For cast of ‘The Assassin(s),’ actors find happiness on set telling story of dark period in Korean history

Park Hae-il returns to the big screen after four years as a hard-nosed newsroom editor opposite Lee Min-ho, who plays a rookie reporter with a strong sense of justice, in a historical drama set in 1970s Korea, a time of social and political upheaval.

Lee shared that Park, the star of the Cannes-winning “Decision to Leave” (2022), threw himself so fully into the role of his superior that it helped Lee, despite his own 20 years of acting experience, really get into his role. Lee and Park play Yeong-il and Jae-hwan, respectively, in the film based on the real-life assassination attempt on Korea's third president, Park Chung Hee, in 1974.

Lee recalled that Park came to the set of "The Assassin(s)" on a hot summer day, the very first day of shooting, for a scene in which Yeong-il calls Jae-hwan to report that Park Chung Hee’s wife had been killed in the assassination attempt. Although Park Hae-il was not required for the shot, he still showed up and delivered his lines while "squatting" nearby.

“I heard from the morning that Park was already there to help me,” Lee said at a press conference in Seoul on Monday. “To be honest, I felt a lot of pressure from the moment I was getting my makeup done. I was a little more nervous than usual, but the moment the first take began and I heard his voice, I was immediately drawn into the scene.”

Park said he was quickly convinced to take on the role of Jae-hwan after a call from director Hur Jin-ho, whom he previously worked with on “The Last Princess” (2016), also a film based on a real event, to portray a type of character he hasn't played before.

“[He said] it wouldn't be an easy role, but that if I took it on, he wanted me to play someone firm and seasoned in his pursuit of the truth," Park said.

Yoo Hae-jin, who plays the tenacious police inspector Cheol-gu in "The Assassin(s)," said Park's gaze made him fitting for the role.

"I've always been jealous of Park's eyes," Yoo, who worked with him on "Moss" (2010), said. "There is a quiet strength in them, a kind of resolve. I envied the energy he carries in his gaze.”

For Lee, working with Yoo and Park was a rare chance to learn from veteran actors he deeply respected.

“I’m at an age where it’s not easy to be the youngest anywhere anymore,” the 39-year-old Lee, who has starred in works including Apple TV series "Pachinko" (2022-24) and "Omniscient Reader: The Prophet" (2025), said with a smile.

“Working with them was nothing short of happiness,” he said. “The experience made me realize once again that true dignity as an actor begins with character.”

“It was the first set where I felt completely grounded while acting — from the director to the cast,” Lee added.

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"The Assassin(s)" is based on the assassination attempt on Park Chung Hee at a public ceremony at the National Theater of Korea in central Seoul by Mun Se-gwang, a Japanese resident of Korean ancestry. Park survived, but his wife, first lady Yuk Young-soo — the mother of Korea's 18th president, Park Geun-hye — was killed, along with a high school student.

The nationally televised attack left the country in shock, while conflicting accounts and questions over the bullet's trajectory and forensic evidence fueled suspicion over the shooter’s motive and whether the full truth had been revealed. The incident, which took place under Park Chung Hee’s authoritarian rule, has also been seen by historians as helping consolidate a dictatorship marked by restrictions on civil rights and freedom of the press.

Director Hur, known for films including “One Fine Spring Day” (2001), said he tried to bring balance to the sensitive material by considering multiple accounts and perspectives, and recreating the setting and atmosphere at the time.

“I was in elementary school at that time, so I think a lot of my own memories went into it," Hur said of recreating the 1970s.

He said he sought out real locations that could help recreate the period, rather than relying solely on built sets — a process he called “not easy” because few such spaces remain in Korea. Still, he said, the approach was necessary to capture the realism, emotions and details of the time.

"It really felt like magic," Park Hae-il said of the newsroom created for the movie.

While it may be a political thriller, the cast and the director emphasized that it was a fictional feature made to be entertaining for all ages.

Park said the film could give older viewers a chance to revisit an event they remember, while introducing younger audiences to a chapter of Korea’s modern history.

“But this is not a documentary,” Park said. “It moves at a very fast pace and has a strong actor-driven drama, combined with Hur's detailed narrative structure.”

"The Assassin(s)" is set for a theatrical release on Sept. 25, during Korea's Chuseok holiday.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]