Thriller about journalists and the assassination of the first lady to be released in South Korea
Director Heo Jin-ho’s film The Assassin(s) will be released in South Korea on September 23. Its plot revolves around the 1974 assassination of first lady Yuk Young-soo and journalists’ attempts to determine the circumstances of the crime. The film has already had its gala premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
As The Korea Herald reports, this is the first Korean film about the country’s authoritarian past to place reporters who risk their lives in search of the truth at the center of the narrative. The publication describes the film as a journalistic procedural thriller based on a real event.
Events in the newsroom
The story unfolds in Seoul on the eve of Liberation Day, when President Park Chung-hee is due to deliver a speech. Young-il, a young reporter for the fictional Dongsung Daily played by Lee Min-ho, is sent to cover the ceremony. At the same time, Jae-hwan, the social affairs editor played by Park Hae-il, confronts censorship in the newsroom.
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In the film, a gunman enters the National Theater after the head of the presidential security service overturns a police officer’s decision not to admit a man without a pass. During the assassination attempt, the president takes cover behind the podium, while the first lady suffers a fatal wound. The film also shows a schoolgirl who comes under fire as security guards return fire.
Investigation and censorship
After the attack, the authorities in the film announce that the gunman acted on orders from a pro-North Korean group from Japan. However, reporter Young-il and police officer Cheol-gu, played by Yoo Hae-jin, doubt the official version because of what they saw at the scene. They try to establish how the attacker got into the ceremony, how many shots were fired, and whether he acted alone.
The Korea Herald notes that the central conspiracy theory presented in the film may not be supported by historical documents. At the same time, the film recreates the atmosphere of censorship, surveillance, and violence against journalists and police officers under Park Chung-hee’s authoritarian rule. Park Jeong-min and Uhm Tae-woong also appear in the film.
