Government calls for 'strict law enforcement' amid 'The Assassin(s)' controversy

South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has called for strict enforcement of the law in connection with the controversy surrounding "The Assassin(s)," including protests staged outside the homes of cast members.

Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young said Monday on social media that he had "strongly requested that the Korean National Police Agency and other relevant authorities take safety measures for those involved in the film and its cast, and strictly enforce the law against illegal acts — including threats and intimidation — carried out in front of their residences."

On the broader controversy surrounding the film, Choi said that while people are free to judge a film as they see fit, "threatening the safety of creators is an act of destruction against democracy." He added that if criticism of a film "crosses the line to the point where people gather in front of cast members' homes to protest, intrude on their private lives and threaten their safety, that is something that can never be tolerated."

Responding to calls for the film to be pulled from cinemas, Choi invoked the constitutional prohibition on prior censorship, warning that demanding the government intervene in advance or use administrative power to judge a work simply because its content is objectionable would be "a dangerous demand to return to an era of prior censorship that the Constitution forbids."

On the possibility of defamation claims or other legal action, he added that "after a film's release, the appropriate course is to seek the judiciary's strict judgment through civil litigation or criminal proceedings."

Meanwhile, the agency representing Yoo Hae-jin, who plays the lead in the film, said that "defamatory statements and false information about the actor are spreading indiscriminately, and malicious personal attacks and insults continue." The agency said it "takes extremely seriously any and all acts that invade the actor's privacy, threaten his safety or damage his reputation," signaling it would respond firmly.