'Assassins' surpasses 1 million viewers in 4 days since release... Box office success amid political controversy

The film ″Assassin(s)″ continues its success by ranking first in ticket sales for Korean films in its second week of release. This work is a political thriller inspired by the assassination of the late Mrs. Yuk Young-soo at the Liberation Day ceremony on August 15, 1974, tracing the background and hidden suspicions behind the incident. Actors Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho play the roles of a detective, a newspaper social affairs chief, and a rookie reporter, respectively, adding tension to the story. Directed by Heo Jin-ho, the film goes beyond simple historical reenactment to address issues of press freedom and information control, attracting audience interest. Surpassing one million viewers within four days of release, the film shows signs of long-term success despite criticism and accusations from political circles. Some, including the People Power Party, have raised controversy over historical distortion by suggesting hypotheses that power agencies or former President Park Chung-hee’s side may have planned the incident. On the 29th, former Seoul city council member Lee Jong-bae filed a criminal complaint against director Heo Jin-ho and the production team for defamation of the deceased. Lee claimed that the plural form in the film’s title and the depiction implying involvement of power agencies lowered the social evaluation of the bereaved families. The production team stated in an official statement that the work does not aim to confirm any specific historical conclusion or deny or distort existing facts. They emphasized that it is a feature film that adds artistic imagination to various historical records and clarified that they did not designate any specific individual as the mastermind behind the incident or present dramatic settings as historical facts. Director Heo Jin-ho explained that the term ″Central Intelligence Agency upper echelon″ in the film was not aimed at the president. Major overseas media have evaluated the film as ″a condemnation of a corrupt government that deceived its citizens″ or ″a political thriller depicting the structure of state power hiding the truth.″ Variety in the United States mentioned the fictional disclaimer at the beginning of the film and interpreted the conspiratorial elements as belonging to the realm of creation and fiction. The film ″Assassin(s)″ was released nationwide on the 23rd and is currently showing in theaters across the country.