Drug King
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''The Drug King'' () is a 2018 South Korean
crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
written and directed by
Woo Min-ho Woo Min-ho (born 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Woo debuted with the revenge thriller '' Man of Vendetta'' (2010), followed by the action comedy thriller '' The Spies'' (2012), both starred Kim Myung-min in the lead. H ...
. It stars
Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in '' The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including ''No. 3'' (1997 ...
as Lee Doo-sam, an ordinary small-time narcotics dealer who becomes an infamous drug lord in Korea during the 1970s. The film also features
Jo Jung-suk Jo Jung-suk (born December 26, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He began his career in theater, starring in '' Spring Awakening'', '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', and the stage adaptation of '' The Harmonium in My Memory'', among many other musi ...
as a prosecutor from Seoul who is intent on taking Lee down and Bae Doona as a lobbyist who guides Lee into the upper levels of drug dealing. Other cast members include Kim Dae-myung,
Kim So-jin Kim So-jin (born 1979) is a South Korean actress. She is known for playing a prosecutor in crime drama '' The King'' (2017), for which she received critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Blue Dragon Film Award, Grand Bell Awa ...
,
Lee Hee-joon Lee Hee-joon (born June 29, 1979) is a South Korean actor. Personal life Lee Hee-joon and model Lee Hye-jung confirmed their relationship in August 2015. They registered their marriage prior to the ceremony and had their private wedding ceremon ...
, Jo Woo-jin and Yoon Je-moon. The film was released on December 19, 2018.


Plot

True life story of Lee Doo-sam (Lee Hwang-soon), a drug smuggler building his empire in
Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...
's crime underworld in the 1970s. Lee was originally a member of the Chilsung faction in Busan from
Hwanghae Hwanghae Province (''Hwanghae-do'' ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon era. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju. The regional name for the province was Haeseo. History In 139 ...
Province. In the early 1970s, he smuggled diamonds and other products, and eventually expanded it to drugs for domestic distribution, and exported it to Japan as well, thus accumulating huge amounts of wealth in the process.


Cast


Main

*
Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in '' The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including ''No. 3'' (1997 ...
as Lee Doo-sam (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 이두삼, ''I Du-sam''), a
Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...
drug lord from Busan, South Korea and the main protagonist of the film. *
Jo Jung-suk Jo Jung-suk (born December 26, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He began his career in theater, starring in '' Spring Awakening'', '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', and the stage adaptation of '' The Harmonium in My Memory'', among many other musi ...
as Kim In-goo (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 김인구, ''Gim In-gu''), a lawful prosector and the main rival of Lee Doo-sam. * Bae Doona as Kim Jeong-ah (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 김정아, ''Gim Jeong-a''), a powerful socialite, lobbyist and Doo-sam's lover.


Supporting

* Kim Dae-myung as Lee Doo-hwan (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 이두환, ''I Du-hwan''), Lee Doo-sam's younger cousin and fellow drug trafficker *
Kim So-jin Kim So-jin (born 1979) is a South Korean actress. She is known for playing a prosecutor in crime drama '' The King'' (2017), for which she received critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Blue Dragon Film Award, Grand Bell Awa ...
as Sung Sook-kyung (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 성숙경, ''Seong Sug-gyeong''), a preacher's daughter and Lee Doo-sam's wife. *
Lee Hee-joon Lee Hee-joon (born June 29, 1979) is a South Korean actor. Personal life Lee Hee-joon and model Lee Hye-jung confirmed their relationship in August 2015. They registered their marriage prior to the ceremony and had their private wedding ceremon ...
as Choi Jin-pil (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 최진필, ''Choe Jin-pil''), a boat captain, smuggler, and an ally-turned-main rival of Lee Doo-sam drug empire * Jo Woo-jin as Jo Seong-kang (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 조성강, ''Jo Seong-gang''), a gangster boss and leader of a powerful Korean mafia * Yoon Je-moon as Kim Soon-pyung (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 김순평, ''Gim Sun-pyeong''/
Nihongo is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been m ...
: キム・スンピョン, ''Kimu Sunpyon''), a
Zainichi Korean comprise ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or who have become Japanese citizens, and whose immigration to Japan originated before 1945, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South ...
Yakuza boss based in
Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 ...
and an associate of Hideki *
Yoo Jae-myung Yoo Jae-myung (; born June 3, 1973) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the series ''Reply 1988'' (2015), ''Stranger'' (2017), ''Life'' (2018), '' Itaewon Class'' (2020) and '' Voice of Silence'' (2020). He won Best Suppor ...
as Chief Kim, a detective who leads an operation against Doo-sam's drug empire *
Lee Joong-ok Lee Joong-ok (born 1979) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as '' Hell Is Other People'', '' Sketch'' and ''Hi Bye, Mama! ''Hi Bye, Mama!'' () is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Kim Tae-hee, Lee ...
as Yoon Kang-shik (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 윤강식, ''Yun Gang-sig'') * Choi Deok-moon as Director Goo *Song Young-chang as UN Ambassador, a corrupt Korean ambassador of UN who is implied be a gangster. *Kim Hae-gon as Baek Woon-chang (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 백운창, ''Baeg Un-chang'') *
Park Ji-hwan Park Ji-hwan (; born September 5, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He initially appeared in ''Yellow Hair'' (1999) and made his feature film debut in '' The City of Violence'' (2006). Since then, Park has performed in numerous movies and televisi ...
as Wang Moon-ho (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 왕문호, ''Wang Mun-ho''/
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
: 王文浩, ''Wáng Wénhào''), a Sino Korean drug trafficker and a member of Doo-sam's drug gang *
Lee Bong-ryun Lee Bong-ryun (; born Lee Jeong-eun, February 7, 1981) is a South Korean actress. She has appeared in supporting roles in various films and television dramas, and worked as a stage and musical actress. Early life Lee Bong-ryun was born as Lee ...
as Lee Doo-sook (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 이두숙, ''I Du-sug'') *Choi Gwi-hwa as Chief Ham *
Park Kyung-hye Park Kyung-hye ( born on 5 January 1993) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 2011 in films, since then, she has appeared in number of films and television series. She got recognition for her supporting roles in '' Guardian: T ...
as Lee Kyung-ja (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 이경자, ''I Gyeong-ja'') *Keijiro Matsushima as Hideki (
Nihongo is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been m ...
: 秀樹, ''Hideki''), a yakuza gangster from
Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 ...
.


Special appearance

*Na Kwang-Hoon as Seo Soo-Gon (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 서수곤, ''Seo Su-gon''/
Nihongo is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been m ...
: ソ・スゴン, ''So Sugon''), the
Zainichi Korean comprise ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or who have become Japanese citizens, and whose immigration to Japan originated before 1945, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South ...
yakuza boss in
Kobe, Japan Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whi ...
*
Tetsu Watanabe is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in more than 90 films since 1989. Selected filmography Film Television References External links Agency profile * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watanabe, Tetsu 1950 births Living people People from Tokoname ...
as Chairman Jin (
Nihongo is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been m ...
: ジン会長, ''Jin kaichō''), a yakuza boss from
Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
* Lee Sung-min as Seo Sang-hoon (
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...
: 서상훈, ''Seo Sang-hun'') *Kim Hong-fa as Professor Baek, an enigmatic and legendary
meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...
maker.


Production

Principal photography began on May 5, 2017. Filming was completed on October 10, 2017.


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Drug King, The 2018 films South Korean crime drama films 2018 crime drama films Showbox films South Korean biographical drama films Films about drugs Films set in the 1970s Films set in Busan 2018 biographical drama films Yakuza films Zainichi Korean culture Biographical films about criminals 2010s Japanese films 2010s South Korean films Japan in non-Japanese culture