The poster for spy thriller "Harbin" / Courtesy of CJ ENM

The film "Harbin," starring Hyun Bin as independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun, will premiere in December. The announcement was accompanied by the unveiling of its first poster and trailer.

"Harbin" is a spy thriller set in 1909, depicting the intense chase between those heading to Harbin for a single purpose and those pursuing them.

Director Woo Min-ho, who previously captivated audiences with his sharp direction and keen insights in "The Man Standing Next" (2020), is returning with "Harbin" after four years.

The newly released poster and trailer featuring Hyun Bin as Ahn Jung-geun, a lieutenant general in the Korean Independence Army, have heightened anticipation among viewers.

Ahn (1879-1910) shot and killed Ito Hirobumi, Japan's first prime minister and resident-general of Korea, at Harbin Station. Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

The trailer is filled with the independent fighter's reflective monologue, penned by director Woo: "I was ready to give up everything and die. The harrowing cries of my fallen comrades lingered in my ears and hovered before my eyes. At that moment, I realized I lived in place of my fallen comrades. And I knew what I had to do — to kill the leader of the Japanese wolves, the old wolf, who is ravaging the Korean Empire."

Before its domestic release, "Harbin" will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Scheduled for Sunday at Roy Thomson Hall, the premiere will see Hyun Bin, Lee Dong-wook, and director Woo engaging with fans.

An official at the production team said, "The fact that a film about Korea under Japanese occupation has been invited to the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the world's four major film festivals, is generating buzz even before its release."

Scenes from the trailer for "Harbin" / Courtesy of HYBE Media Corp

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.