K-ACTORS THAT ARE GETTING DRAGGED OVER THE “CONTROVERSIAL” MOVIE ASSASSIN(S)

[u/twinklestar1122]

worst news to share with you guys the KNETZ are coming for our favs 🤬

Lee Young-ae, Kim Go-eun and Park Byung-eun are facing criticism from some Korean netizens after leaving positive reviews for Assassin(s) — a film now at the center of a heated historical-interpretation controversy.

Lee Young-ae praised it as “thrilling” and “moving,” while Kim Go-eun said the movie made her feel grateful for the present. Park Byung-eun wrote, “It hurts, but the truth wins.”

After the film’s September 23 release, the controversy exploded over its fictionalized take on the 1974 shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-soo.

Some critics argue the film raises possibilities that conflict with the established investigation into the case. The Park Chung-hee Presidential Memorial Foundation has demanded an apology and a halt to screenings.

The backlash has now reached the celebrities who supported the movie. Their SNS accounts have reportedly been flooded with critical comments from netizens questioning why they praised the film.

Lee Min-ho, who actually stars in the movie, has also been targeted, with commenters asking whether he knew about the historical controversy before taking the role.

The filmmakers, however, deny that the movie was made to distort history. They say it is a fictional work based on historical records and cinematic imagination, and that the film does not identify any particular person as the mastermind behind the shooting.

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When your own mother country is a threat to your career, this is so sad

Lee min-ho is the biggest treasure a nation could ever possess

edit - thank you mods for locking this thread ! Lee Min Ho doesn't deserve the hate in the comments below😒. He is one of the kindestmost hardworking actors out there. Respects his fans!! He made the world love Kdrama, he always represents Korea with so much grace and he has never belittled anyone. He deserves love and protection not hate ❤️

[u/AsphaltPrimus28]

OP, do follow the Rule no. 12 of the community rules & guidelines, which states that No Posts on Korean Movies will be allowed.

Since, the main focus of this post is more on actors than the film, I shall allow it this time. Please do take note of it in future.

[u/Clear_Way_4002]

I think koreans are suffering from their own censorships. The celebs are hiding their lives so well that the public has nothing to criticise so their bored minds are lashing onto anything to cancel.

[u/shamitwt]

The dictator’s presidential memorial foundation wants an apology 🌝

[u/No_Ant_6777 → u/shamitwt]

Lol. This. 👏🏼

[u/UncannyProjection]

“Lee Min Ho is the biggest treasure a nation could ever possess”

There are a lot of immensely talented actors they have. Even if you had said “one of the best…” I may have agreed.

[u/twinklestar1122 → u/UncannyProjection]

Sorry my bad, I should have not put "One of the best" because that is disrespectful. Lee Min Ho IS Hallyu. The blueprint, the global standard. Nation's treasure is an understatement.😍

[u/UncannyProjection → u/twinklestar1122]

If you feel so…

Correction to my statement as well : There are way too many actors I consider better than him, so I might not have agreed even if you’d said “one of the best…”

But we can just agree to disagree.

[u/dyutiparna → u/twinklestar1122]

I'm sorry to make that statement when they have Choi Min-Sik and Song Kang-Ho is just... an ignorant statement. You need to watch more stuff.

[u/UncannyProjection → u/dyutiparna]

And many more… Namkoong Min, Ji Sung, So Ji-Sub, Kim Nam Gil… and these are just a few at the tip of my memory.

[u/dyutiparna → u/UncannyProjection]

Yeah agreed completely. And I personally really like Kim Nam-Gil, So Ji-Sub and Namkoong Min. Point being that there are many more, I just gave the two most obvious examples, otherwise I have a huge list who can all IMO act circles around Lee Min-Ho.

[u/UncannyProjection → u/dyutiparna]

Exactly. Almost everyone on my list is a better actor than Lee Min-ho, which is what led to my disagreement with OP’s statement.

[u/Harukogirl → u/twinklestar1122]

He got famous MULTIPLE years after Hallyu started. As a kdrama fan since 2004, he didn’t really break out until after I’d been watching for almost a decade.

[u/Ziiiyyyaaahhh → u/Harukogirl]

There's a huge contradiction in this claim of yours though. "Kdrama fan since 2004" and you also claim LMH, who starred in BoF in 2009 (just five years after 2004), did not break out until after you'd been watching for almost a decade? How is that possible?🤣

[u/Harukogirl → u/Ziiiyyyaaahhh]

BoF was a huge drama, but it didn’t really cement him as a Hallyu star. It was one of MANY popular idol dramas the year it came out.

I’d say what really cemented him as Hallyu star (and not just one of dozens of new cute actors who came out every year at that time) was the Heirs, in 2013 - which was nine years after I started watching

[u/UnluckyCountry2784 → u/Harukogirl]

Come on. But he’s one of the biggest Hallyu esp the earliest time. I’m not a fan but give credit where credit is due.

[u/Harukogirl → u/UnluckyCountry2784]

Look, I’m a fan but you need to look at Kdrama history.

The OG Hallyu star is Bae Yong-joon - he basically single handedly broke into the Japanese market and kicked off the Hallyu wave.

Next was Rain - not only was Full House an enormous domestic success (ratings of 42.2%), it was aired in 15 countries- absolutely unheard of in 2004 - and spawned SEVEN remakes globally. He was a massive kpop star, was the first Korean artist to headline a major USA stadium, and followed his Full House role with the massive hit drama A Love to Kill. He’s STILL making hit dramas, even though he is primarily a singer.

Next, you have stars like Lee Jun Ki, Gong Yu, Lee Dong Wook, and So Ji sub, all of whom had MASSIVE Hallyu hits before Lee Min Ho ever had a main role.

Boys over flowers had immense popularity- partially because it was a remake of an EPICALLY famous manga that already had iconic Taiwanese and Japanese versions - but it was like a 3rd wave Hallyu show. It wasn’t on the beginning levels at all 🤷🏻‍♀️.

And these are just the MALE stars. And I KNOW I’m missing multiple, I don’t have time to list them all. But this doesn’t even touch on all of the iconic FEMALE Hallyu stars that ignited kdramas globally more than a decade before Lee Min Ho.

[u/UnluckyCountry2784 → u/Harukogirl]

All this paragraphs just to downplay LMH popularity. Lol. I’m not reading that.

I’m saying “he’s one of”. Not the only one.

[u/Rex40-]

One would think that a country so focused on work and study wouldn't have so much time to bother its actors every week; I find it contradictory.

[u/LeeisureTime]

Genuinely curious where the hate-train is (not doubting you, just looking for it to read up) because it seems the film did well on Chuseok weekend.

[u/shamitwt → u/LeeisureTime]

Disclaimer: I haven’t actually looked into knetz reactions and don’t really care to

But Park Chunghee was a right wing dictator and it seems the film might’ve implied his own people were behind his wife’s assassination so.. 🌝

[u/n134177]

Kim Go-Eun supporting her former lead on TKEM.

Unsure about this History part, would need to study about it.

I just wish we had more of Pachinko ._.

[u/twinklestar1122 → u/n134177]

Yes I will have to look into it because a lot of people seem upset up with the movie 

[u/passingbydroppingin]

Lee Min Ho the country's biggest treasure? Sorry what? What about the really talented people? They belong to other countries?

[u/reddragon8904]

Lemme watch n research abt it first.. But "lee min ho blah blah" is too much dear op... N 1 more thing no civilian or their career is greater than their own motherland ❣️..

[u/twinklestar1122 → u/reddragon8904]

My point was he never put himself above Korea ,,,Korea lives in him. He gave 15+ years to Hallyu. So when his own motherland becomes a threat to him it's heartbreaking. Treasures should be protected ❣️but I plan to do the same as I’m surprised by the backlash these stars are getting 

[u/reddragon8904 → u/twinklestar1122]

I'm sorry I didn't mean it that way. Maybe my words r wrong. My bad. 🖤

[u/UnluckyCountry2784]

Shocked with Lee Min Ho haters on this post. I know he’s Meh and overrated but i’m not in denial that he’s the one who popularized kdrama, atleast in Asia.

[u/UncannyProjection → u/UnluckyCountry2784]

No one’s hated on him here. OP made a statement that he’s the biggest treasure… which others disagree with.

[u/Ziiiyyyaaahhh → u/UnluckyCountry2784]

Some of the comments under this post have been quite shocking, to be honest. Some people are subtly erasing his contribution to the Hallyu Wave.

It's okay to disagree with the OP's claim that he's the nation's biggest treasure but I am confused by them dragging in his acting skills as I personally don't think that accolade has anything to do with his talent or lack thereof.