The Drug King

The Drug King (Korean: 마약왕; Hanja: 麻藥王; RR: Mayakwang) 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]

Not to be confused with Drug lord.
The Drug King
Theatrical release poster
Hangul마약왕
Hanja麻藥王
Revised RomanizationMayakwang
Directed byWoo Min-ho
Produced byKim Jin-woo
Written byWoo Min-ho
StarringSong Kang-ho
Jo Jung-suk
Bae Doona
CinematographyGo Nak-seon
Production
company
Hive Media Corp.
Distributed byShowbox (South Korea)
Netflix (worldwide)
Release date
  • December 19, 2018 (2018-12-19)
Running time
139 minutes[1]
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean/Japanese
Budget₩15 billion[2]
(US$13.4 million)
Box officeUS$14.5 million[3]

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, a Korean drug lord from Busan, South Korea and the main protagonist of the film.[14][15]
  • Jo Jung-suk as Kim In-goo, a lawful prosector and the main rival of Lee Doo-sam.[16]
  • Bae Doona as Kim Jeong-ah, a powerful lobbist and Doo-sam's lover.[17]

Supporting
  • Kim Dae-myung as Lee Doo-hwan, Lee Doo-sam's younger cousin and fellow drug trafficker
  • Kim So-jin as Sung Sook-kyung, a preacher's daughter and Lee Doo-sam's wife.
  • Lee Hee-joon as Choi Jin-pil, a boat captain, smuggler, and a ally-turned-main rival of Lee Doo-sam drug empire
  • Jo Woo-jin as Jo Seong-kang, a gangster boss and leader of a powerful Korean mafia
  • Yoon Je-moon as Kim Soon-pyung, a Zainichi Korean Yakuza boss based in Osaka, Japan and an associate of Hideki
  • Yoo Jae-myung as Chief Kim, a detective who leads a operation against Doo-sam's drug empire
  • Lee Joong-ok as Yoon Kang-shik
  • 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
  • Park Ji-hwan as Wang Moon-ho, a Sino Korean drug trafficker and a member of Doo-sam's drug gang
  • Lee Bong-ryun as Lee Doo-sook
  • Choi Gwi-hwa as Chief Ham
  • Park Kyung-hye as Lee Kyung-ja
  • Keijiro Matsushima as Hideki (Nihongo: 秀樹, Hideki), a yakuza gangster from Osaka, Japan.

Special appearance
  • Na Kwang-Hoon as Seo Soo-Gon, 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
  • Kim Hong-fa as Professor Baek, a enigmatic and legendary meth maker.

Production

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

Awards and nominations
Awards Category Recipient Result Ref.
55th Baeksang Arts AwardsBest Supporting ActorJo Woo-jinNominated[20]

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


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