"Did Park Chunghee Order the Assassination? I Never Even Considered It" Director Hur Jinho on the Premise of "Assassins"

Appears on "PD Notebook" as controversy over "Assassins" grows
"I only raised questions about the 1974 investigation findings"
Denies theory that Park was behind the shooting and explains the film's intent

As controversy over historical distortion surrounding the film "Assassins" enters its second month, director Hur Jin-ho has spoken out about theories concerning who was behind the shooting of Yuk Young-soo, wife of former President Park Chung-hee. Hur said he had never intended to include the allegations in the film, drawing a line between them and the central issues of the controversy. The October 27 episode of MBC's current-affairs program "PD Notebook" focused on the debate over the film's interpretation of history, calls from political circles to cancel its screenings, and protests targeting its cast.

As controversy over historical distortion surrounding the film “The Assassins” has continued for more than a month, director Hur Jin-ho has spoken out about allegations that former President Park Chung-hee was behind the shooting of his wife, Yuk Young-soo. Yonhap News Agency.

Appearing on the program, Hur said that from the outset he had not considered the premise that former President Park had known about the shooting of Yuk in advance and condoned it, or had planned it himself. "If I were president, could I order something like that? My own wife?" he said. "I didn't even want to imagine it." He added that he developed the film without including that premise.

Hur said that neither at advance screenings attended by more than 20,000 people before the film's release nor at press screenings had anyone interpreted the film as suggesting that former President Park was behind the incident. He said he was "really curious myself about why things turned out this way," referring to how the interpretation spread into a political controversy after the film's release.

A film about the shooting of Yuk Young-soo... Why did controversy over historical distortion erupt?

Released on September 23, "Assassins" is based on the fatal shooting of Yuk Young-soo at the National Theater of Korea in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, on August 15, 1974. The film depicts the story of people investigating questions raised during the official inquiry and pursuing the truth about the incident, in which ethnic Korean resident of Japan Mun Se-gwang shot at President Park Chung-hee, but Yuk was struck by a bullet and killed. The film stars Yoo Haejin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho. The characters, including Cheol-gu, the detective played by Yoo, investigate the possibility that there were accomplices and even suspect that the Korean Central Intelligence Agency may have been involved.

As controversy grows over the film “Assassins,” which depicts the shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-soo, some People Power Party lawmakers weighed in on the 28th, calling it “a distortion of history that cannot be justified in the name of freedom of expression.” Yonhap News Agency

The controversy began with these cinematic elements. Some politicians and conservatives criticized the film for suggesting possible involvement by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, claiming that it promoted conspiracy theories implicating former President Park in the shooting of his wife and distorted historical facts. After politicians, including members of the People Power Party, raised objections, the Park Chung-hee Presidential Memorial Foundation and the Yuk Young-soo Memorial Association also called for the film to be taken out of theaters. The filmmakers, in turn, said the film was not made to establish a particular historical conclusion or distort established facts. They described it as a work of fiction that uses cinematic imagination to reconstruct questions raised about a historical event.

Hur Jin-ho: "There was a wide gap between the 1974 investigation findings and the 2005 documentary"

Hur also explained why he chose the shooting of Yuk Young-soo as the subject of his film. He recalled that he was in fifth grade at the time of the incident and remembered feeling deep sorrow when he heard the news of Yuk's death with his family. He said he became interested in making a film about the incident after watching investigative programs broadcast in 2005, including MBC's "Now We Can Speak" and SBS's "Unanswered Questions."

Director Heo also explained why he chose the shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-soo as the subject of his film. He recalled that he was in fifth grade at the time and remembered feeling deep sorrow when he learned of her death with his family.

Hur said, "There was a wide gap between the findings announced in the 1974 investigation and what came out in 2005," explaining that this led him to consider making a film about the incident. He emphasized that the documentaries at the time included interviews with people involved in the case, including security officers and forensic personnel who were at the scene, as well as the security official responsible for Mun Se-gwang's access to the event venue.

He said he used those accounts to cinematically reconstruct the differences between the original investigation findings and allegations raised later. "I think there were people who believed the findings announced in 1974 were true. But it seems that new facts came to light in 2005," Hur said. "Major media outlets and historians raised questions about this. I made the film based on those questions and dramatized them." He added, "I can't accept criticism like, 'Why are you telling a new story instead of following the findings released in 1974?' or 'Why are you questioning those findings?'"

Protests outside an actor's home and calls to boycott advertisers... Conflict spills beyond the film

The conflict surrounding the film spread beyond criticism of the work to direct protests against its cast and crew. Some groups held protests outside lead actor Yoo Haejin's home, while critical comments also appeared on online advertising videos for companies that had Yoo as an advertising model. Critical comments were also posted on the social media accounts of other cast members, including Lee Min-ho and Ryu Hye-young. The controversy widened as protests also targeted actors who had praised the film.

Hive Media Corp canceled stage greetings scheduled from October 3 to 5, citing the safety of the cast and audiences. Other film-related events were also canceled, including attendance at the opening ceremony of the Busan International Film Festival, outdoor stage greetings, and a talk event with actor Lee Min-ho.

Political responses continued as well. The need for a search and seizure related to the film's production was raised during a parliamentary audit. A group of 109 People Power Party lawmakers sent a letter to the 37th Singapore International Film Festival, calling for it to withdraw "Assassins" as its opening film. The festival, however, rejected the request.

The conflict surrounding the film extended beyond criticism of the work itself, escalating into direct protests targeting the cast and crew. Some groups staged protests denouncing the film outside lead actor Yoo Haejin's home, while comments expressing opposition continued to appear on online ad videos for companies he had represented. Yonhap News Agency.

Some in the film industry have said that criticism of a work must be distinguished from attacks on its creators. Director Lee Myung-se voiced concern about restrictions on the creative imagination of artists, while director Moon Hyun-sung warned that films could once again face restrictions due to political controversy, as happened with banned songs in the past.

Jung Sang-min, vice chairman of the Korean Film Producers Association, also emphasized creative freedom, saying that it is an artist's role to raise questions about social issues. Critics of the film, however, argue that creative freedom comes with responsibility when a work deals with real historical figures and national tragedies. Some have also expressed concern that cinematic fiction could affect audiences' understanding of actual history.

Amid controversy, film surpasses 3.38 million moviegoers... box office success and criticism at once

Despite the controversy over historical distortion, the film has surpassed 3 million moviegoers. According to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network for movie tickets, "Assassins" had drawn a cumulative audience of 3,382,132 as of 7 a.m. on October 27. It remains the top Korean film at the box office in its sixth week of release.

Audience growth slowed after the controversy intensified, compared with the film's strong performance early in its run. During the Chuseok holiday, from September 24 to 27, an average of about 350,000 people saw the film each day. From September 28 to October 2, the average daily audience fell to about 64,000. Given the difference between the holiday period and weekdays, it is difficult to attribute the decline solely to the controversy. Hur's latest explanation has clarified the film's intentions, but debate over the appropriateness of its historical theories is likely to continue for some time.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.