Actor Park Hae-il speaks at a preview and press conference for the film "The Assassin" held at Megabox COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Sept. 8. [Yonhap]
Actor Park Hae-il speaks at a preview and press conference for the film "The Assassin" held at Megabox COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Sept. 8. [Yonhap]

Actor Park Hae-il appeared at the 31st Busan International Film Festival on Thursday, keeping his commitment to meet audiences amid continuing controversy over the political undertones of his film "The Assassin."

Park attended a Master Talk event for "Waikiki Brothers," an invited title in the festival's 2026 Community BIFF program, at Megabox Busan Theater in Jung-gu, Busan, alongside director Lim Soon-rye.

The Master Talk, a flagship event of Community BIFF, is a live interactive commentary screening in which key figures behind beloved films revisit their work through real-time scene commentary and online audience chat.

Park's appearance carried particular significance given that official schedules for the cast of "The Assassin" had been canceled one after another in the wake of the controversy surrounding the film.

"The Assassin," directed by Heo Jin-ho, opened Sept. 23. The film draws on the 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo and has been engulfed in a historical distortion controversy for suggesting possibilities about the background and circumstances of the attack that differ from the established official account. The dispute spilled into the political arena, and cast members including Yoo Hae-jin faced a wave of criticism.

The fallout rippled across the festival's schedule. Director Heo and the cast decided not to attend this year's Busan International Film Festival, and their planned appearances at the opening ceremony and outdoor stage greetings were called off entirely. Lee Min-ho's Actors House session was also dropped from the program. Yoo, despite winning the best actor prize at the Buil Film Awards, could not travel to Busan due to personal safety concerns. All in-person events beyond the festival, including theater stage greetings, were also canceled.

With every "The Assassin"-related engagement scrapped, Park nonetheless showed up for the separately scheduled "Waikiki Brothers" Master Talk and met with audiences as planned. He looked back on the film — his own feature debut — alongside director Lim, who helmed it.


min3654@heraldcorp.com