'Assassin(s)' Director Heo Jin-ho, Why the Assassination of Late First Lady Yuk Young-soo?.. "10 Years of Reflection" [Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

Director Heo Jin-ho revealed that his film 'Assassin(s)' has been in preparation for 10 years.

On the 10th, we spoke with Director Heo Jin-ho, who directed the film 'Assassin(s)', at a café on Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

'Assassin(s)' is a story that traces the suspicions and forces behind the assassination of the First Lady that shocked South Korea on August 15, 1974.

Two years after 'Ordinary Family' (2024), Director Heo Jin-ho returns to theaters for the Chuseok holiday season. "I feel excited," he said. "'Assassin(s)' is a film I have pondered and prepared for 10 years." He added, "I am very happy that it will be released in the Chuseok market after 10 years. I hope audiences will love it greatly."

He further remarked, "Since this story has been covered by various broadcast media before, many people seem to be interested."

Director Heo Jin-ho first became connected with 'Assassin(s)' through a screenwriting competition.

He recalled, "I saw the script in a screenwriting competition. At the time of the incident, I was in the fifth grade of elementary school. I remember that everyone across the nation was grieving." He continued, "My older sisters were also very sad. Although I didn't fully understand what happened, I felt something major had occurred."

The incident that remained in his childhood memories resurfaced years later through a screenplay, bringing it back to Director Heo Jin-ho.

Director Heo explained the motivation behind directing the film: "As I reread the script, I thought, 'Could this story be made into a movie?' Although I was young at the time, I remember feeling deep sorrow. That is why I wanted to turn this story into a film."

Director Heo Jin-ho admitted that he faced significant concerns during the directing process since the film deals with a real-life incident.

He stated, "From the very beginning, I felt it was a sensitive topic. I struggled with how and from what perspective to tell this story." He added, "I did not believe we could resolve the incident or reach any definitive conclusion through this film."

He further explained, "Throughout the film, I wanted to maintain a sense of doubt. Even while developing the script, I aimed to explore possibilities such as 'Perhaps it wasn't like that' or 'Maybe it was just a coincidence.' Keeping these various possibilities open took a long time and was the most challenging part."

Above all, the fact that real victims were involved added to his caution. Director Heo said, "I constantly asked myself, 'Why am I making this film?', 'How should I make it?', and 'What perspective should I adopt?' Since there are actual victims, I approached the subject with great care."

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*This content was translated by AI.