Historical espionage film 'Harbin' set for release in North America

SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - "Harbin," starring South Korean heartthrob Hyun Bin, is set to hit theaters across North America early next month, film distributor Well Go USA Entertainment said.

Slated for release in various cities including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle and Toronto on Jan. 3, the historical espionage film, revolves around the sacrifices and struggles of Korean independence fighters including Ahn Jung-geun, who fought for his country during Japan's imperial expansion leading up to the annexation of Korea in 1910.

Ahn is known for assassinating the first Japanese resident general Hirobumi Ito in 1909.

Directed by Woo Min-ho, known for films like "Inside Men" and "The Man Standing Next," his latest film, set in Harbin, China, is the first South Korean film to be produced in IMAX format. It was filmed in Latvia and Mongolia.

Official poster for Harbin — The official poster for South Korean film "Harbin." Courtesy of WellGo USA Entertainment

Expectations are already high for the film, as it has swept box-office sales ahead of its release on Tuesday, accounting for 56.2 percent of total bookings with over 554,000 advance tickets sold, compared to other films like South Korean disaster film "The Firefighters" (8.2 percent) and Disney's animated film "Mufasa: The Lion King" (6.9 percent).

"I initially thought the film would portray Ahn as an independence activist, but the director wanted me to focus more on the human aspects such as the inner struggles and pain he endured," said Hyun Bin. "I approached the role with that in mind."

Actor Hyun Bin is seen in this grab from a scene in Harbin Courtesy of PLUS M — Actor Hyun Bin is seen, in this grab from a scene in "Harbin." Courtesy of Toronto International Film Festival

With the recent resurgence of the Korean Wave, Hyun Bin has remained hugely popular overseas through his roles in TV dramas like "Secret Garden" (2010), "Hyde Jekyll, Me" (2015), "Memories of the Alhambra" (2018) along with his latest mega-hit TV series, "Crash Landing on You" (2019) where he played a romantic role along with actress Son Ye-jin before becoming a couple in real life and got married in 2022.

Kim Joo-heon jhkim123@ajunews.com

Historical espionage film 'Harbin' set for release in North America

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