{
  "id": 10636899,
  "title": "[COVER STORY] 'The Assassin(s)' producers face defamation probe over depiction of 1974 first lady assassination",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/cover-story-the-assassin-s-producers-face-defamation-probe-over-10636899",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T07:32:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20260929/cover-story-the-assassins-producers-face-defamation-probe-over-depiction-of-1974-first-lady-assassination"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "[COVER STORY] 'The Assassin(s)' producers face defamation probe over depiction of 1974 first lady assassination",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/cover-story-the-assassin-s-producers-face-defamation-probe-over",
        "published": "2026-09-29T07:12:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}