Director Hur Jin-ho on 'The Assassin(s)': 'I Wanted to Show the Era Through Journalists'

The film "The Assassin(s)" models itself as a South Korean version of "All the President's Men" (1976). Both movies follow journalists living in an era of barbarism as they track down the truth behind a case and confront the reality of massive power.

In South Korea, films centered on reporters have been rare. Corrupt journalists who submit to money and despicable reporters who pander to power have only been consumed as clichés. In that regard, "The Assassin(s)" is an interesting approach.

Regarding why he made the stories of reporters the core of the film, director Hur Jin-ho, who helmed the movie, stated, "Although this film takes the form of a mystery thriller genre, I wanted to show that era." He added, "Through the social issues handled by reporters, we unraveled ways to portray not only the First Lady assassination attempt, but also the mood and situational context of 1974."

He emphasized that while it is introduced as a mystery thriller genre, he did not want "The Assassin(s)" to end up merely as a movie digging into the truth of an incident. Director Hur Jin-ho explained, "I didn't approach this film as one that reveals truths that had been hidden until now. Through the process of tracking the case, I wanted to express the emotions of the people who lived in that era." He meant that while the skeleton of the film is the First Lady assassination attempt, the flesh is the emotionally reinterpreted character arcs cinematically.

At the same time, he revealed, "We drew upon similar incidents that actually occurred back then and used them as the foundation of the story." This means combining cinematic fiction with real stories.

Park Hae-il, who played city desk reporter Jae-hwan and showcased unwavering journalism, also stated that he found the composition of a film centered around "reporters" intriguing. Park Hae-il noted, "There aren't that many Korean films that sustain the journalist theme over a long breath from start to finish. Whether I could unify and portray an era through the role of a reporter was a major challenge for me."

The newspaper press room set built by art director Kim Byung-han provided deep immersion for Park Hae-il and Lee Minho as they played reporters. Lee Minho shared, "When I first stepped into the newspaper press room, it was exactly realized just like the real spaces I had studied in advance, making it easy to immerse myself." Park Hae-il also marveled at the details of the newspaper set, praising it by saying, "It felt like I was sucked straight from the present into a 1970s newspaper office."

"The Assassin(s)" tells the story of tracking the suspicions and masterminds behind the First Lady assassination attempt that shocked South Korea on August 15, 1974. Directed by Hur Jin-ho—known for works such as "Christmas in August" (English title for Spring Days Go By or contextually "One Fine Spring Day") and "The Last Princess"—the film stars Yoo Hai-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Minho.

The movie is scheduled to hit theaters on September 23.


(SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kim Ji-hye)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.