Kim Sung Kyun

On December 12, 1979, South Korea’s president, Park Chung Hee was assassinated. Acting in direct defiance of Acting President Han Gyu (Jung Dong Hwan), Major General Chun Doo Gwang (Hwang Jung Min) and the officers who followed him, arrest General Jeong Sang Ho (Lee Sung Min), the Republic Of Korea’s Army Chief of Staff, on allegations of involvement in the late president’s murder, clearing the way for a national coup d'état.

Following the capture of General Jeong, an impressive military presence sets itself up in downtown Seoul in support of Major General Chun. Utterly appalled by Major General Chun’s grab for power, Commander Lee Tae Shin (Jung Woo Sung) of the Capital Garrison Command rallies forces to take a stand against Chun Doo Gwang.&nbsp;

Fighting against those trying to seize power, Commander Lee does everything he can to stop the insurrection. As tensions rise between the two groups, military leaders are called to action but nothing seems able to stop Chun Doo Gwang in his quest for power. Backed by powerful allies, will Chun’s grab for power ultimately pay off?

Inspired by true events, “12.12: The Day” is a 2023 South Korean historical action drama film directed by Kim Sung Su.&nbsp;

12.12: The Day

High schooler Kim Eun Mi (Jeon Hye Jin)’s life changed forever when she gave birth to her daughter. Decades later, her child Jin Hee (Choi Soo Young) has grown up and Eun Mi has become a physical therapist. The two spend most of their time bickering, as Jin Hee still lives at home while working as a police officer – where she butts heads with station chief Eun Jae Won (Park Sung Hoon). Eun Mi’s life also becomes more complicated when she meets the mysterious and shy doctor Park Jin Hong (Ahn Jae Wook). Will this mother and daughter duo resolve their differences – and renew their bond of affection? This 2023 South Korean romantic comedy drama was based on the webtoon “Strangers” by Jung Young Rong and directed by Lee Min Woo.

Not Others

Like Mother Like Daughter

The year is 1592 and Korea is facing a sea invasion at the hands of the fearsome Japanese navy, who have already made landfall on the Korean peninsula and driven the defending army out of its capital. The Japanese General Wakisaka (Byun Yo Han) is seeking a final, decisive battle that will allow his forces to take total control over the peninsula. The only man who can hope to repel the invaders is the wounded Korean Admiral Yi Sun Shin (Park Hae Il). Wakisaka wants to wipe out Yi’s port and eliminate his foe’s greatest warrior. The stage is set for a battle near the Island of Hansan that will determine the fate of both nations...

But preparations for the fight are not going to plan on either side. Wakisaka has developed a rivalry with the Japanese Admiral Kato (Kim Sung Kyun), while Yi’s forces have begun squabbling among themselves while he tries to develop a plan that will keep the Japanese at bay. With time running out, can Korea’s greatest sea commander pull off an against-the-odds victory against the invading foes?

“Hansan: Rising Dragon” is a 2022 South Korean movie that was directed by Kim Han Min.

Hansan: Rising Dragon

Disaster strikes for Dong Won (Kim Sung Kyun), who has worked for over a decade to finally buy a place of his own. Despite clashing with his nosy neighbor Man Su (Cha Seung Won), Won's new apartment feels like a dream come true. He invites coworkers Seung Hyeon (Lee Kwang Soo) and Eun Ju (Kim Hye Joon) to a housewarming party. But heavy rain unexpectedly causes the whole building to collapse into a 500m-deep sinkhole: co-workers, neighbors, and all! As rainwater starts to gush into the hole, will this motley crew find a way out in time… or sink into a watery grave? This 2021 South Korean disaster comedy film was directed by Kim Ji Hoon.

Sinkhole

Park Dong Won

Kim Hae Il is one extraordinary priest. He's out to serve justice on earth while he carries his devotion to Holy Order. The peace in his life is swayed by the sinful death of Father Lee, someone who treated Hae Il very much like his own child. Out of his devotion to the holy church and his drive to serve justice, he goes on a journey to fight with his fists to make sure the man who put his favorite priest to death shall get the earthly punishment he truly deserves behind bars.

The Fiery Priest

When the high school's top bully lands in the hospital, the second-in-command Yang Hoon (Lee Yi Kyung) seizes the opportunity to take his place. This is bad news for Jae Young (Lee Won Geun), who had hoped for a reprieve from bullying, only to find that Yang Hoon is even worse. After noticing that Jae Young's friend Ye Ri (Park Gyu Young) shares a strong resemblance to Bo Kyung, a girl who Yang Hoon liked but couldn't ask out, Yang Hoon sets his sights on her. This forces Jae Young to reluctantly accept Yang Hoon's orders to do his bidding, even at the cost of his own morals. Jae Young must confront a troubling truth: is he any different from the monsters he despises? This 2018 Korean film was written and directed by Kim Baek Joon.

Wretches

Detective Gang

JTBC

One son chooses power while another son chooses justice. The powerful and corrupt Jang family has controlled the city of Bukcheon for three generations. The current leader of the family operations is Jang Beom Ho (Park Geun Hyung), and his oldest son, Jang Ki Seo (Kim Sung Kyun), follows in his father’s footsteps in all the ruthless dealings to keep a stronghold on the city through whatever violent means necessary.

The second son, Jang Joon Seo (Jin Goo), decides to pursue a more noble life by becoming a police detective. When Joon Seo’s wife ends up being killed, Joon Seo is determined to get to the bottom of the murder, even if it means exposing dirty secrets about his own powerful family. 

Seo Yi Ra (Jung Eun Ji), a prosecutor, is intent on bringing the Jang family to justice. But she has to contend with Joon Seo and Goo Ja Kyung (Go Jun Hee), the daughter of the former president, in her quest to bring down the powerful crime family.

“Untouchable” is a 2017-2018 South Korean drama series directed by Jo Nam Kook.

Untouchable

The Touch Me If You Can Team

Times may have been a little simpler, less technological, but still just as challenging to get through a typical day of life in the late 1980s. Five childhood friends, who all live in the same Ssangmundong neighborhood of Seoul, lean on each other to survive their challenging teen years and set a path for their futures. Sung Deok Sun (Hyeri) struggles for attention as the middle child in her poor family while also carrying the burden of her 989th ranking in school. Kim Jung Hwan (Ryu Jun Yeol) only has a one-track mind for soccer, even after his family becomes rich overnight. Sung Sun Woo (Ko Gyung Pyo) is the perfect student, student council president and a caring and dependable son in his family. Ryu Dong Ryong (Lee Dong Hwi) is a geek who knows more about girls and life than the rest of his friends, but his poor academic score prevents him from being able to go to college. Choi Taek (Park Bo Gum) is a genius baduk player who dropped out of school to go professional. As the group of friends get into and out of mischief around the neighborhood, what experiences from these memorable times together will they carry with them into their future lives? “Reply 1988” is a 2015-2016 South Korean drama series directed by Shin Won Ho. The series is inspired by the drama “Three Families Under One Roof,” which originally aired from 1986 to 1994. It is the third series of the nostalgia-themed “Reply” dramas that include “Reply 1997” (2012) and “Reply 1994” (2013), but the characters and stories are not related to the previous series.

Reply 1988

The Lucky Eights Team

Kim Sung Kyoon

In a South Korean village in the early 1950s, in the immediate aftermath of the Korean War, a tradition has developed – many males in the village prove their worth by selling their blood. The gesture not only proves that they have the ability to earn money, but also that their blood has been tested and proved healthy enough to sell. For Heo Sam Gwan (Ha Jung Woo), a construction worker and part-time farmhand, selling blood is part of his plan to win the heart of the prettiest young woman in the village: Heo Ok Ran (Ha Ji Won). The task is not easy, particularly as she already has a boyfriend, a womanizer from a relatively affluent background.

Somehow, though, Heo Sam Gwan succeeds in charming Heo Ok Ran and they go on to marry and have children. But as the children grow up, people in the village start to realize that the eldest of the children does not look much like the man who is supposed to be his father. When rumors about the boy’s paternity start to spread in the village, the once-happy family is in danger of breaking up…

This movie was based on a 1995 novel of the same name that was authored by Yu Hua.

“Chronicle of a Blood Merchant” is a 2015 South Korean movie that was adapted for the screen and directed by Ha Jung Woo.

Chronicle of the Blood Merchant

The Blood Ties

When they were just young boys, brothers Park Ha Yeon (Kim Sung Kyun) and Park Sang Yeon (Jo Jin Woong) were forced to separate at an orphanage: Their father had died and their distraught mother Seung Ja (Kim Young Ae) decided to put them up for adoption, realizing that she could not hope to raise them alone. Now, 30 years later, Sang Yeon lives in America, where he is a devout and austere Christian priest. Ha Yeon, meanwhile, still lives in South Korea. He is a fiery shaman who prays to spirits and animist deities. When a television show production team hears about what has happened to them, the team asks Sang Yeon to come to South Korea to be reunited with his long-lost brother and biological mother.

Sang Yeon travels to South Korea, but moments after their emotional reunion, Seung Ja, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, wanders out of the television studio and vanishes. The brothers are forced to take to the road to search the entire country for their mother. Can this hot-tempered shaman and the rigidly straight-laced pastor put aside their religious differences for the time it takes them to track down their mother?

“We are Brothers” is a 2014 South Korean movie that was directed by Jang Jin.

We Are Brothers

The Brotherhood Team

Everybody says divorce is a failure in life. But this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a person to grow up again. As all trees have to endure the forces of nature more than a thousand times, true love bears fruit after many failures. Although it starts from the story of a childish man and woman, the wounded souls grow up little by little, and their efforts finally bear their fruits. Here, the unexpected bitter-sweet love story unfolds. Who will be Mr. right for Ae Ra, and will she succeed in feeling true love again?

Cunning Single Lady

The Foxy Team

Once one of the top special forces agents in North Korea, Ji Dong Chul (Gong Yoo) never thought he’d see the day when he was betrayed and hunted by his own country. But when his government abandoned him in the middle of a mission, that’s exactly what happened. Suddenly forced to run for his life, Dong Chul has no choice but to abandon his position but he refuses to flee without his family. Desperate to find his wife and daughter before it’s too late, Dong Chul tracks them down, only to find they’ve been sold as slaves to China.

Following their trail to its bloody end, Dong Chul soon learns that one of his ex-colleagues is responsible for the death of his wife and daughter. Vowing revenge, Dong Chul defects to South Korea, the pursuit of his family’s killer, his only objective.

Settling into a life of anonymity, Dong Chul spends his days searching for his nemesis while he spends his nights working as the personal chauffeur of a business executive with ties to the North. When the chairman is attacked by an unknown assassin, he passes a pair of particularly special glasses on to Dong Chul, leaving his chauffeur with a mission to recover top-secret materials, with his dying breath. Now framed for murder and hunted once again, Dong Chul must find a way to prove his innocence or die trying.

A non-stop thrill ride, “The Suspect” is a 2013 action thriller film directed by Won Shin Yun.

The Suspect

The Suspected team

Won Ryu Hwan, aka Dong Gu (Kim Soo Hyun), is the head of a North Korean sleeper cell based in South Korea. He poses as a simpleton and a convenience store clerk, but his secret mission is to keep a close eye on the townsfolk. When Seoul and Pyongyang strike a political deal that involves surrendering spies, Dong Gu and fellow North Korean spies Ri Hae Rang (Park Ki Woong), a bogus rock hopeful, and “high school student” Ri Hae Jin (Lee Hyun Woo) are ordered to commit suicide. As a menacing North Korean agent prepares to cross the border to ensure the trio is dead, can Dong Gu and the rest escape almost certain doom? This 2013 South Korean comedy-thriller movie was based on the webtoon Covertness by Hun and directed by Jang Cheol Soo.

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