Traffickers (2012 Film)

Traffickers (Korean: 공모자들; RR: Kongmojadeul) is a 2012 South Korean suspense-thriller film directed by Kim Hong-sun. The film explores the dark underworld of international organ trafficking, centering on a criminal operation conducted aboard a passenger ship traveling between South Korea and China.

Plot

Young-Gyu (Im Chang-jung) is a former member of an organ trafficking syndicate who has attempted to leave his criminal past behind to work as a broker for smuggled goods. His life becomes complicated when he falls for Yoo-Ri (Jo Yoon-hee), a ticket agent at an international port. When Yoo-Ri's father falls critically ill and requires an organ transplant, she turns to the black market, inadvertently involving Young-Gyu in a dangerous new scheme led by the loan shark Dong-Bae (Shin Seung-hwan).

Reluctantly, Young-Gyu reassembles his former team to execute a high-stakes operation on a cruise ship bound for Qingdao, China. Simultaneously, a passenger named Sang-Ho (Daniel Choi) travels on the same ship with his wife, Chae-Hee (Jung Ji-yoon). Unbeknownst to them, Chae-Hee has been targeted by the trafficking crew, who intend to kidnap her and harvest her organs before the ship reaches its destination.

Cast

Production and Reception

The film was released in South Korea on August 30, 2012. It was directed by Kim Hong-sun, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Kim Sang-myun. The production was distributed by Time Story Group and Cinus Entertainment. In 2012, the film received the Best New Director award at the 33rd Blue Dragon Film Awards. It was later screened at the 12th Asian Film Festival of Dallas in 2013.