Amidst the film 'Assassins' being embroiled in controversy over historical distortion and suspicions of Chinese capital inflow, the scheduled public preview has been canceled. The photo shows a trailer for 'Assassins' being screened on a large screen at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 30th of last month. /Reporter Seo Ye-won

[THE FACT|Reporter Choi Soo-bin] The Busan Film Commission has canceled the public preview of the film 'Assassins'.

The Busan Film Commission announced on its official social media on the 1st, "We intended to proceed with the public preview of 'Assassins' (Director Hur Jin-ho) as scheduled, but after comprehensively reviewing the recent situation and the diverse opinions of citizens, we have decided to cancel the preview." The preview was originally scheduled to be held at 3:50 PM on the 5th at Busan CGV Centum City.

It added, "We sincerely apologize for any confusion caused to the citizens who have been waiting," and explained, "This decision does not represent the Busan Film Commission's judgment or support for the content of the work or any specific stance surrounding it."

'Assassins' has also been embroiled in controversy over historical distortion. The film tells the story of the investigation into the suspicions and masterminds behind the assassination of First Lady Yuk Young-soo, which shocked South Korea on August 15, 1974. However, as the film includes scenes suggesting the possibility of former President Park Chung-hee's side or the Korean Central Intelligence Agency's involvement in the incident, some have criticized it for distorting actual history.

In response, the production team stated on the 28th of last month, "This is a fictional film reconstructed with cinematic imagination based on various records written about the historical event that occurred in 1974, with the historical event that occurred in 1974 as its motif." "The film does not define any specific individual as the mastermind behind the incident. It also does not present hypotheses and dramatic settings within the film as historical facts."

Subsequently, suspicions of Chinese capital inflow also emerged. Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party mentioned reports that production company Hive Media Corp. selected a consortium of Mirae Asset Securities PE and CLSA Capital Partners Korea as the preferred bidder in 2023 and pursued investment of 40 billion won. CLSA is a financial company acquired by China's CITIC Securities.

Based on this, Rep. Joo argued, "We must also consider the possibility of behind-the-scenes manipulation by Chinese capital." Subsequently, suspicions spread through online communities that Chinese capital might have been injected into the production process of 'Assassins'.

In response, the production company explained, "'Assassins' is a work independently planned and produced with domestic capital under the leadership of domestic production staff and creators." "There is absolutely no inflow of Chinese capital into the production and investment process of our company or 'Assassins'."

'Assassins', released on the 23rd of last month, is currently being screened in theaters nationwide.

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[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]