‘Assassin(s)’ Filmmakers Face Police Complaint

As of September 29, 2026, the makers of 'Assassin(s)', a film inspired by the 1974 killing of first lady Yuk Young-soo, have been reported to police on defamation charges. Former Seoul city councilor Lee Jong-bae filed the complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency today. Around the same time, the film lost its No. 1 box office spot to 'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub' on its sixth day in theaters.

Sept. 23Theatrical release date of 'Assassin(s)'

No. 2Box office rank on the 28th

About 67,000Daily admissions on the 28th

1974Year of the real event the film draws on

Key points

Former Seoul city councilor Lee Jong-bae filed a defamation complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against director Heo Jin-ho, the studio's CEO and the screenwriter.
The complainant argues the film makes it look as if former President Park Chung-hee was behind the killing.
In a statement on the 28th, studio Hive Media Corp said the film was not made with any specific political agenda.
On the 28th, 'Assassin(s)' finished a close second to 'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub' in daily admissions.

'Assassin(s)' hit theaters on Sept. 23, just ahead of the Chuseok (Korean harvest holiday) break. On the 29th, former Seoul city councilor Lee Jong-bae submitted paperwork to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency accusing director Heo Jin-ho, the studio's CEO and the screenwriter of defamation. Lee argues that the film steers its story so that former President Park Chung-hee appears to be the man behind the killing. He also pointed to the title, plural rather than singular, as a hint that perpetrators other than Moon Se-kwang may have been involved.

The film draws on a shooting at a 1974 Liberation Day ceremony that killed Yuk Young-soo, the first lady at the time. The man named as the gunman, Moon Se-kwang, was a second-generation Korean resident of Japan. Investigators concluded that he acted on orders from North Korea and Chongryon, the pro-Pyongyang association of Koreans in Japan. The film views that conclusion, and what lay behind it, with suspicion, and even raises the possibility that the upper ranks of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency staged the incident to break a political deadlock. Some in political circles have criticized that setup as a distortion aimed at a specific individual.

Hive Media Corp drew a line under the controversy in a statement on the 28th. It said the film is a work of fiction that draws on surviving records and adds imagination, with no intent to deny or overturn established facts. The Park Chung-hee Memorial Foundation, however, said the film damages historical fact and demanded that the studio apologize and halt screenings.

The fallout is showing up at the box office too. According to the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing network, 'Assassin(s)' drew about 67,000 viewers on the 28th, trailing 'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub' at about 69,000. Tazza pulled in more than 130,000 viewers on its opening day, ending a 49-day run at No. 1 for 'Odyssey,' and topped 1 million admissions over the holiday. Media outlets point to the history-distortion fight as a reason for the slide.

In Korea right nowIn Korea, the debate is now over where imagination ends when a feature film takes on real people and sensitive moments in modern history. With political figures and a memorial group pushing back, and now a criminal complaint, judgments of the film are turning into a fight over political readings rather than craft. As the biggest talking point of the holiday season, the film also has people watching how its first-week audience numbers will shift.

FAQ

What event does 'Assassin(s)' deal with?

It's a feature film inspired by the shooting death of first lady Yuk Young-soo at a 1974 Liberation Day ceremony. It questions the official conclusion of investigators and who was behind the killing, and character names and other details are fictionalized.

What are the filmmakers accused of?

Former Seoul city councilor Lee Jong-bae filed a complaint alleging the film defames former President Park Chung-hee by depicting him as the man behind the killing. The complaint has only just been filed, so there is no investigation result or legal ruling yet.

How has the studio responded to the controversy?

The studio says the film is a work of fiction that adds cinematic imagination to real records. Its position is that the film was not made with any specific political aim or to deny established facts.