Yoo Hae-jin's excessive attacks... Agency "All measures against illegal activities"

Agency "All Measures to Protect Rights and Safety""Criticism of the work and pressure on individuals must be distinguished."Actor Yoo Hae-jin poses at the press preview and press conference for the movie 'Assassination(s)' held at Megabox COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 8th. /Reporter Seo Ye-won[THE FACT|Reporter Hwang Ji-hyang] As the controversy surrounding the movie 'Assassination(s)' has escalated to personal attacks against actor Yoo Hae-jin and protests in front of his home, his agency has announced legal action.Yoo Hae-jin's agency, VAST Entertainment, announced on the 5th, "We have confirmed that slander and false information about Yoo Hae-jin are being indiscriminately spread and disseminated through online communities and social networking services (SNS)."It added, "We are taking all acts of creating and disseminating false information, malicious personal attacks and insults, as well as infringing on the actor's personal privacy, threatening his safety, and damaging his reputation, very seriously. We are continuously collecting related posts and materials and will take all possible measures to protect the rights and safety of our agency's actors from illegal activities."The controversy surrounding the movie 'Assassination(s)', released on the 23rd of last month, has recently escalated to criticism and personal attacks against actor Yoo Hae-jin.'Assassination(s)' is a film based on the incident where First Lady Yuk Young-soo was shot and killed at a Liberation Day ceremony on August 15, 1974. Some have criticized the film as historical distortion, claiming it depicted former President Park Chung-hee as involved in Mrs. Yuk's death.There have also been calls for a boycott of products advertised by Yoo Hae-jin. As criticism against Yoo Hae-jin continued in the comments, Burger King's official YouTube account, for which Yoo Hae-jin is an advertising model, suspended comments on its advertisement video on the 30th of last month.On the 4th, members of conservative groups such as Shin Jayu Yeon Dae and Bella Do held a rally in front of a house in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, believed to be Yoo Hae-jin's residence, to condemn Yoo Hae-jin and the film's production company. The debate surrounding the work has thus extended into the realm of the actor's personal life.In response, the film industry has also raised voices calling for a distinction between criticism of the work and attacks on individual actors.The Korean Film Council stated, "Criticism of the work and pressure on individuals must be clearly distinguished. If there are differing opinions on the content or historical interpretation of the work, they can be expressed through criticism, discussion, and public questioning. However, this process should not extend to the private sphere of an individual's residence or personal information, or affect their safety and livelihood."It added, "The judgment of the movie is up to the audience. We ask that you acknowledge that different opinions can exist and that we all watch to ensure that the controversy does not target individuals."hyang@tf.co.kr