[COVER STORY] 'The Assassin(s)' producers face defamation probe over depiction of 1974 first lady assassination

The Assassin(s), a historical thriller directed by Hur Jin-ho, has become a top draw over this year's Chuseok holiday, but the film is now facing a growing political dispute and a defamation investigation over its depiction of the 1974 assassination of then-first lady Yuk Young-soo. The controversy has intensified Korea's already deep ideological divide, with conservatives accusing the movie of distorting history and liberals defending it as a work of fiction.

The dispute reached a legal level on Tuesday when a former city councilor from the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) filed a police complaint against the director and producers. The complaint alleges that the film defamed history by implying that President Park Chung-hee, who came to power in 1961 through a military coup, was involved in his wife's assassination.

The movie is based on the August 15, 1974, shooting, in which Mun Se-gwang, a North Korea-linked Korean resident of Japan, attempted to assassinate Park and failed.

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