Kiwoom Securities (039490) has ended an advertising campaign featuring actor Yoo Hae-jin and is preparing a new campaign, as the historical-distortion controversy surrounding the film “Assassin(s)” spreads to advertisers. The brokerage said the campaign concluded on its originally planned schedule, while the endorsement contract signed with Yoo in April for one year is understood to remain active. Commenting is disabled on the brokerage’s YouTube advertisements featuring Yoo. The campaign promoted financial products including retirement pensions. The controversy has also fueled calls to avoid chicken and burger brands associated with other cast members, alongside online parodies and account-cancellation posts. It centers on the film’s treatment of the 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo, which differs from the government’s official finding that she was killed by a bullet fired by Mun Se-gwang, a Korean resident of Japan. A survey found that 73.8% of respondents in their 30s and 65.7% of those in their 20s viewed the film’s premise as historical distortion, while three organizations demanded an apology and an end to screenings.