Actor Yoo Hae-jin, who had been under police protection amid controversy surrounding the film "The Assassin(s)," had the measures lifted after requesting their termination.
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Ko Beom-seok told the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee during a national audit of the Seoul police Thursday that the protection had been lifted after Yoo requested its removal Wednesday.
Concerns over Yoo's safety had grown after some claimed the film distorted history, prompting conservative activists to stage protests outside his home and threatening posts to appear online.
In response, the Seongbuk Police Station in Seoul implemented safety measures on Oct. 6 at the request of Yoo's agency, including issuing a smartwatch, registering him in the 112 emergency response system and stepping up patrols around his residence.
Meanwhile, at the same national audit session, People Power Party lawmaker Kang Myeong-gu raised questions about the protection afforded to Yoo, asking whether it amounted to unequal treatment compared with ordinary citizens. He pointed to the police response in a 2023 retaliatory killing in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, and a recent case in Songpa-gu involving the killing of a mother-in-law and the abduction of a wife.
Commissioner Ko said the measures were not granted because Yoo is an actor. "We reviewed the request from his agency and implemented the protection accordingly," Ko said, adding that police would take greater care to ensure the safety of ordinary citizens in their daily lives.
Regarding the Songpa-gu case, Ko said police had taken interim protective measures on the same day the victim gave a statement at the Yongsan Police Station on Aug. 22 and had also offered a smartwatch, but the victim declined at the time.
paq@heraldcorp.com
