Ha Jung Woo

In 1936, Son Kee Jung (Ha Jung Woo) won the Marathon at the Berlin Olympic Games, with Nam Seung Ryong (Bae Sung Woo) claiming the bronze medal. But while this moment should have been the proudest time of Son Kee Jung’s life, the medal ceremony was a low point – for both him and his native Korea. Korea had become a Japanese colony, and both Son and Nam had to run with the flag of Japan on their shirts. At the medal ceremony, a crestfallen Son was shown nervously trying to cover up the Japanese flag on his shirt as the Japanese national anthem played…

Just over a decade later, South Korea has regained its independence. Following the end of WWII, international running events have now restarted. And the first big race on the calendar is the 1947 Boston Marathon, arguably the world’s most iconic race. Son and Nam have long since hung up their running shoes and have turned to coaching the national team. Son’s most promising young athlete Suh Yun Bok (Im Siwan) is the star of the squad. Getting to Boston is no easy feat for the South Korean team, but both coaches and athletes are determined to compete in the race – where Suh will finally race wearing the emblem of independent South Korea. As a nation looks on with bated breath, does Suh have what it takes to reach the podium...or even win?

“Road to Boston” is a 2023 South Korean movie that was directed by Kang Je Gyu.

Road to Boston

In 1987, a South Korean diplomat working in Lebanon was abducted by a terrorist organization. Fully aware that their diplomat’s life was on the line, the Korean government had no choice but to comply with the terrorists’ demands. Agreeing to pay a ransom of 2.5 million U.S. dollars, the Korean government, acting in secret so as not to hamper the country’s upcoming presidential election or their bid for hosting the 1988 Summer Olympics, sent diplomat Lee Min Joon (Ha Jung Woo) to Lebanon with the ransom money and orders to bring his colleague home.&nbsp;

As a diplomat, Min Joon’s career wasn’t anything extraordinary. With no shining achievements or incredible successes, Min Joon had nothing but his unwavering determination to recommend him. Even so, Min Joon dreamt of someday being assigned to work in the United States. Knowing he needed more than a dream to gain such an assignment, Min Joon was only too eager to volunteer for the extremely unofficial operation that would bring a missing diplomat home. After getting his superiors to agree to assign him to the States upon his return, Min Joon sets off for Lebanon, a country currently in the throes of a civil war.&nbsp;

Not long after arriving in Lebanon, Min Joon meets Pan Soo (Ju Ji Hoon), a street-wise Korean taxi driver who soon finds himself wrapped up in Min Joon’s diplomatic affairs. With no support from his government and only a taxi driver for an ally, can Min Joon bring home the missing diplomat before it’s too late?

Inspired by true events, “Ransomed” is a 2023 South Korean action drama film directed by Kim Sung Hoon.&nbsp;

Ransomed

Su Hong (Kim Dong Wook) was a budding legal student who was killed while on duty while doing his military service. He then returned as a vengeful spirit to punish those who wronged him and his family. But he has now been taken into the afterlife, where he must pass a series of trials – assisted by the otherworldly guardians Hae Won Maek (Joo Ji Hoon), Lee Deok Choon (Kim Hyang Gi), and Gang Rim (Ha Jung Woo) – if he is to gain reincarnation. The guardians, too, have much to gain from this: If Su Hong is reincarnated, they too will be allowed to return to the mortal sphere.

The king of the underworld (Lee Jung Jae) says he will allow Su Hong to be reincarnated, but one condition: The guardians must take the life of an old man who has been alive for too long. This old man has guardians of his own, a household deity as well as a mortal hero – his grandson Sung Ju (Ma Dong Seok). The trio’s quest becomes ever more difficult as their quest inadvertently sucks them back into their past lives…

“Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days” is a 2018 South Korean movie that was directed by Kim Yong Hwa.

Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days

✨Reincarnate if you can✨

Kim Ja Hong (Cha Tae Hyun) is a fearless firefighter who dies at the scene of an emergency. At the moment of his death, he finds himself traveling outside his body, witnessing his coworkers trying to resuscitate him as his life ebbs away. He realizes he is now in the afterlife, and he is greeted by three godly guardians, namely Hae Won Maek (Joo Ji Hoon), Lee Deok Choon (Kim Hyang Gi), and Gang Rim (Ha Jung Woo). The trio believes him to be a rare paragon of virtue, a man who has lived a truly virtuous life. If they are proved correct, they will succeed in having him reincarnated, and will also stand a chance of returning to the mortal realm themselves.

But in order to complete the mission, Kim Ja Hong must prove his worth in seven otherworldly courts in the space of 49 days. The courts have unique access to all the apparent misdeeds he has committed over his lifetime. In each courtroom, he must prove he was not at fault, with the guardians acting as defense lawyers. Can Kim Ja Hong pass the trials of the underworld – and does he really want the ultimate prize of reincarnation?

“Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds” is a 2017 South Korean movie that was directed by Kim Yong Hwa.

Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds

 The 🔆 Two Worlds ☀ Team

Lee Jung Soo (Ha Jung Woo) is an auto salesman who has bought a cake and is driving home to celebrate the birthday of his young kindergarten-age daughter. His drive home takes him through a long tunnel named Hado. But when he has made it halfway through, he realizes something is terribly wrong. The entire tunnel collapses, but miraculously he has survived, although his car has been crushed by the falling concrete and rubble.

At first, the public is horrified by the news, and Dae Kyung (Oh Dal Soo), the head of an accident response team, arrives at the scene, where he is able to make contact with Lee Jung Soo. The rescuers believe that Lee Jung Soo is the only survivor, and, at first, make desperate but fruitless attempts to save him. His wife Se Hyun (Bae Doo Na) is also able to communicate with him, and Lee Jung Soo discovers he may not be the only person to be trapped in the rubble. But as the rescue mission drags on – and threatens to compromise the construction of another major tunnel, some politicians start to question whether it is worth continuing the search…

“Tunnel” is a 2016 South Korean movie that was written and directed by Kim Seong Hun.

Tunnel

The Hado Team

Can a group of Korean resistance fighters carry out an assassination before enemy forces hunt them down?

Yeom Sek Jin (Lee Jung Jae) is a Korean resistance fighter during the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea. He plans out the assassination of a Japanese commander and hires Ahn Ok Yoon (Jun Ji Hyun), a skilled sniper. Ok Yoon takes on the mission, along with her comrades Soksapo (Jo Jin Woong) and Hwang Duk Sam (Choi Duk Moon), to fight for Korean independence.

The Japanese send government sends contract killers Hawaii Pistol (Ha Jung Woo) and his partner Buddy (Oh Dal Soo) after Ok Yoon and her men. But can Ok Yoon carry out her mission when there is a traitor among them?

“Assassination” is a 2015 South Korean film co-written and directed by Choi Dong Hoon.

Assassination

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

One man is on a mission to avenge the death of his family members.

Dolmuchi (Ha Jung Woo) is a butcher, which is considered the lowest class, in the Joseon Dynasty. In a society where a person’s status is purely determined by his or her birth, Jo Yoon (Kang Dong Won) is born into a wealthy family. But because his mother was a concubine, Jo Yoon’s illegitimacy gives him no standing in society or his family.

Jo Yoon hires Dolmuchi to kill the pregnant wife of his dead stepbrother so that he can become a legitimate heir, but when Dolmuchi is not able to go through with the killing, Jo Yoon has Dolmuchi’s family killed instead.

The devastated Dolmuchi takes on the name Dochi and joins Ttaeng Choo (Lee Kyung Young) and Dae Ho (Lee Sung Min) in a band of outlaws known as Kundo. The bandits go after wealthy tyrants who prey on the poor by stealing from the rich and giving back to the poor. But can Dochi avenge his family’s death when he comes face-to-face with Jo Yoon again?

“Kundo: Age of the Rampant” is a 2014 South Korean film directed by Yoon Jong Bin.

Kundo: Age of the Rampant

The Time Outlaws

Ju Wol (Ha Jung Woo) is a struggling South Korean novelist who is suffering from an annoying bout of writer’s block, leaving him unable to write for some two years. His love life is chaotic – he tries to gain inspiration for the characters in his novels from the women he falls in love with and invariably ends up heartbroken. His long-suffering publisher asks him to join him at a German book fair to help get him out of his rut.

During his trip, he meets fellow countrywoman Hee Jin (Gong Hyo Jin), who works for a movie distribution company and is attending a Berlin-based movie festival. He falls in love with her at first sight, and on the flight back home to Seoul tells his publisher about his feelings. The latter suggests that he writes her a letter, which he does. Charmed by his letter, she agrees to go on a date with him, and the two hit it off. But when he decides to write a new novel – featuring a character based on Hee Jin – things start to get weird. He starts to learn about her previous relationships, and she starts to worry that she will eventually tire of him. Will love win the day, or was this duo’s relationship doomed from the start?

“Love Fiction” is a 2012 South Korean movie that was written and directed by Jeon Kye Soo.

Love Fiction

Team of Successful.

Planning to surprise his wife on their wedding anniversary, Han Chul Min (Jang Hyuk), comes home with a bouquet; unfortunately, those flowers are never delivered. Seeing a large crowd gathered around the entrance to his apartment, Chul Min steps into his home to find it crawling with police officers. Arrested almost immediately for the murder of his wife, Chul Min’s life changes in an instant.

Taking charge of the case, Prosecutor Ahn Min Ho (Park Hee Soon) does not doubt that Chul Min is responsible for the death of his wife, as he was once arrested as the prime suspect in a serial murder case. Though he was never convicted for any of those murders, Min Ho knows Chul Min is the killer, but investigator Jang Ho Won (Sung Dong Il) isn’t so sure. Bringing the case before defense attorney Kang Sung Hee (Ha Jung Woo), Ho Won informs Sung Hee that the alleged victim’s body was never found and reminds him that as of yet, the police have failed to find any direct evidence connecting Chul Min to the murder. Convinced of Chul Min’s innocence, Sung Hee takes the case and immediately asks the court for a jury trial. Claiming Chul Min was arrested on circumstantial evidence alone, the opposing attorneys prepare to make their case in court.&nbsp;

As attorneys, Ahn and Kang go head-to-head in a legal battle that intensifies dramatically as the complexity of the case increases, Chul Min has no choice but to leave his fate in his attorney’s hands. Will justice prevail, or will a cold-blooded killer be allowed to go free?&nbsp;

Utterly riveting, “The Client” is a 2011 South Korean courtroom thriller film directed by Sohn Young Sung.

The Client

Sang Hyun is a lowly detective with no money. He fell in love with Hye Ju, whom he met by accident, and even took out loans to send her to study in Prague. However, while there, she dumps him and he sets out to Prague to find her. In the process, he meets Jae Hee, who is the President of Korea\u2019s daughter and a diplomat. Jae Hee, who has always dreamt of a life filled with romance and freedom, falls for him fast. But she also carries wounds from her past relationship with Yeong Woo. Yeong Woo, who is a son of a billionaire, had to push her away due to his father\u2019s machinations in politics. He returns to Prague in search of her but she has already found someone new to love, Sang Hyun. How will this love story conclude as the complicated lives of these four people come to a head?

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