“The Assassin(s)” withdraws from the Busan Festival after threats and protests — also cancels 49 cinema presentations

The South Korean film “The Assassin(s)” on 2 October cancelled all planned participation in the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), amid growing controversy over alleged distortion of historical facts and security concerns, as Soompi reports.

The production company Hive Media Corp announced that the film will not take part in the BIFF opening ceremony or the outdoor stage greeting scheduled for 7 October, which director Hur Jin-ho and actors Yoo Hai-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho were to attend. Since the “Actors’ House: Lee Min-ho” event of 7 October had been cancelled earlier, all of the film’s official BIFF events are now called off. For its part, BIFF announced that it respects the producer’s decision, taken with the safety of the public and the guests in mind; the 31st edition of the festival runs from 6 to 15 October, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

On the same day, Hive Media Corp also cancelled all 49 planned cinema stage greetings for the second week of release, on 3–5 October, at 12 venues in the Seoul metropolitan area and in Busan, reasoning that “we have no alternative… the cast and crew have an excessive burden on their shoulders, even beyond the work itself,” SBS Star reports.

Since its release on 23 September, the film — an investigative drama about the 15 August 1974 assassination attempt on President Park Chung Hee, in which First Lady Yuk Young-soo lost her life — has been at the centre of accusations that it hints Park or the intelligence services may have been behind the event. A conservative citizens’ group announced protests in front of Yoo Hai-jin’s home, an actor’s home address was publicly disclosed, while the company Kiwoom Securities halted its advertising campaign with the actor. The production rejects the accusations, stressing that the film “was not made to deny or distort historical facts”.