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The K-movie Assassin(s) has withdrawn from its scheduled events at the 31st Busan International Film Festival.
On October 2, Hive Media Corp., the film's production company, announced that the movie would no longer take part in its previously scheduled festival appearances.
In a statement, the company said:
Hello, this is Hive Media Corp., the production company of Assassin(s).
After careful consideration, including concerns regarding the safety of audiences and attendees, we have decided to cancel our participation in the Busan International Film Festival Opening Ceremony and the Outdoor Stage Greeting scheduled for October 7.
Having thoroughly reviewed the circumstances surrounding the film, we reached this decision in order to prioritize everyone's safety and ensure the event can proceed smoothly. We sincerely apologize to those who had been looking forward to these events and ask for your understanding.
The film's October 7 outdoor stage greeting was initially set to feature director Hur Jin Ho and cast members Yoo Hai Jin, Park Hae Il, and Lee Min Ho.
Assassin(s) follows the investigation into the suspicions and masterminds behind the assassination attempt on South Korea's First Lady on August 15, 1974. Blending historical records with unanswered questions and cinematic imagination, the film is a mystery investigation drama. It is reportedly the first film to dramatize this real-life case, exploring a true story never before depicted on screen.
Following its September 23 release, the film has been embroiled in controversy over allegations of historical distortion involving aspects of its story.
According to the government's investigation at the time, Zainichi Korean (Korean living in Japan) Moon Se Kwang fired a gun at President Park Chung Hee during an Independence Day ceremony, during which First Lady Yuk Young Soo was struck by a bullet and died.
The film raises the possibility that someone other than Moon Se Kwang may have been involved in the shooting, using questions surrounding the gunshots heard at the scene and the bullet casings that were discovered as clues.
Some characters in the film also raise, as one of the hypotheses, the possibility that powerful institutions such as the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) at the time may have planned the incident for political purposes.
Backlash has emerged, particularly from political circles and some conservative groups, that the film presents content that differs from the historical facts, all of which resulted in people hurling criticism at the production team and the actors, including Lee Min Ho.
Lee Min Ho's "Actors House" event at the 31st Busan International Film Festival, which had also been scheduled for October 7, was previously canceled amid the controversy. With the film’s latest withdrawal, all officially scheduled Busan International Film Festival events connected to Assassin(s) have now been canceled.
The 31st Busan International Film Festival is set to open on October 6 and continue through October 15.
Source: Star News
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