[Sportschosun, Reporter Lee Ji-hyun] The fallout from the controversy over the historical interpretation of the film "Assassin(s)" has ultimately led to the cancellation of a public preview screening for citizens.
The Busan Film Commission announced on its official social media account on the 1st that the public preview screening of "Assassin(s)" had been canceled.
The Busan Film Commission said, "We intended to proceed with the public preview screening as scheduled. However, after comprehensively reviewing the recent circumstances surrounding the film and the diverse opinions of citizens, we had no choice but to decide to cancel the screening."
It added, "We sincerely ask for your understanding, as this has caused confusion for citizens who had been waiting for the screening according to the originally scheduled timetable."
The commission also made clear that it had not canceled the screening based on its own judgment of the film. It emphasized, "This decision does not mean that the Busan Film Commission has made a judgment on, or supports, the film's content or any particular position surrounding it."
The Busan Film Commission had originally planned to hold a public preview screening of "Assassin(s)" for Busan citizens on the 5th at CGV Centum City. The event was organized to coincide with the release of "Assassin(s)," a film supported by the Busan Film Commission's location program, and was expected to invite 80 citizens.
However, after the film became the center of debate over interpretations of historical facts following its release, controversy continued over whether the preview screening should be held.
"Assassin(s)" is based on the August 15, 1974 shooting of Yuk Young-soo. It follows a detective and reporters who question the official investigation findings as they track those behind the incident. Some criticized scenes in which the characters raise as a hypothesis the possibility that people on then-President Park Chung Hee's side or the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) planned the incident, calling them historically distorted. Others argued that the film should be viewed as a fictional work that adds cinematic imagination to an actual event.
The production company said that the film was a dramatized reconstruction based on an actual event and enhanced with cinematic imagination, and that it was not intended to distort the facts. Director Hur Jin-ho has also explained the film's intent, saying, "We did not approach it as a film that uncovers the truth or those behind the incident."
The controversy has spread beyond the film itself to its cast and other industry figures. Critical comments questioning lead actor Yoo Hae-jin's appearance in the film continued to appear on an advertising video featuring him, prompting the comments section to be disabled. Critical comments also continued to appear on the social media accounts of the cast and of actors who had posted recommendations or reviews of the film. In a recent interview, director Hur Jin-ho also said, "The actors are having a very hard time," referring to the controversy over historical distortion.
As debate over school group viewings continues, the cancellation of the Busan Film Commission's public preview screening has added to the ongoing backlash surrounding "Assassin(s)."
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
