As the political fallout intensifies around the box office hit 《암살자(들)》, a culture essay published on Brunch reveals how state scrutiny and conservative pushback inadvertently propelled the historical drama to the top of the box office.
The Bottom Line
- The Trigger: Calls from the People Power Party floor leader labeling the film a “subpar propaganda piece” and demands for parliamentary inquiries drove audiences to theaters.
- The Box Office: Despite political pressure and attempts to restrict school group viewings, the film currently stands at number one at the box office.
- The Approach: 허진호 has explicitly stated that the movie does not claim Park Chung-hee orchestrated the assassination, framing the narrative around the Korean Central Intelligence Agency’s shadow and the press corps’ fight for free speech.
Political Backlash and Box Office Momentum
The original plan was to view 이창동’s film 《가능한 사랑》. However, as brunch.co.kr reported, a barrage of news alerts redirected attention toward 《암살자(들)》. The People Power Party floor leader denounced the feature as a “subpar propaganda piece,” while a lawmaker demanded the director face a parliamentary audit, and another ordered schools to report group viewing figures. Witnessing state apparatuses mobilize over a single feature film triggered a classic psychological reactance effect—the urge to seek out what is forbidden.
That experiment turned ordinary viewers into participants. Despite running on a weekday afternoon, the auditorium was packed, drawing heavy attendance not just from the younger demographic but notably from fifty and sixty-somethings who spent their childhoods and youth in the 1970s. Sighs echoed across the theater throughout the screening as the historical narrative unfolded on screen.
Distinguishing Fiction from Conspiracy in the Narrative
허진호 clarified in interviews that the film does not argue Park Chung-hee masterminded the 육영수 (Yuk Young-soo) assassination, noting that such a theory lacks coherence and probability. At the same time, the director maintained that the possibility of Central Intelligence Agency involvement carried sufficient weight to explore. The Brunch writer noted that this framing has been covered for nearly half a century by investigative programs, making the material familiar territory.
| Element | Film Depiction | Historical Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Media resistance and state pressure | Dong-A Ilbo advertising suppression & Free Press Practice Declaration |
| Central Figures | Fictionalized journalists and investigators | KCIA oversight and Yushin-era institutions |
| Assassination Stance | Explores intelligence agency shadows | Official investigation records with contested oversight |
The distinction remains central to the viewing experience. Asserting an individual’s direct guilt differs fundamentally from questioning the shadow cast by an omnipotent intelligence apparatus during a dictatorship. The film opens with a title card confirming it is dramatized from real events and alters character names, signaling its status as fiction rather than a judicial report.
Shifting the Lens to the Press and the Public
Rather than focusing solely on a detective’s hunt for a shooter, the narrative follows journalists at a fictionalized outlet named Dongsung Ilbo. The story draws clear inspiration from the historical Dong-A Ilbo advertising suppression crisis and the Free Press Declaration. It examines a landscape shaped by three constitutional amendments over eighteen years of autocratic rule, featuring agents, constrained police officers, inquisitive reporters, silenced victims, and citizens mourning at local electronic repair shops.
Brunch noted that while the runtime feels stretched and the post-credits freedom-of-the-press scenes veer slightly into overt patriotic sentimentality where the director loses restraint, the overall production excels. The thriller mechanics in the first half remain tight, backed by strong cinematography, editing, score, and standout supporting turns from actors 박정민 and 이민호.
Decades after state authorities tried to suppress these historical events, the passage of time has allowed them to solidify into a polished commercial feature film currently leading the box office charts.
