The Drug King Explained

The Drug King
Native Name:	Hangul: 마약왕 Hanja: 麻藥王 Rr: Mayakwang
Director:	Woo Min-ho
Producer:	Kim Jin-woo
Starring:	Song Kang-ho Jo Jung-suk Bae Doona
Cinematography:	Go Nak-seon
Studio:	Hive Media Corp.
Runtime:	139 minutes^[1]
Country:	South Korea
Language:	Korean/Japanese
Budget:	^[2]
Gross:	^[3]

The Drug King is a 2018 South Korean crime drama film written and directed by Woo Min-ho.^{[4] [5] [6]} It stars Song Kang-ho 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 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, Lee Hee-joon, Jo Woo-jin and Yoon Je-moon.^{[7] [8]} The film was released on December 19, 2018.^{[9] [10] [11] [12]}

Plot

True life story of Lee Doo-sam (Lee Hwang-soon), a drug smuggler building his empire in Busan's crime underworld in the 1970s. Lee was originally a member of the Chilsung faction in Busan from Hwanghae 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.^[13]

Cast

Main

• Song Kang-ho as Lee Doo-sam (Hangul: 이두삼, I Du-sam), a Korean drug lord from Busan, South Korea and the main protagonist of the film.^{[14] [15]}
• Jo Jung-suk as Kim In-goo (Hangul: 김인구, Gim In-gu), a lawful prosecutor and the main rival of Lee Doo-sam.^[16]
• Bae Doona as Kim Jeong-ah (Hangul: 김정아, Gim Jeong-a), a powerful socialite, lobbyist and Doo-sam's lover.^[17]

Supporting

• Kim Dae-myung as Lee Doo-hwan (Hangul: 이두환, I Du-hwan), Lee Doo-sam's younger cousin and fellow drug trafficker
• Kim So-jin as Sung Sook-kyung (Hangul: 성숙경, Seong Sug-gyeong), a preacher's daughter and Lee Doo-sam's wife.
• Lee Hee-joon as Choi Jin-pil (Hangul: 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: 조성강, Jo Seong-gang), a gangster boss and leader of a powerful Korean mafia
• Yoon Je-moon as Kim Soon-pyung (Hangul: 김순평, Gim Sun-pyeong/Nihongo: キム・スンピョン, Kimu Sunpyon), a Zainichi Korean yakuza boss based in Osaka, Japan and an associate of Hideki
• Yoo Jae-myung as Chief Kim, a detective who leads an operation against Doo-sam's drug empire
• Lee Joong-ok as Yoon Kang-shik (Hangul: 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: 백운창, Baeg Un-chang)
• Park Ji-hwan as Wang Moon-ho (Hangul: 왕문호, Wang Mun-ho/Chinese: 王文浩, Wáng Wénhào), a Sino Korean drug trafficker and a member of Doo-sam's drug gang
• Lee Bong-ryun as Lee Doo-sook (Hangul: 이두숙, I Du-sug)
• Choi Gwi-hwa as Chief Ham
• Park Kyung-hye as Lee Kyung-ja (Hangul: 이경자, I Gyeong-ja)
• Keijiro Matsushima as Hideki (Nihongo: 秀樹, Hideki), a yakuza gangster from Osaka, Japan.

Special appearance

• Na Kwang-Hoon as Seo Soo-Gon (Hangul: 서수곤, Seo Su-gon/Nihongo: ソ・スゴン, So Sugon), the Zainichi Korean yakuza boss in Kobe, Japan
• Tetsu Watanabe as Chairman Jin (Nihongo: ジン会長, Jin kaichō), a yakuza boss from Tokyo, Japan
• Lee Sung-min as Seo Sang-hoon (Hangul: 서상훈, Seo Sang-hun)
• Kim Hong-fa as Professor Baek, an enigmatic and legendary meth maker.

Production

Principal photography began on May 5, 2017.^[18] Filming was completed on October 10, 2017.^[19]

Notes and References

1. Web site: ko:마약왕. https://www.kmrb.or.kr/data/searchMovieView.do?rcv_no=2107402. Korea Media Rating Board. ko.
2. Web site: When a good guy goes bad: In "The Drug King," Song Kang-ho plays a smuggler who becomes a kingpin . . 19 December 2018 . 27 December 2018.
3. Web site: The Drug King (2018) . Korean Film Biz Zone . en.
4. Web site: 마약왕. Naver. 26 October 2017.
5. Web site: Daum영화 <마약왕>. Daum. 26 October 2017.
6. Web site: 영화 [마약왕] 상세정보]. Cine21. 26 October 2017.
7. Web site: Song Kang-ho crime drama 'Drug King' underway. Screendaily. 26 October 2017.
8. Web site: Upcoming Song Kang-ho Films. 30 April 2017. Asian Movie Pulse. 26 October 2017.
9. Web site: 송강호X조정석X배두나 '마약왕', 12월 개봉확정..압도적 포스터[공식입장]]. OSEN. 26 October 2017. ko.
10. Web site: 'Drug King' to bring out gritty side of Song Kang-ho . . 10 December 2018 . en . 19 November 2018.
11. Web site: Song Kang-Ho channels 'Scarface' in 'The Drug King' Trailer . cityonfire.com . 10 December 2018.
12. Web site: 'Inside Men' Director Woo Wraps Busan-Set Thriller 'Drug King'. Sonia. Kil. 12 October 2017. variety.com.
13. Web site: New film looks at dramatic life of notorious Korean drug kingpin of the 1970s . . 10 December 2018 . en . 19 November 2018.
14. Web site: SONG Kang-ho Becomes a DRUG KING. 24 November 2016. Korean Film Biz Zone.
15. Web site: (Yonhap Interview) 'Drug King' is a throwback to Song Kang-ho's dark side. 박보람. 17 December 2018. Yonhap News Agency.
16. Web site: JO Jung-suk, YOON Je-moon and LEE Sung-min Surround DRUG KING. Korean Film Biz Zone. March 14, 2017.
17. Web site: BAE Doo-na Partners with DRUG KING SONG Kang-ho. 10 April 2017. Korean Film Biz Zone.
18. Web site: Song Kang-ho, Jo Jeong-seok and Bae Doona in 'Drug King'. HanCinema. 26 October 2017.
19. Web site: 송강호 '마약왕', 또 최고 연기 경신할까. 24 October 2017. SBS. 26 October 2017.
20. Web site: http://news.jtbc.joins.com/html/172/NB11796172.html. ko:'미쓰백'부터 '버닝'까지…백상 영화부문 후보 공개. jTBC News. April 5, 2019. April 5, 2019. ko.