Chronicle of the Blood Merchant

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.