''Whistle Blower'' () is a 2014 South Korean film directed by

Yim Soon-rye Yim Soon-rye (born January 1, 1961) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. She is considered one of the few leading female auteurs of Korean New Wave cinema. Career Education Born in 1961 in Incheon, Yim Soon-rye graduated from Hanyan ...

. Though fictionalized, the film is based on real-life scientist Hwang Woo-suk, who was at the center of one of the largest investigations of scientific fraud, named the Hwang affair, in recent memory. Hwang, then a professor of biotechnology at

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three " ...

(SNU), gained international renown in 2004 after claiming that he had successfully carried out experiments

cloning Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical or virtually identical DNA, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. In the field of biotechnology, c ...

human

embryonic stem cell Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre- implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist ...

s. In 2005, an anonymous tip from

whistleblower A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...

Ryu Young-joon, a former researcher at Hwang's lab, led to MBC program '' Producer's Note'' uncovering Hwang's ethical violations and fabricated data, which was confirmed by an SNU investigative panel in 2006. Hwang's research was discredited and in 2009, a South Korean court convicted him of

embezzlement Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...

and bioethical violations.

Plot

TV news producer Yoon Min-cheol is desperate for a scoop for his

investigative journalism Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

program ''PD Chase''. One day, he receives a tip that The Newman Medical, the biggest sterility clinic in Korea, buys

ova , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

illegally. But while investigating, he is shocked to discover that scientist Lee Jang-hwan seems to be involved in the case. Lee had gained widespread acclaim and press attention following his groundbreaking experiments cloning human embryonic stem cells, and is considered a national hero whose research may mean the cure to several illnesses. As Yoon hesitates whether to pursue such a revered and powerful figure, he gets an anonymous call from Shim Min-ho, a young scientist who works for Lee's lab. Shim claims that Lee's stem cell research has largely been fabricated and unethical, and the two join forces to expose Lee's scientific fraud and bring the truth to the public, despite its disbelieving and harsh reaction.

Cast

Park Hae-il Park Hae-il (born 26 January 1977) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with ''Jealousy Is My Middle Name'' and ''Memories of Murder''. Park's film career took off, ...

as Yoon Min-cheol *

Yoo Yeon-seok Yoo Yeon-seok (born Ahn Yeon-seok on April 11, 1984) is a South Korean actor. After making his acting debut in 2003 with a small role in '' Oldboy'', he resumed his acting career in 2008. His notable works include the films '' Re-encounter'' (2 ...

as Shim Min-ho *

Lee Geung-young Lee Geung-young (born December 12, 1960) is a South Korean actor. He graduated from the Department of Drama in Seoul. He debuted in 1977 and after completing his mandatory military service, he debuted in 1982 as the 10th public relations actor fo ...

as Lee Jang-hwan *

Park Won-sang Park Won-sang (born January 20, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television Theater Ambassadorship *Ambassador for 1st Democratization Movement Memorial Park Joint Memorial Cultural Festival (2022) References External ...

as Lee Sung-ho *

Ryu Hyun-kyung Ryu Hyun-kyung (born March 10, 1983) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 1996 at age 12 as the younger counterpart of the protagonist in the SBS TV series ''Oxtail Soup''. In 2010, Ryu drew attention with her supporting rol ...

as Kim Mi-hyeon *

Song Ha-yoon A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

as Kim Yi-seul * Kim Kang-hyeon as Lee Do-hyeong * Kim Soo-an as Shim Soo-bin * Kim Joong-ki as Priest Park * Nam Myeong-ryeol as Professor Yoo Jong-jin * Hwang Jae-won as Park Soo-hyeon * Park Ji-so as Yoon Ji-ho *

Jang Gwang Jang Gwang (born January 5, 1952) is a South Korean actor in film and television. Filmography Film * ''Taste of Horror – Gym for Residents'' (TBA) * '' Air Murder'' (2022) * '' Sinkhole (2021) * ''White Day: Broken Barrier'' (2021) * ...

as President of broadcasting station *

Kwon Hae-hyo Kwon Hae-hyo (born November 6, 1965) is a South Korean television, film and stage actor. He is also an activist, involved in the Unite Our People Movement Headquarters, the Abolish the Family Registry and Create Family Equality Organization, the ...

as General manager of broadcasting station * Choi Yong-min as Minister of Science and Technology * Han Gi-joong as Government administration director *

Jeon Su-ji Jeon Su-ji (born 10 November 1983) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''Designated Survivor: 60 Days'', ''Signal (South Korean TV series), Signal'', ''Sin Don (TV series), Sin Don'' and ''Green Mothers' Club' ...

as Researcher *

Kim Won-hae Kim Won-hae (born April 6, 1969) is a South Korean actor. He is best known as a former cast member of ''SNL Korea'' (season 1–4). Personal life In August 2020, it was reported that Kim tested positive for COVID-19 Coronavirus dis ...

as Taxi driver in the middle of the night *

Lee Mi-do Lee Mi-do (born Lee Eun-hye on 25 May 1982) is a South Korean actress. Career In 2012, she also moved into the TV arena, while remaining active in her film career. Her notable TV credits include ''The Queen of Office'' (2013) and '' You Are ...

as Yoon Min-cheol's wife * Kim Young-jae as Press conference moderator * Hwang Jeong-min as Middle-aged woman in a shanty

Box office

Upon its release on October 2, 2014, ''Whistle Blower'' topped the box office on its three-day opening weekend, with 563,539 admissions and a gross of (). It dropped to third place on its second and third weeks, earning () from 1.7 million admissions.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whistle Blower (film) 2014 films 2010s Korean-language films South Korean drama films Drama films based on actual events Films directed by Yim Soon-rye 2010s South Korean films