Veterans ministry swaps 'The Assassin' for 'The Intern' at group screening event

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has decided to replace "The Assassin" with another film for a planned group screening event, amid controversy surrounding the movie.

According to the ministry, the Northern Gyeonggi Province Veterans Support Center will substitute "The Assassin" with "The Intern" for a group screening organized as part of the 2026 Veterans Week.

The center said it had announced the event on Sept. 21 — before the film's Sept. 23 release date — to offer 120 veterans and their families a free screening in recognition of their service to national security.

However, it added that it had decided to switch to a different film in light of the controversy surrounding "The Assassin," and would proceed with a free screening of "The Intern" instead.

"The Assassin" is based on the Aug. 15, 1974 assassination attempt in which Moon Se-gwang, a second-generation Korean Japanese, fired a gun at President Park Chung-hee, killing first lady Yuk Young-soo. The film follows people seeking the truth behind the incident.

Some characters in the film raise the hypothesis that Park's own camp or the Korean Central Intelligence Agency may have orchestrated the attack, prompting the People Power Party and others to accuse the film of distorting history.