Traffickers (Korean공모자들; RRGongmojadeul) is a 2012 South Korean crime thriller film starring Im Chang-jung, Choi Daniel, Oh Dal-su and Jo Yoon-hee. It takes place in six hours on a passenger boat with an ongoing black market organ-trafficking operation, and a desperate husband out to find his missing wife.[1][2][3]

Traffickers
Hangul
공모자들
Hanja
Revised RomanizationGongmojadeul
McCune–ReischauerKongmochadŭl
Directed byKim Hong-sun
Written byKim Sang-myung
Kim Hong-sun
Produced byChoi Yeon-ju
Choi Hyeon-muk
Kim Seong-geun
StarringIm Chang-jung
Choi Daniel
CinematographyYoon Nam-joo
Edited byShin Min-kyung
Music byKim Jun-seong
Distributed byTimeStory/Cinus Entertainment
Release date
  • August 30, 2012 (2012-08-30)
Running time
110 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Budget₩3.0 billion
Box office₩12,240,990,500

Plot edit

After his best friend dies in an unexpected accident, the black market dealer Young-gyu decides to wash his hands of his illegal activities and start a new life. He then falls in love with an acquaintance, Yu-Ri, who is unaware of his feelings and of his past. He later learns that Yu-ri needs money for her father's surgery, and she has resorted to procuring the services of a local organ broker, who is Young-gyu's former client. The broker promises to help her secure a legal organ donation but secretly relies on black market dealers like Young-gyu, who engage in multiple kidnappings and killings. To help her out, Young-gyu agrees to do the job one last time when he is once again approached by his former client. His smuggling ring gets back together for a final run, and they resume their M.O. of operating out of a ferry boat that runs between Korea and China, picking victims from among its passengers, abducting them from their rooms, harvesting their organs on board the ship while they are still alive yet restrained, and then brutally disposing of the bodies afterwards.[4]

Meanwhile, a married couple, Sang-ho and Chae-hee (who is disabled and relies on a wheelchair), boards Young-gyu's ferry boat heading to Weihai, China. That very evening, just when the boat enters international waters where countries' laws cannot be enforced, Chae-hee suddenly goes missing, and all her pictures and belongings vanish without a trace. Young-gyu runs into Yu-ri on the same ship, and she claims to be the only witness to Chae-hee's disappearance...

Cast edit

  • Im Chang-jung - Young-gyu
  • Choi Daniel - Sang-ho
  • Oh Dal-su - Kyung-jae / "Old Man"
  • Jo Yoon-hee - Yu-ri
  • Jung Ji-yoon - Chae-hee
  • Jo Dal-hwan - Joon-sik
  • Lee Young-hoon - Dae-woong
  • Shin Seung-hwan - Dong-bae
  • Choi Il-hwa - Chul-soo
  • Lee Moon-soo - Dr. Oh
  • Heo Joon-seok - victim in prologue
  • Kim Jae-hwa - Gong Choon-ja
  • Go Jung-il - customs officer
  • Yoon Sang-ho - boat crew member
  • Song Yi-joo - Inspector Jang
  • Park Se-yeong - Min-seo
  • Park Sung-taek - Choi
  • Park Il-mok - office head
  • Son Jong-hak - company chairman
  • Gong Jung-hwan - Yong-chul
  • Oh Sang-jin - police station reporter
  • Ra Mi-ran - female courier 1
  • Shin Hye-jeong - female courier 2

Awards and nominations edit

2012 Grand Bell Awards

  • Nomination - Best New Director - Kim Hong-sun
  • Nomination - Best New Actor - Choi Daniel

2012 Blue Dragon Film Awards

  • Best New Director - Kim Hong-sun
  • Nomination - Best New Actress - Jung Ji-yoon

2012 Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards[5]

References edit

  1. ^ Cho, Jae-eun (24 August 2012). "Thriller with brains: Traffickers tackles human organ market". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ Lee, Mi-ji (14 September 2012). "Traffickers Lim Chang Jung tells behind story". StarN News. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  3. ^ Elley, Derek (4 March 2013). "Traffickers". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  4. ^ "The Traffickers (2012)". The Chosun Ilbo. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  5. ^ "Winners - Film category". 20th KCEA Awards. Archived from the original on 2013-12-27. Retrieved 2013-04-02.

External links edit