[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] Amid controversy over historical distortion surrounding the film "The Assassin(s)," Director Heo Jin-ho shared his thoughts.

On the 30th, the YouTube channel “Bong Ji-wook’s Off the Record” released a telephone interview with Director Heo Jin-ho.
Regarding the inspiration behind the film, Director Heo cited the MBC historical documentary series “Now We Can Speak,” which aired starting in 1999. “I began this project after watching ‘Now We Can Speak’ and drew heavily from it,” Director Heo explained. “Of course, for characters like Maeda—or the unknown figure referred to as ‘Y’—I added elements of imagination; in a sense, that’s what I brought to the film.”
He continued, “Various elements were intertwined, and it was complex. That’s why I put the word ‘(s)’ in parentheses in the title ‘Assassin(s).’” He added, “Isn’t it possible that the character Maeda isn’t just one person? There was a certain complexity to it. I filmed it while leaving that aspect open.”
Director Heo added, “While framing the story by referencing former President Roh Moo-hyun, I spent 10 years preparing, and this topic was continuously covered by the three major broadcasters. Since the government hasn’t provided a clear answer, as a director, I naturally wanted to explore it through a film.”

Regarding claims that the film portrays former President Park Chung-hee as the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on First Lady Yuk Young-soo, he refuted them, saying, “I didn’t make it that way,” and added, “It’s too contradictory and implausible.” He continued, “However, regarding the claim that the KCIA was involved, just looking at *Now I Can Speak* or the interview statement that ‘KCIA agents stormed in within 10 minutes’—these two points alone were sufficiently plausible.”
Director Heo said, “I had even written dialogue about this incident for *Christmas in August*. Of course, it was cut, but it was in the script. That incident was such a huge event, even for people my age.”
Regarding the claim that Kim Jong-il apologized—which is cited as evidence of historical distortion—he confided, “The assertion that Kim Jong-il apologized is something that should have been fact-checked before being presented, so it really upset me that people were using it as a basis for their arguments.”
Regarding the historical distortion controversy, Director Heo said, “The actors and crew worked incredibly hard, and we never expected to be disparaged like this. The actors are all really struggling,” adding, “We were aware of these issues going in, but to have the film framed as a case of historical distortion to this extent…”
He emphasized, “People are saying things like, ‘Park Chung-hee killed Yuk Young-soo,’ ‘It’s an act of filial disobedience,’ and ‘It copied a North Korean film, and Kim Jong-il apologized’—but those are all three separate issues.”
Director Heo explained, “I didn’t put Park Chung-hee front and center, and that was a dilemma for me as well. As a director, I have to maintain plausibility—it wouldn’t make sense to include a scene where Park Chung-hee orders the shooting and then gets shot himself, would it?”
He also mentioned a conversation he had with lead actor Park Hae-il, adding, “I told him that what matters to a reporter isn’t the state or the nation—it’s the truth.” He further stressed, “I didn’t make this film for any specific purpose.”
“The Assassin(s)” is a story that investigates the suspicions and the forces behind the First Lady’s assassination attempt on August 15, 1974, which shocked South Korea. Following its release, controversy arose as some interpreted the film as portraying former President Park Chung-hee as the mastermind behind the incident.