Director of 'The Assassin(s)' Steps Up: 'Park Chung-hee Assassination Rumor? Never Thought It Possible'

Director Hur Jinho has directly addressed the controversy surrounding the allegations that former President Park Chung-hee was behind the assassination in the film 'The Assassin(s)', stating, "Such suspicions are an area I never even imagined."

In interviews with MBC and the Chosun Ilbo, Director Hur stated, "I don't think former President Park would have ordered the shooting of his wife," adding that the idea that "he told someone to kill his own wife" was unacceptable.

He continued, "Nowhere in the movie does it say that former President Park ordered the shooting of First Lady Yuk," and asked, "How could anyone plan a self-directed plot when former President Park himself could have been hit by the bullets?"

He also expressed frustration over criticisms of "historical distortion," explaining that the portrayal of the "higher-ups" in the film merely referred to power struggles within the Central Intelligence Agency, not an implication directed at the president.

To the question of whether he intentionally left the assassination rumor open-ended when he could have clearly drawn a line in the film, he expressed regret, saying, "I didn't think I needed to include such elements," and "Looking back now, I wonder if I should have made it clearer."

Despite the director's explanation, political battles are intensifying.

The conservative bloc maintains its stance on filing a complaint, asking, "If it were about the tragic death of former President Roh Moo-hyun, could you call the theory of family involvement cinematic imagination?" and criticizing that "it beautified conspiracy theories as if they were true, fueling public misunderstanding."

Despite the fierce controversy, the film 'The Assassin(s)' maintains the number one spot at the box office, recording a cumulative audience of 1.69 million as of 7:00 AM today (September 30).

Amidst this, a peculiar phenomenon is unfolding on portal sites, with "rating terrorism" against the film clashing fiercely with favorable reviews from viewers. Regardless of its box office success, the debate over the allowable limits of imagination regarding historical events is expected to continue for some time.

Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Design by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.