The Singapore International Film Festival is proceeding with its decision to open its 37th edition with The Assassins, a South Korean political thriller that has become embroiled in controversy back home over its depiction of a real historical assassination attempt.
Directed by Hur Jin-ho, the film explores the dark conspiracies and masterminds behind the August 15, 1974, assassination attempt on South Korea’s First Lady, Yuk Young-su, an attack that shook the nation at the time.
The story follows three central figures connected to the case. Yoo Hae-jin plays detective Chul-goo, who witnesses the assassination attempt firsthand, while Park Hae-il plays newspaper reporter Jae-hwan and Lee Min-ho plays Young-il, a rookie reporter drawn into the investigation.
The film has been compared stylistically to Oliver Stone’s JFK by its production company, Hive Media Corp, which is known for other Korean political dramas including The Man Standing Next and Inside Men. The Assassins was released in South Korea on September 23 during the Chuseok holiday and had already broken pre-sale records before opening, becoming the top Korean film in advance ticket sales within 64 days of its release date being announced.
The film has drawn strong backlash from members of South Korea’s conservative People Power Party, who argue that it distorts historical facts by suggesting then-President Park Chung-hee may have been behind the plot to assassinate his own wife, calling it defamation of the deceased.
Party members have demanded that director Hur Jin-ho appear as a witness at a parliamentary audit and have called for the film to be banned and its profits retrieved. The party went a step further by sending a letter signed by all of its lawmakers to organizers of the Singapore International Film Festival, requesting that The Assassins be removed as the festival’s opening film.
Despite the backlash, or perhaps partly because of it, The Assassins has performed strongly at the South Korean box office. The film topped the charts with 590,000 admissions during the country’s National Foundation Day holiday weekend. Reports suggest that as the controversy continued across multiple fronts, many moviegoers adopted a “decide after seeing it for yourself” mindset, translating directly into strong ticket sales.
Beyond Singapore, The Assassins has been building international momentum. The film placed as runner-up for the International People’s Choice Award at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, where all of its public screenings sold out. It has since been invited to the 28th Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, the 21st Paris Korean Film Festival and the 46th Hawaii International Film Festival, in addition to its Singapore premiere.
The film features a dense, star-studded ensemble cast, including Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, under the direction of Hur Jin-ho, a veteran Korean filmmaker known for blending political drama with tense, thriller-driven storytelling.
Alongside its opening film selection, this year’s Singapore International Film Festival is also honoring Bollywood star Aamir Khan and acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda as part of its broader 2026 programme. Founded in 1987, SGIFF is the longest-running film festival in Singapore, and its 37th edition is scheduled to run from October 21 to November 1.
By standing firm on its opening film selection despite direct political pressure, the Singapore International Film Festival has placed The Assassins at the center of its 2026 edition, ensuring that the Korean political thriller’s controversy and box office success will continue following it onto the international festival stage.
