[Sportschosun Reporter Lee Ji-hyun] As controversy over historical distortion surrounding the film 'Assassin(s)' intensifies, director Hur Jin-ho has directly addressed the identity of the 'higher-ups at the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA),' considered central to the controversy. Asked bluntly whether they referred to former President Park Chung Hee, he drew a line, saying, "I thought of them separately."
Hur Jin-ho appeared on JTBC Newsroom, which aired on the 2nd, for an interview with anchor Oh Dae-young. This was the first time Hur had appeared on a television program and directly responded to the controversy surrounding the film since 'Assassin(s)' was released.
That day, Oh directly asked about the central issue in the dispute over alleged historical distortion surrounding 'Assassin(s).' He asked whether the film intentionally depicted the KCIA's higher-ups separately from former President Park Chung Hee, or whether they should be viewed as the same figure, as some have interpreted.
Hur stated, "If you watch this film after framing it as a film about President Park Chung Hee ordering an assassination, you could see it that way, but I had thought of them as separate from the outset."
He also explained why. Hur said that if the film had been based on the premise that former President Park Chung Hee gave the order, it would have been difficult to understand why he would order an act that could put even his own life at risk. In particular, he said ordering his own wife's death was "something I don't even want to imagine."
In other words, Hur explained that the film did not establish the 'KCIA higher-ups' as being identical to former President Park Chung Hee.
Instead, Hur said he added cinematic imagination to situations that might have unfolded inside the KCIA at the time. He explained that he considered the possibility of an internal power struggle within the KCIA after the abduction of former President Kim Dae-jung, as well as the possibility that the organization had carried out something on its own.
Rather than defining the incident as one massive, meticulously designed plan, he said he left open the possibility that it was a "chaotic drama" involving multiple situations. He explained that he wanted viewers to form different interpretations through the clues presented in the film.
When Oh again asked whether the film had intentionally depicted the KCIA higher-ups separately from former President Park Chung Hee, Hur also discussed why he inserted actual documentary footage at the end of the film.
Hur said that if viewers looked up past investigative programs such as 'Ijeneun Malhal Su Itta' and 'Unanswered Questions' after watching the film, they would be able to distinguish which parts were based on actual source material and which were created through cinematic imagination. He expressed his hope that audiences would also review related materials.
'Assassin(s)' is a film inspired by the August 15, 1974, shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-soo. It follows the investigation into the suspicions surrounding the incident and those behind it. After the film's release, politicians and some organizations criticized elements such as the 'KCIA higher-ups' as historical distortion. The production team previously stated, "This film was not made to establish a new specific historical conclusion or to deny or distort established facts," and said it had not identified any particular person as being behind the incident.
The fallout from the controversy extended beyond the film. The production company canceled stage greetings scheduled from the 3rd to the 5th and also decided not to proceed with events related to the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). The company explained that it had taken into account how the situation surrounding the film was placing an excessive burden on the cast and crew outside the work itself.
Despite the controversy, audiences continued to turn out. 'Assassin(s)' surpassed two million cumulative moviegoers on the 3rd, its 11th day in theaters. As debate continues over the boundary between historical fact and cinematic imagination, attention is focused on how the controversy will unfold now that Hur has directly stated his position on the central issue of the 'KCIA higher-ups.'
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
