[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] Actor Yoo Hae-jin will not attend the Buil Film Awards, following his absence from the Busan International Film Festival. Amid ongoing controversy over historical distortion surrounding the film “The Assassin(s)” and concerns for his personal safety, he has canceled his appearance at the awards ceremony, where he was nominated for another film.

Yoo Hae-jin’s agency, VAST Entertainment, announced on the 6th that Yoo Hae-jin had decided not to attend the Buil Film Awards. Yoo Hae-jin was scheduled to attend the Buil Film Awards, held on the 7th at the Signiel Busan in Haeundae-gu, Busan, where he was nominated for Best Actor for his role in the film “The Man Who Lives with the King.”
Previously, the official schedule for “The Assassin(s)” at the Busan International Film Festival was also canceled. This included Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Min-ho’s attendance at the opening ceremony, as well as an outdoor stage greeting by director Hur Jin-ho and the lead actors, and Lee Min-ho’s “Actors’ House” event. The production company, Hive Media Corp., explained that the decision was made with the safety of the audience and attendees, as well as the smooth running of the event, in mind.
The controversy has spread beyond criticism of the film to become pressure directed at the actors personally. On the 4th, a conservative group staged a protest in front of Yoo Hae-jin’s home, demanding an apology regarding the film. Calls for the replacement of the cast members as advertising models have also continued.
At the request of his agency, the police have initiated safety measures for Yoo Hae-jin. They have stepped up patrols and registered him in the 112 emergency system to ensure his personal safety. This concrete response follows a request from Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young, who expressed concern over acts that infringe on the actors’ daily lives or threaten their safety and asked relevant authorities to implement protective measures.
On the 5th, the agency also announced its response plan, stating that defamatory remarks and false information targeting Yoo Hae-jin were spreading across online communities and social media platforms. The agency stated that it views the dissemination of false information, malicious personal attacks, invasions of privacy, and threats to personal safety with the utmost seriousness and is currently collecting relevant evidence, adding, “We plan to take all possible measures to protect the rights, interests, and safety of our actor.”
Interpretations regarding his advertising activities are also emerging. On the 6th, Burger King announced that the schedule for some advertising campaigns featuring Yoo Hae-jin had ended. However, the company explained that this was not a measure taken in response to the movie controversy but rather that some campaigns had concluded on the 30th of last month in accordance with one-time contracts. Since the advertising videos posted on YouTube and Instagram remain online, it is difficult to conclude that this constitutes a complete termination of the advertising contract.
“The Assassin(s)” is a film that traces the suspicions and forces behind the 1974 assassination attempt on First Lady Yuk Young-soo. As political debates continue over the film’s reconstruction of historical events, the fallout from the controversy is also affecting the daily lives and activities of the cast members.