Yoo Hae-jin wins Best Actor at Buil Film Awards amid 'Assassin(s)' controversy; skips ceremony

Best Actor Award for 'The King and the Man'... Production Company CEO Accepts on His Behalf'Assassins' Faces Historical Distortion Controversy and Threats to Personal Safety... Busan Schedule CanceledActor Yoo Hae-jin received the Best Actor Award for the film 'The King and the Man' at the 35th Buil Film Awards ceremony held on the 7th. / Reporter Seo Ye-won[THE FACT|Reporter Kim Saet-byeol] Actor Yoo Hae-jin received the Buil Film Awards Best Actor trophy for the movie 'The King and the Man'. This honor comes amidst his recent decision to completely cancel his Busan schedule due to controversies surrounding historical distortion in his latest film and threats to his personal safety.The 35th Buil Film Awards ceremony took place on the 7th at Signiel Busan in Jung-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan, during the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). On this day, Yoo Hae-jin was selected as the Best Actor winner for 'The King and the Man'.However, Yoo Hae-jin was unable to attend the awards ceremony as he had canceled his Busan International Film Festival schedule due to the historical distortion controversy surrounding his current film 'Assassins' and threats to his personal safety.Consequently, the award was accepted on his behalf by Im Eun-jeong, CEO of Ondaworks, the production company of 'The King and the Man'.On stage, CEO Im stated, "Actor Yoo Hae-jin could not be here today due to his filming schedule," and expressed gratitude, "I would like to thank the Buil Film Awards jury for this precious award, Director Jang Hang-jun, all the staff and cast, and the distributor Showbox. Most importantly, I want to send my deepest thanks to the audience who loved the movie. I will deliver this award to actor Yoo Hae-jin."'The King and the Man', which brought Yoo Hae-jin this honor, is a story set in Cheongnyongpo in 1457, depicting the young King Danjong Lee Hong-wi (PARK JI HOON), who was exiled after being ousted from the throne, and the village chief Um Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin), who stays by his side. Directed by Jang Hang-jun, the film was released in February and became a box office sensation, drawing 16.92 million viewers.Meanwhile, Yoo Hae-jin is currently facing difficulties due to external controversies surrounding the recently released film 'Assassins'. Released on the 23rd of last month, 'Assassins' is a story that traces the mastermind behind the assassination of First Lady Yuk Young-soo on August 15, 1974. However, after its release, criticisms arose that the reconstructed events distorted historical facts, leading to a heated controversy.The controversy escalated to threats against the actors' personal safety. Starting from the 4th, a protest was held in front of Yoo Hae-jin's home by conservative groups demanding a halt to the screening, and threatening remarks followed online. In response, the Seoul Seongbuk Police, at the request of Yoo Hae-jin's agency, provided him with a smart watch and increased patrols around his residence on the 6th as part of personal protection measures.As a result of these repercussions, Yoo Hae-jin and the production staff, including the director, canceled all their scheduled events in Busan, including the opening ceremony and outdoor stage greetings of the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), for safety reasons.sstar1204@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]