'The Assassin' reclaims No. 1 despite boycott calls over history controversy

"The Assassin," the film caught up in a historical distortion controversy, has reclaimed the top spot at the box office.

According to data from the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing system, "The Assassin" drew 61,496 moviegoers on Tuesday to return to No. 1. Its cumulative admissions stand at 1,695,104.

"Tazza: Song of Beelzebub," which had held the top spot on Tuesday, slipped to second place with 56,136 admissions (cumulative: 958,060). "Odyssey" (22,708) and "Possible Love" (14,177) followed.

"The Assassin" had initially held the No. 1 position before falling to second place on Monday, when it drew about 67,000 moviegoers — roughly 1,000 fewer than "Tazza: Song of Beelzebub," which drew about 68,000.

Some observers interpreted the dip as fallout from the historical distortion controversy. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok had called for a boycott of the film on Monday, and on Tuesday posted on Facebook: "The generation that most powerfully resists the left-wing assault is the youth in their 20s and 30s. Young people spontaneously launched the boycott of 'Assassins.'" He added that "the power of youth will clean out the left-wing strongholds of the Republic of Korea and defend liberal democracy."

Director Heo Jin-ho's "The Assassin" reimagines the Aug. 15, 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo through cinematic speculation.

According to the investigation conducted by a special task force at the time, Zainichi Korean Moon Se-gwang carried out the attack on orders from North Korea and the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, attempting to assassinate then-President Park Chung-hee but fatally shooting Yuk instead.

The film explores the possibility of a hidden backstory behind the incident. It drew particular criticism for implying the potential involvement of the regime, with critics accusing it of distorting history. Conservative voices, led by the People Power Party, mounted sharp attacks against the film.

The filmmakers rebuffed the criticism, saying the work "does not identify any specific individual as the mastermind and has no political purpose."

The controversy has not subsided despite the filmmakers' explanation. Lead actors Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, as well as actors who attended previews and praised the film, have faced a wave of malicious online comments. As the backlash intensified, film YouTuber Jimovie — who has about 4.17 million subscribers — deleted a review of "The Assassin."

Conservative politicians, the Park Chung-hee Presidential Memorial Foundation and the Yuk Young-soo Memorial Society called for the film to be pulled from theaters. Former Seoul city council member Lee Jong-bae of the People Power Party filed a complaint on Tuesday with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, accusing Director Heo and the production team of criminal defamation through the publication of false facts.