K-dramas and Korean films about assassins, from ‘A Shop for Killers’ to ‘Kill Boksoon’

Work-life balance is especially difficult when you’re juggling family life and a career as an ace assassin. In the upcoming MBC assassin K-drama A Bona Fide Killer, based on the popular Kakao webtoon of the same name, Gong Hyo-jin plays Yoo Bo-na, an ordinary working mother who leads a double life as “Kingfisher”, a legendary sniper who takes out notorious criminals with a single shot.

After resuming her covert missions following a three-year parental leave, she finds herself navigating demanding assignments, domestic responsibilities, and the constant risk of exposing her secret identity. Complicating matters further is her news reporter husband, Kwon Tae-sung (Jung Joon-won), who is determined to uncover the truth behind the elusive Kingfisher.

From Yoon Jong-ho, the director behind the hit romantic comedy Lovely Runner, A Bona Fide Killer offers a fresh spin on the assassin K-drama genre. Premiering on July 31, 2026, the series also showcases a darker, more explosive side of Gong Hyo-jin’s signature “Gong-vely” charm.

See more: Nam Joo-hyuk, Roh Yoon-seo and Cho Seung-woo star in the upcoming Netflix K-drama ‘The East Palace’

The Netflix original action thriller stars Cannes winner Jeon Do-yeon as Gil Bok-soon, the legendary assassin at MK Ent, a contract killing agency led by the calculating Cha Min-kyu (Sul Kyung-gu). She is revered across the underworld for her near-perfect success rate, but off the clock, Bok-soon is a single mother struggling to raise her rebellious teenage daughter, Gil Jae-young (Kim Si-a).

Desperate to mend her increasingly strained relationship with Jae-young, Bok-soon considers retiring from the business. But after refusing to complete a mission that violates her moral code, she becomes the target of internal rival Cha Min-hee (Esom), whose long-standing jealousy and ambition drive her to orchestrate Bok-soon’s downfall. Backed into a corner, Bok-soon is forced to fight fellow assassins and ultimately face off against her mentor, Min-kyu, to protect her daughter and sever ties with MK Ent for good.

At its heart, Kill Boksoon is a story about motherhood and the sacrifices one makes for one’s family—wrapped in some of the most inventive fight choreography in recent Korean cinema, from close-quarters combat to tense, high-stakes shootouts.

The Netflix original action movie Mantis serves as a high-octane spinoff to Kill Boksoon, kicking off after the death of MK Ent’s chairman Cha Min-kyu (Sul Kyung-gu). The power vacuum he leaves behind throws the assassin underworld into chaos, igniting a ruthless battle among the industry’s deadliest contract killers for control.

At the centre of the conflict is Lee Han-ul, codenamed “Mantis” (Yim Si-wan), an elite assassin who returns to Korea after years away. As rival factions vie for dominance, Mantis finds himself locked in a deadly rivalry with his friend and former trainee Shin Jae-yi (Park Gyu-young), as well as Dok-go (Jo Woo-jin), the legendary retired killer looking to restore the old-world order of MK Ent.

Mantis expands the world of Kill Boksoon, introducing the next generation of assassins, while continuing to deliver the stylish, adrenaline-fuelled combat fans expect from the franchise. It also explores themes of friendship strained by rivalry and the ruthless pull of ambition.

In OCN’s assassin K-drama Kill It, Jang Ki-yong stars as Kim Soo-hyun, an unassuming neighbourhood veterinarian who is secretly one of the world’s top contract killers. He may be cold and efficient, but beneath his stoic exterior lies a vulnerability rooted in a traumatic childhood he has no memory of.

When he crosses paths with Do Hyun-jin (Nana), a determined detective investigating a string of murders, the two become entangled in a decades-old conspiracy that gradually reveals the truth about their shared past. What begins as a murder investigation soon evolves into a dangerous search for the truth, with both hunter and hunted finding themselves caught in a web of revenge, corruption and long-buried secrets.

With its moody noir atmosphere and tightly staged action, Kill It keeps the tension high from start to finish. But what gives the series its real impact is the emotional undercurrent running beneath the violence, delivering a tragic look at identity fractured by trauma—and the desperate search for redemption.

Written and directed by Park Hoon-jung, The Childe follows Marco (Kang Tae-ju), a young “Kopino” (half-Korean, half-Filipino) boxer who travels to Korea in search of his estranged father to pay for his terminally ill mother’s medical bills. Along the way, he finds himself relentlessly pursued by a mysterious professional killer known only as “The Nobleman” (Kim Seon-ho), an unhinged assassin whose charming smile and playful banter belie his deadly skills.

As Marco becomes entangled in a deadly power struggle involving a wealthy chaebol family, he soon finds himself pursued by more than just The Nobleman. What follows is a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game where shifting loyalties and hidden agendas make it difficult to tell friend from foe.

Part action thriller, part mystery, The Childe marks Kim Seon-ho’s film debut, and pairs sleek fight choreography and exhilarating car chases with his scene-stealing performance as one of Korean cinema’s most chaotic assassins.

Set in the years leading up to Japan’s occupation of Korea, the tvN period masterpiece, Mr Sunshine, follows Eugene Choi (Lee Byung-hun), a Korean-born US Marine officer who returns to his homeland and becomes entangled in its fight for independence. Among the resistance fighters he encounters is Go Ae-shin (Kim Tae-ri), an aristocrat who secretly trains as a sniper and assassin, using her privileged status as a cover to eliminate enemies of the Righteous Army.

As Eugene and Ae-shin’s lives become increasingly intertwined, they find themselves caught between love and duty to a nation on the brink of war. Together with a band of unlikely allies, they risk everything to protect their country from powerful enemies, even as betrayal and tragedy loom at every turn.

Penned by celebrated scriptwriter Kim Eun-sook, the Netflix global hit combines sweeping romance and political intrigue with gripping action sequences. In Go Ae-shin, Kim Tae-ri delivers a compelling K-drama assassin whose courage and unwavering patriotism redefine what it means to be a heroine.

Whether you prefer stylish action thrillers, emotionally charged character dramas or adrenaline-fuelled revenge stories, these K-dramas and Korean films prove the assassin genre remains one of Korean entertainment’s most compelling. With A Shop for Killers season two and A Bona Fide Killer expanding the genre in 2026, fans have plenty of deadly new missions to add to their watchlists.

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