Sword & Silence: Episodes, Cast, Air Times, Where to Watch

Sword & Silence (Korean title 문무, Munmu) is a 28-episode KBS2 historical epic that premieres on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 9:20 p.m. KST, according to Soompi and Ilgan Sports. It takes over KBS2's Saturday–Sunday drama slot, Top Star News reported. Outside Korea, Ilgan Sports reported that the series will stream on Netflix, though Netflix had not confirmed regions or timing in the sources checked as of 2026-11-05.

The drama follows Silla's rise from the smallest of Korea's Three Kingdoms to unifier of the peninsula, with Lee Hyun-wook as the future King Munmu, Jang Hyuk as Goguryeo's Yeon Gaesomun, Kim Kang-woo as Kim Chun-chu and Park Sung-woong as Kim Yu-sin.

Key facts

Sports Kyunghyang described it as KBS's first epic sageuk in about three years, since Goryeo-Khitan War.

Sword & Silence episode schedule

Korean broadcast dates in KST, status as of 2026-11-05. Soompi and several Korean outlets report the premiere date and time. Later dates are projected from the weekend slot and may shift for sports or special programming.

Air time in other zones: 9:20 p.m. KST is 12:20 p.m. UTC, 1:20 p.m. in London, 7:20 a.m. in New York (EST) and 8:20 p.m. in Singapore and Manila.

Top Star News reported the drama inherits KBS2's Saturday–Sunday slot, but per-episode dates beyond the premiere had not been published in the sources checked. This page will be updated once KBS releases the full listing. Ilgan Sports reported the run continues into the first half of 2027.

Where to watch Sword & Silence

Ilgan Sports wrote that the series "will meet viewers around the world through Netflix." As of Esquire India's October 31 roundup, no global streamer had been confirmed, so treat the Netflix listing as reported until it appears in the Netflix app in your country. Availability varies by region. If it does not appear on Netflix where you are, check our guide to watching K-dramas legally for the services that license KBS shows in each region.

Premiere-night clash: the first episode airs the same night as the Doctor X: Mafia in White finale on SBS (9:50 p.m. KST), so Korean ratings for the opener may be split.

Cast

Roles above are as reported by Soompi and Sports Kyunghyang. Jung Woong-in, Lee Ji-hoon and Oh Seung-hoon are also in the cast, according to Sports Kyunghyang.

Speaking to Soompi, director Kim Young-jo said the story spans about 40 years and had to be condensed. Ilgan Sports put the setting more precisely: from Yeon Gaesomun's coup and the fall of Daeyaseong fortress in 642 to 678, after the Silla–Tang war.

The history behind the drama (no spoilers)

The drama is a dramatisation, but its frame is recorded history. A short primer helps with a 28-episode story spread across three kingdoms and a Chinese empire.

Dates follow Korea JoongAng Daily and the Wikipedia biography of King Munmu. Historians date the end of the Silla–Tang war differently, with 673 and 676 both cited, and the drama's own timeline runs to 678, according to Ilgan Sports.

Why a king of a "unified" Korea matters. Silla won by allying with Tang China against Baekje and Goguryeo, then turned on Tang when the empire tried to keep the conquered land. Korea JoongAng Daily notes that the peninsula was unified "on paper" in 668, but full sovereignty came only after Tang forces were driven out. That double war is the tension the Korean title points to: Munmu is remembered as the king who finished both.

The dragon king. According to Korea JoongAng Daily, the 13th-century Samguk Yusa records Munmu's vow to become a dragon after death and protect the country. His remains are associated with Daewangam, a rocky islet off the Gampo coast of Gyeongju, often described as an underwater royal tomb.

Catch-up plan

• Before November 14: reading the history table above and the four lead roles is enough preparation. No earlier season exists.
• Weekly viewers: if the Saturday–Sunday pattern holds, two episodes air per weekend, which would spread 28 episodes over about 14 weekends before any schedule breaks.
• Binge viewers: 28 episodes is a long commitment by 2026 standards. Starting once a dozen or so episodes are out in early 2027 makes the length easier to plan around.
• Sageuk newcomers: the story moves between three courts. Following Kim Beop-min, Kim Chun-chu and Kim Yu-sin as the Silla side and Yeon Gaesomun as their main rival makes the politics easier to track.

For the rest of this month's premieres, see K-dramas airing in November 2026.