Director Hur Jin-ho’s film ‘Assassin(s)’ is scheduled to open on September 23, 2026. Although the film is based on a real historical event, it has not been presented as definitively establishing the historical truth of that event. As of 8 a.m. on August 31, advance reservations totaled 33,141 viewers, ranking first among Korean films and second overall. This figure reflects advance reservations at that time and does not indicate changes through the release date or the film’s actual audience total.
What event does ‘Assassin(s)’ investigate?
The film is presented as a mystery thriller investigating the suspicions surrounding and the forces behind the shooting of the first lady at a Liberation Day ceremony on August 15, 1974. In the film, the investigative headquarters closes the case by concluding that second-generation Korean-Japanese resident Moon Tae-gwang acted alone. However, Cheol-gu, Jae-hwan, and Yeong-il each question the investigative findings from their respective positions and pursue the truth.
This premise is a narrative that adds cinematic imagination to a real event. Accordingly, the characters and investigative process in the film should be understood as elements of the production, and it cannot be stated that the film definitively reveals the historical truth or the forces behind the 1974 event. Based on the information released so far, the central focus is not the conclusion of the event itself but the suspicions and investigation that continue around a single investigative finding.
What roles do Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, and Lee Min-ho play?
Yoo Hae-jin plays Cheol-gu, a police lieutenant colonel with Jungbu Police Station who was guarding the National Theater. Park Hae-il appears as Jae-hwan, the head of the social affairs desk at Dongsung Ilbo, while Lee Min-ho plays Yeong-il, the newspaper’s youngest field reporter. The three characters view the same event from different positions in the police and newspaper worlds and are described as questioning the investigative findings.
The roles of Cheol-gu, Jae-hwan, and Yeong-il are distinguished by their different positions when encountering the event. Cheol-gu is a police character, while Jae-hwan and Yeong-il are reporters at Dongsung Ilbo. The film centers on their pursuit of the suspicions surrounding the event and their search for the truth from their respective positions.
What did director Hur Jin-ho say the film focuses on?
Director Hur Jin-ho explained that the work focuses on the people and emotions involved in pursuing the truth rather than definitively stating the event’s conclusion. Based on this explanation, the film’s focus should be understood as the process in which different characters follow their questions, rather than the presentation of a new historical conclusion about the real event.
However, how the film portrays the real event through specific scenes and relationships between characters, and how far it expands the event’s suspicions into its narrative, are matters to be confirmed through the finished film after its release. Based on the information currently available, the film’s settings cannot be treated as identical to established facts about the 1974 event.
What are the release date, runtime, and age rating?
‘Assassin(s)’ is scheduled to open on September 23, 2026. Its runtime is 130 minutes, and it has been reported as suitable for viewers aged 12 and older. The scheduled release date and viewing conditions reflect the film information currently confirmed.
The reservation figures confirmed so far are 33,141 advance viewers and the corresponding rankings as of 8 a.m. on August 31, 2026. At that time, the film ranked first among Korean films and second overall, but those figures alone cannot be used to judge its box-office performance after release. Theater-by-theater schedules and seat availability are separate from these advance-reservation figures, so anyone planning to watch the film should check official screening information closer to the release date.