''Champion'' () is a 2002 South Korean

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...

sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Kwak Kyung-taek Kwak Kyung-taek (; born 23 May 1966) is a South Korean film director best known for his 2001 record-breaking film '' Friend''. Career ''Friend'', a drama where conflicting criminal alliances turn old friends into enemies, set a new Korean bo ...

, about South Korean

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

Duk Koo Kim Kim Duk-koo (; born Lee Deok-gu, ; July 29, 1955November 18, 1982) was a South Korean boxer who died after fighting in a world championship boxing match against Ray Mancini. His death sparked reforms aimed at better protecting the health of box ...

, portrayed by

Yu Oh-seong Yu Oh-seong (born September 11, 1966) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Beat'' (1997), '' Attack the Gas Station'' (1999), ''Friend'' (2001) and ''Champion'' (2002). Career Yu Oh-seong made his stage debut in 1992, a ...

Background

A biopic, ''Champion'' details the life of

, South Korea's most popular boxer, who, in his rise to international fame, faced the reigning lightweight champion

Ray Mancini Ray Mancini (born Raymond Michael Mancino; March 4, 1961), better known as "Boom Boom" Mancini, is an American former professional boxer who competed professionally from 1979 to 1992 and who has since worked as an actor and sports commentato ...

Caesar's Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesars ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, Nevada on November 13, 1982. Kim ultimately lost the match after fourteen rounds, and within minutes, dropped into a coma from which he never recovered. The match changed boxing rules around the world; and affected South Korea especially.

Cast

Chae Min-seo Chae Min-seo (born Jo Soo-jin; March 16, 1981) is a South Korean film, South Korean actress. Chae made her acting debut in 2002 with ''Champion (2002 film), Champion'', and has since played leading roles in horror film ''The Wig'' and the indepe ...

- Lee Kyeong-mi * Yun Seung-won - Kim Hyeon-ji *

Jung Doo-hong Jung Doo-hong (; born December 14, 1966) is a South Korean action director, martial arts choreographer, stunt coordinator, and actor. Early life Jung Doo-hong was born in 1966 in Chilsan-ri, Imcheon-myeon, Buyeo County, South Chungcheong Prov ...

- Lee Sang-bok * Kim Byeong-seo - Park Jong-pal * Ji Dae-han - Hwang Jun-seok *

Shin Jung-geun Shin Jung-geun (; born September 26, 1966) is a South Korean actor. He is most active as a supporting actor in films such as '' Running Turtle'' (2009), '' In Love and War'' (2011), '' The Grand Heist'' (2012), and '' The Five'' (2013), as well ...

- Kim Yun-gu *

Kim Hyun-sook Kim Hyun-sook (; born October 16, 1978) is a South Korean actress and comedian. She is best known for playing the title character in '' Ugly Miss Young-ae'', a long-running sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) ...

- Bus driver * Han Dae-gwan * Matthew Ray Phillips -

* Hoss Mortezaie - Mancini's Cornerman

References

External links

* 2002 films 2000s biographical films 2000s Korean-language films South Korean biographical films Films directed by Kwak Kyung-taek South Korean boxing films Biographical action films 2000s South Korean films {{2000s-SouthKorea-film-stub