Filming has begun on “Sal Saeng Bu,” and the production has now revealed the full cast behind one of the most closely watched Korean historical films in development. On November 5, the team behind the hard-boiled, bloody action historical film announced its crank-in alongside a 12-actor lineup led by Jung Woo Sung, according to a Sports Seoul report.
Jung Woo Sung stars as Han Myeong Hoe, the Joseon power holder who seized supreme authority through a bloody purge and will sacrifice anything to keep it. The film, based on the webtoon of the same name, centers on three figures: Han Myeong Hoe himself; Baek Yi Hwa, who loses everything to him and becomes “Yagwi,” an incarnation of revenge; and Jang Gil Do, Han Myeong Hoe’s right-hand man and Joseon’s greatest warrior. The title refers to the kill list itself — the document drawn up to purge political rivals — and the story follows the collision between the man who wrote it and the people determined to destroy him.
The newly announced lineup fills out both sides of that conflict. Jung Sung Il plays Ban Seok, who carries a deep grudge against Han Myeong Hoe and works with the secret organization Hwajeopmong on a meticulous plan to bring him down. Baek Yoon Sik plays the blacksmith and former great warrior who trained Baek Mu Han, played by Choi Moo Sung, a childhood friend of Han Myeong Hoe and Joseon’s greatest swordsman, caught between power and friendship. Wi Ha Joon appears in a special appearance as Prince Suyang, the royal whose unyielding ambition for the throne drives the coup at the story’s heart.
The rest of the cast deepens the historical canvas. Choi Gwi Hwa plays Yoon Gyeom, Han Myeong Hoe’s closest confidant and a key figure at the center of power, while Park Ji Hwan plays Park Paeng Nyeon, a core figure among the Six Martyred Ministers who risked their lives to restore King Danjong. Choi Daniel plays Seong Sam Mun and Lee Sung Wook plays Ha Wi Ji, fellow ministers who join Park Paeng Nyeon in defying Han Myeong Hoe. Go Chang Seok plays the famed general Kim Jong Seo, known as the “Tiger of the North,” Jo Bok Rae plays the ruthless head of the assassination organization that carries out Han Myeong Hoe’s orders, and Hyun Bong Sik plays a close aide operating at the center of power.
Two of the most important roles remain a mystery, and the production is keeping them that way for now. The casting for Baek Yi Hwa — the woman who becomes Yagwi while tracking the secrets hidden in Han Myeong Hoe’s kill list — and for Jang Gil Do, the strongest warrior in Joseon, is still under wraps. Those two announcements are now the most anticipated pieces of casting news left for the film, since both characters sit at the center of its revenge plot.
The project has been building toward this moment since May 2026, when the production team first confirmed the film and announced Jung Woo Sung, Jung Sung Il and Wi Ha Joon, as Soompi reported at the time. Bae Sung Woo had been reported to be in talks that month, but his name was absent from the official announcement then and does not appear in the lineup revealed for filming either. The source webtoon has a substantial following of its own: according to a Zapzee report on the adaptation, it surpassed 120 million cumulative views and won the grand prize at the first Daum Online Comic Competition, recognized for both its storytelling and artwork.
Director Kim Hong Sun, known for “Project Wolf Hunting” and season 3 of “Gangs of London,” is directing the film, bringing the uncompromising, high-impact action style he has built his name on. The history behind the story is real: the title’s kill list is tied to the Gyeyu Jeongnan of 1453, the coup led by Grand Prince Suyang — later King Sejo — during the reign of King Danjong, and the ministers fighting to restore Danjong give the film its moral counterweight to Han Myeong Hoe’s ruthlessness.
With cameras now rolling, the film is targeting a theatrical release in 2027. The next milestones to watch are the reveals of Baek Yi Hwa and Jang Gil Do, the two roles the production is still holding back — and the first footage of a revenge story that has already spent months building anticipation.
