Yoo Hae-jin faces protests outside his Seoul home over The Assassin(s).
The Assassin(s) sparked backlash over its depiction of a 1974 assassination.
Yoo Hae-jin’s agency warned of action over privacy and safety threats.
The Assassin(s) actor Yoo Hae-jin has vowed to take firm action after conservative civic groups protested outside his home in Seoul over the film’s portrayal of a 1974 political assassination. The crime thriller has faced accusations of historical distortion, with protesters demanding an apology from the filmmakers and calling for the film to be removed from theatres.
Yoo Hae-jin’s agency responds to Seoul protest
The protest took place on Sunday near Hae-jin’s home, prompting his agency to issue a statement over the actor’s privacy and safety. A firm stance against actions that violate his privacy, threaten his safety or damage his reputation was promised by the agency.
Online material was said to be collected to protect Hae-jin’s rights and safety against illegal acts. South Korea’s Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young also criticised the protesters on Monday. “People are free to judge a film, but threats to the personal safety of its creators destroy democracy,” he wrote on social media. The minister argued that criticism should not extend to protests outside an actor’s home or threats to personal safety.
Why is The Assassin(s) facing backlash?
The Assassin(s) centres on the 1974 assassination attempt against then-President Park Chung-hee. Although Park survived, then-first lady Yuk Young-soo was killed. An official investigation concluded that Mun Se-gwang, a Korean resident of Japan, had acted alone under instructions linked to North Korea.
The film, however, introduces the possibility that government and intelligence officials may have been involved. That interpretation has drawn criticism from groups that view it as historical distortion and defamation.
The filmmakers have rejected those allegations, describing The Assassin(s) as a fictionalised reconstruction based on historical records. They have maintained that no specific individual was identified as being behind the assassination and that the film’s fictional hypotheses were not presented as established historical facts.
The controversy has now extended beyond criticism of the film, with Hae-jin’s agency warning of action over conduct considered illegal. The dispute comes as The Assassin(s) continues its theatrical run, keeping its treatment of a politically sensitive chapter in South Korean history at the centre of public debate.
