[Dispatch=Reporter Jung Tae-yun] The Busan International Film Festival schedule for the film 'Assassins' has been entirely canceled.

The Busan International Film Festival announced on the 2nd, "Following a request from the production company of 'Assassins,' the scheduled attendance at the opening ceremony of the 31st Busan International Film Festival and the outdoor stage greeting have been canceled."

Hive Media Corp also announced on the same day, "We have decided to cancel the event in consideration of the safety of audiences and attendees in relation to the series of circumstances surrounding the film recently."

Previously, the 'Actors House Minho' event, which was scheduled to be held during the film festival, was also canceled for the same reason.

'Assassins' has been facing criticism in some quarters claiming it "distorts history." Rating attacks and excessive personal attacks directed at the cast members have poured in.

The production team said on the 28th of last month, "The film is a reconstruction that adds cinematic imagination based on various records, taking a historical event that occurred in 1974 as its motif."

They added, "It is not a film produced to newly establish a particular historical conclusion or to deny or distort existing facts."

However, they emphasized, "As a work based on historical events and real people, there can be various interpretations and criticisms, and we respect these."

'Assassins' continues to hold the number one spot at the box office despite the controversy. As of 7 a.m. on this day, it recorded an accumulated audience of 1.821961 million. Korean film advance ticket reservations also rank first.

<Photo source=Hive Media Corp>