Film 'Assassin(s)': Two Bullets Vanished on the Day the First Lady Was Shot in 1974... A Period-Drama Powerhouse Lives Up to Its Name [This Film]

[Financial News] #1. On August 15, 1974, at the National Theater of Korea in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, ethnic Korean youth Mun Se-gwang fired a handgun at President Park Chung Hee as he delivered a speech marking the 29th anniversary of Korea's liberation. President Park survived, but the first lady suffered a gunshot wound to the head and died that afternoon. Coincidentally, Seoul Subway Line 1, the country's first subway line, held its opening ceremony that day. Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil attended in the president's place, and the ceremony was scaled back in a somber atmosphere.
#2. Seventy days after the first lady shooting, on October 24, more than 180 reporters at The Dong-A Ilbo issued the 'Declaration of Free Press Practice' in opposition to the Korean Central Intelligence Agency's (KCIA) control of the media. Press freedom was under serious threat at the time: the Yushin Constitution had been proclaimed in October 1972, followed by Emergency Measure No. 1 in January 1974, which banned activities opposing the Yushin Constitution.
#3. Mun Se-gwang was sentenced to death at his first trial on October 19, 1974, 65 days after the incident. South Korean investigators concluded that Mun Se-gwang had been recruited by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan and attempted to assassinate President Park Chung Hee on orders from North Korea. Japanese investigators, however, determined that he had acted alone, motivated by hostility toward the Park Chung Hee regime, saying there was no evidence proving direct orders from North Korea or the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan.
#4. More than 3,000 pages of diplomatic documents concerning the incident were released in 2005, but the questions were not fully resolved. One question was whose bullet struck the first lady. Seven shots were confirmed at the scene, but investigators concluded that Mun Se-gwang had actually fired four rounds. If one of the 'three shots' fired in response by a security officer struck Jang Bong-hwa, a deceased choir member, where did the other two go?
Hive Media Corp., which has successfully brought modern Korean history to screens and OTT platforms through films such as 'The Man Standing Next' and '12.12: The Day,' as well as the Disney+ series 'Made in Korea,' has further cemented its reputation as a powerhouse of period dramas with director Hur Jin-ho's new film 'Assassin(s),' released this Chuseok holiday.
'Assassin(s)' is a faction mystery thriller that begins with the 1974 shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-soo. During a live Liberation Day broadcast watched by the entire nation, the first lady is shot in an unprecedented incident, and the suspect is arrested at the scene. The case is quickly closed, but Cheol-gu (Yoo Hae-jin), the detective responsible for security at the event; Jae-hwan (Park Hae-il), a newspaper social-affairs editor who looks into the incident's hidden side; and Young-il (Lee Minho), a rookie reporter who witnessed the chaos that day, begin questioning the announced investigation results and pursuing the truth.

Using the first lady shooting as its subject, the film invites today's viewers, who may not know the full story, into the scene of that day. It creates a vivid tension that feels as if the audience has stepped into the heart of history. By linking the reporters' struggle to uncover the truth despite the KCIA's control of the press with the 'Declaration of Free Press Practice,' issued that same year, it reconstructs the landscape of 1974 in rich detail.
The film does not stop at recreating an incident whose perpetrator is already known. Following a detective and two reporters as they piece together scattered fragments of the case, it probes the gap between the 'facts' announced by the state and the 'truth' witnessed at the scene. As a result, it prompts viewers to revisit an incident that remains shrouded in mystery.
The early part of the film conveys the tension and appeal of a mystery investigation through detective Cheol-gu's perspective. Yoo Hae-jin, who has appeared in five films that drew more than 10 million viewers, including 'A Man Who Lives with the King,' convincingly portrays the transformation of a straightforward police officer into a pursuer of dangerous truths through his trademark wry, down-to-earth performance and weighty focus.
From the middle onward, the story of the reporters, centered on Jae-hwan (Park Hae-il) and Young-il (Lee Minho), unfolds with intensity. Despite pressure from the KCIA and discouragement from within their own ranks, they refuse to abandon their journalistic principles. With a low, restrained voice and a firm gaze, Park Hae-il convincingly conveys the gravity of a social-affairs editor standing up to pressure from those in power.
Lee Minho adds vitality to the film as Young-il, a rookie reporter from the youngest son's branch of a chaebol family, with youthful and uninhibited energy.
At a time when the profession of journalism is casually disparaged with the term 'trash journalist,' these characters remind viewers of the value of a professional calling that is gradually fading and pose a weighty question about the role of the media.

'Assassin(s)' chose to film every scene in real locations, an 'all-location' approach that adds visual appeal by preserving vivid textures and spatial depth that would be difficult to create with sets alone.
The scenes of Cheol-gu's children, whose father is a police officer, sitting on the wooden floor and reciting the 'Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag' before running through narrow alleys, along with the scene of Cheol-gu's wife warmly caring for the newlywed couple renting part of their home, evoke nostalgia for a time when neighborly affection was part of everyday life.
The world of reporting also looks markedly different from today. Reporters line up at pay phones, clutching the receivers as they describe the situation at the scene while senior and junior colleagues write it down. In another scene, a drunken cartoonist listens to the reporters' stories from the side and completes a four-panel cartoon. Together, these moments vividly recreate a pre-digital newspaper office.
The film also captures the dark face of an era when violence by those in power penetrated everyday life. Reporters exchange information while evading surveillance by KCIA agents stationed in the newsroom, making their work resemble an intelligence operation. Later, after confirming that the controversial article has appeared in print, officials from the intelligence agency use both verbal and physical violence without hesitation, starkly revealing the oppression and fear faced by the press at the time.
The production team initially planned to build major locations, including the newspaper office and Cheol-gu's home, as indoor sets. While scouting for locations, however, they changed course and decided to use real spaces. They traveled across the country, finding buildings and alleys constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, then reconfigured worn-out or abandoned spaces to suit the characters' lives. As a result, 1974 in the film functions as more than a backdrop; it becomes another protagonist supporting the characters' emotions and the tension of the events.
The film is also notable for the successive appearances of leading and supporting actors, including Bae Seong-woo, Uhm Ji-won, Park Ji-hwan, Park Hoon, Ryu Hye-young, Jang Ryul, Choi Yu-ri, Ryu Kyung-soo, Kim Dae-myung, Shim Eun-kyung, Park Hae-joon, Park Sung-hoon, Oh Jung-se, Shin Hyun-been and Jung Woo-sung. Even in brief moments, they leave their mark and densely fill out the landscape of 1974. Rated for ages 12 and up. Opens on the 23rd.
[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter