protected] Shin Jin-ah Reporter