[Edaily Starin JOO MEE_HEE Reporter] Director Hur Jin-ho’s film “The Assassin(s)” continued its box office success, remaining at the top of the box office for five consecutive days despite controversy surrounding historical distortion.

According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated computer network for movie theater admissions on the 9th, “The Assassin(s)” drew 64,010 viewers the previous day, taking first place at the daily box office. Since its release on the 23rd of last month, the cumulative audience count has reached 2,584,873.
“The Assassin(s)” is inspired by the August 15, 1974, assassination attempt on First Lady Yuk Young-soo and depicts the investigation into the suspicions and forces behind the incident.
Regardless of its box office success, controversy continues over the film’s approach of blending fictional elements with actual historical events. By using the unresolved questions surrounding the assassination of First Lady Yuk Young-soo—an incident concluded to be the sole act of Moon Se-kwang—as dramatic material, some critics have raised concerns that the film may distort historical facts.
In response to these criticisms, the production team countered that cinematic hypotheses and historical facts are distinct.
In a statement released on the 28th of last month, the production team stated, “This film was not produced to reaffirm a specific historical conclusion or to deny or distort existing facts.”
They further emphasized, “Nowhere in the film is a specific individual identified as the mastermind behind the incident, nor are the film’s hypotheses and dramatic plot devices presented as historical facts.”
Meanwhile, “Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island” took second place at the box office that day. It drew 55,242 viewers in a single day, bringing its cumulative audience total to 873,590.
“Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub” ranked third, drawing 33,301 viewers. Its cumulative attendance stands at 1,554,083.