What is The Assassin(s) about?

Set in 1974, it follows a detective, a newspaper editor and a rookie reporter who doubt the official account of the shooting of the first lady at the Liberation Day ceremony.

How does The Assassin(s) end?

We have not published the ending yet. We only add it once it is confirmed across several reliable sources. The director has said the film is not about naming who was behind the event.

Who stars in The Assassin(s)?

Yoo Hae-jin plays detective Cheol-gu, Park Hae-il plays editor Jae-hwan and Lee Min-ho plays rookie reporter Young-il, with Jung Woo-sung, Ryu Hye-young and Shim Eun-kyung in the supporting cast.

Where can I watch The Assassin(s)?

It opened in Korean cinemas on September 23, 2026, distributed by Hive Media Corp. No streaming platform has been announced yet.

How long is The Assassin(s)?

The film runs 131 minutes and is rated 12+ in Korea.

🎬 Korean Film · Thriller · Mystery · Drama

The Assassin(s)

Name: The Assassin(s)
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Drama
Released: 2026-10-14
Duration: 131 min
Cast: Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, Lee Min-ho, Choi Yu-ri, Ryu Hye-young

암살자(들) · 2026 · 131 min

⏱️ 131 min 🎬 In Cinemas ⭐ Not Yet Rated 🔞 12+

⚡ Updated · Oct 14, 2026

🎬 Film Overview

Film 1974 COVER-UP PICK

The Assassin(s)

암살자(들) · 2026 · South Korea

ScreenplayKwon Gi-jun, Lee Ji-min

DirectorHur Jin-ho

Runtime131 min

Where to Watch⚠️ Not currently available to US viewers

⏱️

Binge Time2h 11m

Release DateSeptember 23, 2026

GenreThriller · Mystery · Drama

Content Rating12+

🎬 In Cinemas

1974 KoreaPolitical ThrillerPress FreedomCover-upBased on a True Event

On August 15, 1974, a shooting at the live-broadcast Liberation Day ceremony shakes South Korea. The case is wrapped up quickly and recorded as a national tragedy. Three people who were close to it are not convinced: Cheol-gu (Yoo Hae-jin), a detective who was on security duty that day, Jae-hwan (Park Hae-il), the city desk editor of a newspaper, and Young-il (Lee Min-ho), a rookie reporter who saw the chaos first-hand. Director Hur Jin-ho, best known for quiet romances, has said he did not set out to make a film about revealing who stood behind the event. By his account the focus is the era and the people who tried to record the truth inside it. According to one Korean review, the story runs from nine days before the shooting to ninety days after. That makes this less a whodunit than a study of what it cost to keep asking questions in 1974.

⚡ Quick Verdict

Skip the scroll — here’s the verdict in one glance.

⭐ Worth it?Promising — a real 1974 case, a stacked cast, and a director with a gentle touch

🔁 Rewatch ValueToo early to call — we will update after our full breakdown

💛 VibePeriod newsroom thriller built on doubt rather than a neat answer

📺 Skip if…You need a film that names a culprit — the director says that is not its aim

▶ Official Trailer

🎭 Cast & Characters

A newsroom, a police station and a long list of faces you will recognize.

Yoo Hae-jin

Park Cheol-gu

Lead

Park Hae-il

Kim Jae-hwan

Lead

Lee Min-ho

Han Young-il

Supporting

Choi Yu-ri

Choi Seung-hwa

Supporting

Ryu Hye-young

Seo Yoon-hee

Supporting

Kim Dae-myung

Man-seob

Supporting

Bae Sung-woo

Song Min-ho

Supporting

Park Ji-hwan

Lee Hyeon-do

Supporting

Jung Woo-sung

Han Sang-il

Supporting

Shim Eun-kyung

Lee Kang-ja

Supporting

Park Hoon

Kim Sang-pil

Supporting

Ryu Kyung-soo

Yoo Tae-yong

Supporting

🍿 Where to Watch

Watch The Assassin(s) on these platforms.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Now Showing

In Cinemas

Check your local listings for showtimes

📖 The Story

No spoilers, just the setup — enough to decide if it’s for you.

🟡

Full story write-up coming soon The Assassin(s) is in cinemas now. We only publish the full story breakdown once it is confirmed against multiple reliable sources, so it will be added here once that is possible. Check back soon.

🏁 Ending Explained

Full spoilers — what happened, and why it hits the way it does.

🟡

Ending Explained coming soon The Assassin(s) is still in its theatrical run. We will publish a full Ending Explained, with spoilers, character resolutions and what the final scenes mean, once the ending is confirmed against multiple reliable sources. Check back soon.

✍️ KDramaWorlds Editor’s Take

Our honest opinion — and the kind of viewer who’ll love it most.

🎬 Director Hur Jin-ho Known for: Hur Jin-ho is the director of Christmas in August (1998) and April Snow (2005), two quiet romances that built his reputation for restraint. The Assassin(s) moves him into a politically charged true-event thriller, while keeping his attention on small human reactions.

📰 Newsroom Thriller🕵️ Official Story vs. Doubt🎞️ Hur Jin-ho🇰🇷 1974 Seoul

Spy thrillers about this period usually belong to the agents. Hunt was about the men inside the intelligence service, and what made it fun was that everyone in the room had a gun. The Assassin(s) puts a detective, an editor and a rookie at the center instead, people whose only real weapon is a notebook and a stubborn question. Even before the plot opens up, that is a different film.

The Assassin(s) (2026) — cinematic still

Hur Jin-ho made his name with Christmas in August and April Snow, both gentle and both about people holding feelings in. A case this large, in an era this tightly controlled, is unfamiliar territory for him, and the choice to follow the people on the edge of events rather than the people running them fits his habits. Fans of Harbin will find a similarly serious attitude to history, with a slower and quieter pace.

We are holding back a verdict for now. The film’s ending and later plot are still being pinned down in Korean coverage, and we only publish those sections once they hold up across several reliable sources. For now, treat this page as the setup, the cast and the case for watching.

👍👍👍 BEST FOR 👍👍👍

📰 Viewers who like journalism and cover-up stories, in the vein of period newsroom thrillers🎞️ Fans of Hur Jin-ho who want to see him in a different genre🇰🇷 Anyone interested in 1970s Korean history told through ordinary people

⚖️ Final Verdict

What works

•A lead trio of Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho

•A deep supporting cast including Jung Woo-sung and Ryu Hye-young

•A newsroom-and-police viewpoint on a famous historical event

What to know first

•The director says the film does not aim to name who was behind the shooting

•It is a fictionalized take on a real, politically sensitive event

•At 131 minutes, expect a measured, dialogue-heavy pace

Anticipation Pick— A serious, character-first period thriller; our full verdict follows with the story and ending breakdown.

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KDW Editor Editorial Team, KDramaWorlds

This review was written and fact-checked by the KDW editorial team — a small group of K-drama viewers who watch every title before writing about it. No screeners, no synopsis-only takes.

662 Reviews Published

339 Actor Profiles

2026 Writing Since

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