The organizing committee chief of the Busan International Film Festival on Thursday promised that the annual cultural event will take place on schedule, vowing to make speedy changes to the governing document to regain support from the boycotting actors.

In a press conference in central Seoul, Kim Dong-ho, the first nongovernment chief organizer of the global event, said the changes to related articles in the governing document will be completed between the middle and end of July.

Changing articles on BIFF's operation has been the bone of contention among Korean movie professionals, amid calls that the current governing document undermines the freedom of speech and expression.
"I give my word that the governing document will be changed by these dates and that BIFF will take place as planned on Oct. 6," Kim said. 

"I have had multiple meetings with the executives of the emergency committees (regarding the BIFF boycott), and we came to the conclusion that we need two things -- an apology from former BIFF committee chief Suh Byung-soo and the change of the operating articles -- to make Korean actors take back their decision to boycott BIFF."

The media event is part of the state-led film festival's effort to appease local actors, and rule out questions at home and overseas that this year's event may be canceled. The feud between BIFF and the Korean actors ignited in 2014, when the former executive director of BIFF allegedly vetoed
the screening of the documentary film "The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol," also known as "Diving Bell."

The move enraged Korean actors who opposed political interference that undermines the Korean filmmaking industry's freedom of expression and autonomy.

Kang Soo-youn, BIFF's executive operating officer, also showed up at the press conference with Kim. The female executive said she could not pinpoint the dates for changes to BIFF's governing articles, countering Kim in the question-and-answer session.

"We cannot give dates for changing the articles, because if we fail to meet the deadline, we will lose the industry's trust," she said.

"The process of appointing a nongovernment chief executive for the organizing committee has undergone tremendous changes (throughout BIFF's history)," Kang said. "We have been through some significant difficulties." (Yonhap)