Actor Lee Min-ho's 'Actors House' event at the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has been abruptly canceled. The unusual cancellation, just days before the festival's opening, has raised speculation that it may be linked to the recent controversy surrounding historical inaccuracies in his film 'Assassins' and a wave of malicious comments.
On October 1, the Busan International Film Festival's office announced via its official social media that the 'Actors House: Lee Min-ho' event, scheduled for October 7 at 6:50 PM, has been canceled due to unavoidable circumstances. The festival organizers stated, 'Tickets purchased will be automatically canceled and refunded without the need for a separate refund request or fees,' and asked for the audience's understanding.
'Actors House' is a key section of the Busan International Film Festival that invites prominent actors from the Korean film industry to discuss their acting philosophies and filmographies. This year, Lee Min-ho was set to join fellow actors Kim Go-eun, Ryu Seung-ryong, Ju Ji-hoon, and Kim Min-ha, but only Lee Min-ho's schedule was suddenly canceled.
While the specific reason for the cancellation has not been disclosed, industry insiders believe that the political bias and historical distortion controversy surrounding the film 'Assassins' likely played a significant role.
'Assassins,' directed by Heo Jin-ho, premiered on September 23 and is inspired by the assassination attempt on former First Lady Yuk Young-soo during the August 15, 1974, Liberation Day ceremony. In the film, Lee Min-ho plays a social affairs reporter investigating the truth behind the incident, alongside Yoo Hae-jin and Park Hae-il.
The controversy centers on the film's portrayal of the assassination's motives. The film suggests the possibility that Yuk was shot not by the gun of Mun Se-gwang but by a presidential bodyguard, and it leaves open the implication that former President Park Chung-hee may have orchestrated the assassination to resolve a political crisis. In response, conservative groups, including the People Power Party, have vehemently criticized the film as a 'clear historical distortion and a crime against the bereaved family.'
The debate quickly escalated into harsh criticism directed at the cast members. Malicious comments targeting Lee Min-ho and other lead actors have flooded their personal social media accounts, causing distress. Heo Jin-ho, the director, recently expressed concern in an interview, stating, 'The actors are struggling with malicious comments.'
On September 28, the production team of 'Assassins' released a statement asserting, 'This film was not made to establish a specific historical conclusion or distort existing facts. We ask that it be viewed as a dramatic work that adds cinematic imagination to publicly available records,' but criticism continues to persist.
Meanwhile, the 31st Busan International Film Festival is set to open on October 6 and will continue for ten days of film festivities.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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