Burger King ends Yoo Hae-jin ad campaign amid film dispute and boycott calls
In short
Burger King ended its advertising campaign featuring actor Yoo Hae-jin for the Truffle Mushroom Whopper, about two weeks after the product's Sept 16 launch, as online calls to boycott products he advertises spread amid the historical distortion controversy over the film “Assassin(s)”. Burger King said the campaign was scheduled to finish on Sept 30 and had nothing to do with the movement, and said it could not disclose whether Yoo's model contract had ended. A protest was held outside the Seoul headquarters of Burger King's operator BKR, demanding the film's screening be halted and the advertising contract withdrawn.
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Burger King ended its advertising campaign featuring actor Yoo Hae-jin for the autumn menu item Truffle Mushroom Whopper, after an online boycott movement targeted products advertised by Yoo over the historical distortion controversy surrounding the film “Assassin(s)”. The product was launched on Sept 16 and the campaign activity ended on Sept 30, about two weeks later, according to business outlets. Burger King said the end was not caused by the controversy. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 ]
The campaign had used the concept “New-haejin Tmeowa”, combining Yoo's name with the English word “new”, Yonhap reported. In online communities and on social media, users posted about boycotting the product and deleting the company's app, and left protest comments on advertisements featuring Yoo, the documents said. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
Burger King posted on its official website that all of its campaign models are one-off contracts and that the Truffle Mushroom Whopper model's activity schedule had ended. A company official told Maeil Business that the campaign was originally set to finish on Sept 30 regardless of the controversy, that TV and YouTube advertisements ended as scheduled and that printed materials would be removed from stores sequentially. The official told Seoul Economic Daily that the campaign was ending on its originally planned schedule and was not affected by the recent situation, but said it was difficult to disclose whether the model contract had ended. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
Some observers read the timing as an early end caused by the boycott movement, but Burger King said the end date had been fixed before the controversy. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that posts mentioning Yoo had been deleted from Burger King's official YouTube and Instagram, while a later Yonhap report said social media posts and store advertising materials were being organised and removed. [ 4 , 5 , 7 ]
On the same day, a protest was held outside the Jongno-gu, Seoul headquarters of BKR, Burger King's operator, demanding that the film's screening be stopped and the advertising contract with Yoo be withdrawn, business outlets reported. Burger King has typically signed one-off contracts per product rather than retaining exclusive brand models: it used actor Lee Jung-jae for a January advertisement, actor Noh Yoon-seo for another product that month and Choo Sung-hoon in March, while Yoo had also appeared in June advertisements for two Boiling Seafood Burger products, according to Seoul Economic Daily. [ 4 , 5 ]
The dispute extends beyond the company. Maeil Business reported that the film uses as its motif the shooting of Yuk Young-soo at the Aug 15, 1974 Liberation Day ceremony, and that allegations of historical distortion have been raised over settings that evoke the real event. The outlet reported that a rally was recently held in front of a house described as Yoo's home calling for the film's screening to be halted and for an apology; that his agency VAST Entertainment said it would take all possible measures over false information, malicious personal attacks and privacy infringement; and that Yoo, nominated for Best Actor for “The King and the Man”, would not attend the 2026 Buil Film Awards on Oct 7. Events related to “Assassin(s)” at the Busan International Film Festival were previously cancelled, it said. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The case shows how a controversy over a film's treatment of real historical events can spread to the commercial endorsements of its cast, turning a marketing schedule into a target of boycott calls. Burger King's insistence that the end date was fixed in advance illustrates how publicly a brand is expected to address such a dispute once its campaign is drawn in. The dispute has already extended beyond the company, with a protest at its operator's Seoul headquarters, a rally outside the actor's home and a legal warning from his agency.
Key facts
- Burger King ended its new-product campaign featuring actor Yoo Hae-jin for the Truffle Mushroom Whopper. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The campaign used the concept “New-haejin Tmeowa”, combining Yoo's name with the word new. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- Burger King said on its official website that all of its campaign models are one-off contracts and that the Truffle Mushroom Whopper model's activity schedule had ended. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- A Burger King official said the campaign was originally set to end on Sept 30, about two weeks after the product's Sept 16 launch, and was not affected by the controversy. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- Online communities and social media users posted about boycotting the product and deleting the company's app, and left protest comments on ads featuring Yoo. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- A protest was held outside the Jongno-gu, Seoul headquarters of BKR, Burger King's operator, demanding the film's screening be stopped and the advertising contract with Yoo be withdrawn. [ 4 , 5 ]
- Burger King used Yoo as a model in June for two Boiling Seafood Burger products, and typically signs one-off contracts per product rather than retaining exclusive brand models. [ 4 , 5 ]
- Yoo's agency VAST Entertainment said it would take all possible measures over false information, malicious personal attacks and privacy infringement, and said he will not attend the Buil Film Awards on Oct 7. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Burger King ended the advertising campaign featuring Yoo Hae-jin for the Truffle Mushroom Whopper. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Burger King said the end of the campaign was not caused by the recent controversy and followed a previously set schedule. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- An online movement called for boycotting products advertised by Yoo and for replacing him as a model. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- The controversy concerns the film “Assassin(s)” and allegations of historical distortion. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Burger King said all of its campaign models are one-off contracts and that the Truffle Mushroom Whopper model's activity schedule had ended. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- A protest demanding the film's screening be stopped and the advertising contract with Yoo be withdrawn was held outside BKR's headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [ 4 , 5 ]
- Burger King had also used Yoo as a model for its Boiling Seafood Burger products in June. [ 4 , 5 ]
- The product was launched on Sept 16 and the campaign activity ended on Sept 30, about two weeks later. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the campaign was cut short because of the boycott movement. Some observers interpreted the timing that way, but Burger King said the end date had been fixed before the controversy, and the documents do not resolve the disagreement.
- Whether Yoo's model contract with Burger King has ended. Seoul Economic Daily reported that Burger King said it was difficult to disclose whether the model contract had ended.
- What specific legal steps VAST Entertainment will take and against whom. Only one document reports the legal-action warning, and it gives no details of filings or targets.
- How many people joined the boycott or the protest activities. The documents describe online posts and gatherings but give no figures or independent verification.
- The specific content of the historical distortion allegations against the film. Documents say allegations were raised over settings evoking a real 1974 event, but do not detail them beyond that.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap reports that Burger King ended its campaign featuring Yoo Hae-jin and that the company says the end was unrelated to the controversy. [ 1 ]
- Maeil Business reports Burger King saying the campaign was set to end on Sept 30 regardless of the controversy, that TV and YouTube ads ended as scheduled, and that Yoo will not attend the Buil Film Awards on Oct 7. [ 2 ]
- Yonhap publishes a combined report on the campaign ending amid the boycott movement. [ 3 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the two-week gap between the Sept 16 product launch and the campaign end, Burger King's one-off model contracts, and a protest outside BKR's Jongno-gu headquarters in Seoul. [ 4 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun reports the campaign activity ended on Sept 30 and that posts mentioning Yoo have been deleted from Burger King's official YouTube and Instagram. [ 5 ]
- Korea Economic Daily reports that Burger King ended the Yoo Hae-jin advertisement as the boycott over the historical distortion controversy spread. [ 6 ]
- Yonhap's second update reports that social media posts and store advertising materials are being organised and removed. [ 7 ]