[Dispatch=Reporter Gu Min-ji] Actor Yu Hae-jin's agency has announced a strong response to slander related to the film "Assassin(s)."

VAST Entertainment stated on the 5th, "We have confirmed that slander and false information regarding Yu Hae-jin have been indiscriminately spread and distributed on online communities, SNS, and other platforms."

The agency added, "We view all acts that threaten personal safety and damage reputation, including the creation and distribution of false information, malicious personal attacks and insults, and invasion of privacy, very seriously."

The agency expressed concern over the spread of slander targeting Yu Hae-jin. "We are continuously collecting data. We will take all measures to protect Yu Hae-jin's interests and safety," it emphasized.

The agency concluded, "We will continue to monitor acts that infringe on actors' interests and safety, and will continue to take necessary action on confirmed matters."

Yu Hae-jin appeared in the film "Assassin(s)" (directed by Hur Jin-ho), which was released last month. The film follows suspicions and pursues the background of the shooting incident involving First Lady the late Yuk Young-soo on August 15, 1974.

However, a historical distortion controversy arose after the film's release. It was pointed out that the film implied a conclusion different from the government's official announcement that the late Yuk Young-soo died after being shot by Wen Se-gwang, a Korean-Japanese.

Some conservative and far-right civic groups held a rally in front of Yu Hae-jin's residence on the 4th. They demanded the screening of the film be halted and claimed that the production team and actors should issue a public apology and pledge to prevent recurrence.

The production team emphasized that it is a dramatic film based on actual events with added imagination. "It is not for the purpose of newly establishing a specific historical conclusion or denying or distorting facts," it stated.

The team further explained, "The film does not designate any specific individual as the mastermind of the incident anywhere in the film" and "hypotheses and dramatic settings in the film are not presented as historical facts."

Meanwhile, the "Assassin(s)" side has canceled some schedules, including an appearance on stage at the 31st Busan International Film Festival beginning on the 6th, out of consideration for the safety of actors and audiences.

<Photo=Dispatch DB>