The Yellow Sea (2010 film)

The Yellow Sea (Korean: 황해; RR: Hwang Hae) is a 2010 South Korean thriller film directed by Na Hong-jin. The film stars Ha Jung-woo and Kim Yun-seok. It follows the story of a man living in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture who is coerced into traveling to South Korea to carry out a contract killing to settle his mounting debts.

Promotional poster for The Yellow Sea — Promotional poster for the 2010 film The Yellow Sea.

Plot

Ku-Nam (Ha Jung-woo) is a taxi driver living in the Yanbian region near the border of China, Russia, and North Korea. Struggling with significant debt and the disappearance of his wife, who moved to South Korea for work, he is approached by a local underworld boss named Myung-Ga (Kim Yun-seok). Myung-Ga offers to clear Ku-Nam's debts if he travels to South Korea to commit a murder. Ku-Nam accepts the assignment and travels to South Korea, where he finds himself caught in a dangerous web involving the police and rival criminal organizations.

Production

Principal photography for the film began in early December 2009, with production moving to Yanbian, China, in March 2010. Much of the filming in South Korea took place in Busan, with the production receiving grant support from the Busan Film Commission. The film was produced by Popcorn Film and received investment from 20th Century Fox.

Ha Jung-woo as Ku-Nam — Ha Jung-woo portrays the protagonist, Ku-Nam.

Kim Yun-seok as Myung-Ga — Kim Yun-seok portrays the crime boss Myung-Ga.

Cho Seong-ha as Tae-Won — Cho Seong-ha portrays the character Tae-Won.

Release and Reception

The Yellow Sea was released in South Korea on December 22, 2010. During its opening weekend (December 24–26, 2010), the film reached number one at the South Korean box office, selling 815,177 tickets across 726 screens and accounting for 25.2% of total ticket sales for that period.

Scene from The Yellow Sea — A scene featuring the film's gritty aesthetic.