Culture Minister Calls for Strict Police Action Against Threats to 'Assassins' Actors at Their Homes

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Whee-young has called for strict law enforcement against excessive infringement acts by some conservative groups targeting actors who appeared in the film "Assassins."

Minister Choi stated on his social media today (Oct. 5), "I have strongly requested related authorities, including the National Police Agency, to take safety measures for film personnel and cast members, and to strictly enforce the law against illegal acts such as threats and intimidation in front of their residences."

He pointed out, "While evaluations of a movie are free, threatening the personal safety of creators is the destruction of democracy. If criticism of a film goes beyond boundaries to the point where people flock to an actor's home to hold rallies, infringe upon personal daily lives, and threaten personal safety, this is something that can never be tolerated."

Drawing a line against demands to halt the screening of "Assassins," Minister Choi remarked, "Demanding that the government intervene in advance or judge the matter with administrative power simply because one dislikes the content of a work is a dangerous demand to return to the era of 'prior censorship' prohibited by the Constitution."

He added, "If there are defamation or legal issues concerning the work, one should seek a strict judgment from the judiciary through civil lawsuits or criminal procedures after the screening."

However, Minister Choi noted that criticism and debate regarding the historical interpretation or perspective dealt with in the film are natural and healthy in a democratic society, stating that criticism of the work itself is not a problem.

Released on September 23, "Assassins" is a work dealing with the 1974 attempted assassination of President Park Chung-hee and the fatal shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-su.

Controversy over historical distortion has flared up due to a scene in which certain characters in the film raise the hypothesis, based on diplomatic relations with Japan at the time, that the "higher-ups" in the Central Intelligence Agency might have been behind the incident.

In particular, on October 4, members of a conservative-leaning group held a rally in front of the home of actor Yoo Hae-jin, who starred in the film, demanding that the screening be halted and that the production team and actors apologize.

In response, Yoo Hae-jin's agency stated on October 5, "Indiscriminate criticism and false facts targeting the actor are spreading, followed by malicious personal attacks and insults. We view all acts that infringe upon the actor's personal privacy, threaten personal safety, or defame his character with utmost gravity."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.