The Morning Calm Post

Hur Jin-ho's new film The Assassin(s) has signaled its entry into the Chuseok holiday box office through a production presentation. The event was held on the afternoon of August 10, 2026, Korea time, at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Director Hur Jin-ho and actors Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho attended and spoke about the film's starting point and characters.

The Assassin(s) is a mystery thriller inspired by the shooting incident that occurred during the Liberation Day ceremony on August 15, 1974, Korea time. During the shooting, which targeted former President Park Chung-hee, First Lady Yuk Young-soo was struck and died. The film does not simply reproduce the real incident as it happened. Instead, it reconstructs the story as detectives and journalists track the forces behind the case, based on records from the time and unanswered questions that remain.

There are two central points. One is that the incident is an extremely sensitive scene in modern Korean history. The other is that director Hur Jin-ho is approaching it through the form of a genre film. At the production presentation, Park Hae-il said in effect that participating in a work inspired by real events required a careful and sensitive attitude. That shows the film is not a simple reenactment, but a work that places historical material inside a thriller structure.

Yoo Hae-jin plays Cheolgu, a detective who witnesses the scene. According to reports, Cheolgu was assigned to security duty at the time of the incident and begins to question the difference between what he saw and the investigation headquarters' announcement. At the production presentation, Yoo said he was glad to return to theaters during the Chuseok season. He also made a joking comment about envying Park Hae-il's gaze, but the more important point for the article is that he carries one of the film's central axes through the perspective of a person tracing the case.

Park Hae-il plays Jaehwan, the social affairs desk editor at a newspaper. Jaehwan is a character who investigates what lies behind the incident despite pressure and danger. In earlier reports, Park mentioned the weight of a film inspired by a real event. That statement can be read less as a personal impression and more as a sentence showing his attitude toward the work. When dealing with an actual incident, actors and the production team need to consider not only character emotions, but also the atmosphere of the period and the social impact of the event.

Lee Min-ho plays Yeongil, a rookie reporter in the social affairs department. Yeongil is known as a character who witnesses the incident and jumps into dangerous reporting. For Lee Min-ho, The Assassin(s) is meaningful because it has a strong genre and period-film texture. Having built popularity and overseas recognition through romance, fantasy and global dramas, attention is also on what kind of face he will show in a mystery thriller set against modern Korean history.

Hur Jin-ho's name is also an important clue for understanding the direction of the film. Hur has handled character emotion and historical context with a calm touch through works including Christmas in August, One Fine Spring Day, The Last Princess and A Normal Family. The Assassin(s) is a work for checking how the character-centered direction he built in melodrama and drama will be applied inside a political mystery genre. It is also drawing attention as another project dealing with historical material after The Last Princess.

The film was also mentioned by an overseas festival before its domestic release. According to an English report from the Korean Film Council, The Assassin(s) was invited to the Gala Presentations section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, which will run from September 10 to September 20, 2026, Korea time. TIFF's Gala Presentations is known as a major section introducing new works with both popular appeal and artistic value. Since its domestic Chuseok release and international festival premiere are placed close together, the film now has a flow that considers both Korean and overseas audiences.

The point that needs the most caution when looking at The Assassin(s) is the boundary between the real incident and cinematic imagination. The 1974 Liberation Day ceremony shooting is material involving real people, bereaved families, political history and investigation records. The film deals with questions around the incident and the process of characters tracing it, but every scene should not be accepted as historical fact. The descriptions currently released use both "inspired by" and "mystery thriller."

The Chuseok box office is a period when family audiences and genre-film audiences move together. The Assassin(s) has a different texture from the comedies or human dramas often chosen for the holiday season. Even so, the combination of Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, Hur Jin-ho's direction and the genre treatment of modern Korean history are elements that can create audience interest. The important question is how evenly the film handles its weighty material.

The Assassin(s) can be seen not simply as a film that brings an incident back, but as a work testing how records and questions surrounding that incident can be delivered to today's audience.

Summary Points

• The production presentation for The Assassin(s) was held on the afternoon of August 10, 2026, Korea time, at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul.
• Director Hur Jin-ho and actors Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho attended and explained the film and their characters.
• The film is a mystery thriller inspired by the shooting incident at the Liberation Day ceremony on August 15, 1974, Korea time.
• Yoo Hae-jin plays detective Cheolgu, Park Hae-il plays newspaper social affairs desk editor Jaehwan, and Lee Min-ho plays rookie reporter Yeongil.
• The Assassin(s) is preparing for a domestic Chuseok-season release in 2026 and has also been invited to the Gala Presentations section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival.