Park Chung-hee Foundation Demands Halt to Screenings... 'Assassin(s)' Production Team Says, "Not Intended to Distort History"

[Financial News] The production team behind the film 'Assassin(s),' which has become embroiled in controversy over historical distortion, rejected claims that the movie was made to establish a particular historical conclusion or deny existing facts. The team said on the 28th, "The film was not made to newly establish a particular historical conclusion or deny or distort existing facts."
The production team explained the nature of the film in a statement released that day. "'Assassin(s)' is a narrative feature film inspired by a historical event that occurred in 1974. It was reconstructed with cinematic imagination based on various records written about the incident at the time," the team said.
The team also said that actual materials and fictional settings were used together during the filmmaking process. It explained, "We conducted extensive research into publicly available records and materials, books, and documentaries. While using the actual incident and real-life figures as inspiration, we combined fictional characters and situations to complete a single story. The film does not identify any particular person as being behind the incident, nor does it present the hypotheses and dramatic settings depicted in the film as historical facts."
The production team said it would accept various interpretations and criticisms but drew a line at the interpretation that the film was made for political purposes. "As a work based on a historical event and real-life figures, it may be subject to various interpretations and criticisms. We respect those opinions," the team said. It added, "However, we wish to make clear that the film was not made with a specific political purpose that goes beyond the work's own creative intent and nature."
The production team concluded by asking viewers "to look at the work solely as a product of creative expression."
'Assassin(s),' which was released on the 23rd, is based on the shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-soo on August 15, 1974. At the time, Mun Se-gwang, a second-generation Korean resident of Japan, fired shots at President Park Chung-hee, and Yuk Young-soo was killed.
The film follows people investigating the truth behind the shooting based on questions surrounding the incident. Historical facts are supplemented with cinematic imagination in the process.
The film was directed by Hur Jin-ho. Yoo Hae-jin plays a detective, Park Hae-il appears as a newspaper social affairs editor, and Minho plays a rookie reporter. Production was handled by Hive Media, which produced *The Man Standing Next* (2020) and *12.12: The Day* (2023).
The controversy arose from a hypothesis presented in the film. Although the movie does not identify who was behind the incident, some scenes raise the possibility that people close to President Park Chung-hee or the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) planned it. This prompted criticism from the People Power Party and others, who accused the film of distorting history.
Online ratings also showed a marked difference. The NAVER rating from verified viewers was 8.4 out of 10, while the netizen rating was 2.4.
The Park Chung-hee Presidential Memorial Foundation also demanded an apology and a halt to screenings from the production company that day. The foundation stated, "We deeply regret and strongly condemn the act of distorting the historical tragedy that inflicted indelible pain on former President Park Chung-hee and his family," and added, "We demand that the film's production company officially apologize for distorting historical facts and halt screenings of the film."


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter