Seoul police began protective measures for actor Yoo Hae-jin on Tuesday after protests outside his home and online threats over his role in The Assassin(s), a film accused by conservatives ciritcs of distorting history.
Seongbuk Police Station said it acted at his agency's request, providing him with a smartwatch, registering him in the emergency response system and stepping up patrols around his home. No dedicated protection officers have been assigned.
Earlier Tuesday, Seoul's police chief said: "We see no particular problems at the scene, but we are prepared to take additional measures, such as stepping up patrols or providing police protection, if we determine there could be a safety risk."
He said police would strictly enforce the law against any harm or threats to actors.
Released Sept 23, director Hur Jin-ho's The Assassin(s) follows a detective and journalists investigating the 1974 shooting death of first lady Yuk Young-soo during an assassination attempt on her husband, President Park Chung-hee.
Conservative figures say the movie distorts history by suggesting that the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, Park's intelligence service, may have played a role in the shooting. Investigators at the time concluded that the shooter acted on North Korean orders.
Figures behind the film have rejected the accusations, describing the movie as fiction based on historical records. They said it neither identifies a mastermind nor presents its theories as fact.
Right-wing groups began protesting outside Yoo's home in Seoul's Seongbuk-gu on Sunday, demanding that the film be pulled from theaters and that its cast and producers apologize.
On Tuesday, the backlash widened as protesters gathered outside Burger King's Korean headquarters in Seoul, calling for a boycott of the chain, which Yoo had previously endorsed. Another group protested outside production company Hive Media Corp.
Yoo's agency, Vast Entertainment, said Monday it would take action against false claims, personal attacks, privacy violations and threats to the actor's safety.
Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young also asked authorities on Monday to protect the film's cast and crew and enforce the law against threats and intimidation.
Yoo will skip the Buil Film Awards in Busan on Wednesday, his agency said, after also cancelling appearances at the Busan International Film Festival. He had been scheduled to attend separately as a nominee for best actor for The King's Warden. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
