''Tidal Wave'' () is a 2009 South Korean

disaster film A disaster film or disaster movie is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device. Such disasters may include natural disasters, accidents, military/ terrorist attacks or global catastrophes su ...

directed by

Yoon Je-kyoon Yoon Je-kyun (born 1969) is a South Korean film director . His debut ''My Boss, My Hero'' is about a gangster who is sent back to school, while ''Sex Is Zero'' has been compared with '' American Pie''. However, his disaster movie '' Haeundae'' ...

and starring

Sol Kyung-gu Sol Kyung-gu (born May 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Public Enemy'' film series, '' Peppermint Candy'', ''Oasis'', ''Silmido'', ''Hope'' and ''The Merciless''. Career Sol was born in Seocheon on May 1, 19 ...

Ha Ji-won Jeon Hae-rim (; born 28 June 1978), better known by her stage name Ha Ji-won () is a South Korean actress. She is best known for the historical dramas '' Damo'' (2003), '' Hwang Jini'' (2006), and ''Empress Ki'' (2013), as well as the melodra ...

Park Joong-hoon Park Joong-hoon (born March 22, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Early life and family Park was born and raised in Seoul. He was classmates with retired basketball legend Hur Jae at Yongsan High School and attended Chung-Ang University tog ...

and

Uhm Jung-hwa Uhm Jung-hwa (; born August 17, 1969) is a South Korean singer, actress and dancer. Uhm is considered to be one of the most influential women in the Korean entertainment industry, finding rare success in both music and film. Her legacy and car ...

. Billed as South Korea's first disaster film,Principal Photography Begins on Korean Tsunami Movie HAEUNDAE
. ''SciFi Japan'', 24 August 2009. Retrieved on 26 May 2009. the film released theatrically on 22 July 2009 and received more than 11 million admissions nationwide.

Plot

Man-sik, a local from the

Haeundae District Haeundae District ( ko, 해운대구) is a district ( ''gu'') of Busan, South Korea. Haeundae has a population of about 423,000, the most populous district of Busan with 11.6% of the city population, and covers an area of 51.44 km² (19. ...

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...

, unexpectedly loses Yeon-hee's father while based on a deep-sea fishing boat in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

during the

2004 tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time ( UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern S ...

, due to an error in judgement. Because of this, he could not become involved with Yeon-hee, who runs an unlicensed seafood restaurant, despite her attempts to start a relationship. Dong-choon and Seung-hyun's grandma team up with Seung-hyun and get involved in some illegal activity to earn money, but they get caught by the police. Man-sik finally plans to propose to Yeon-hee. Geologist Kim Hwi runs into his divorced wife, Yoo-jin. Although Yoo-jin has a daughter named Ji-min and a new boyfriend, Hae-chan, they decide not to tell their daughter that Hwi is her birth father as they are worried about how she might react. A wealthy college student from

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

, Hee-mi, accidentally falls into the sea from a yacht. Hyeong-sik, Man-sik's younger brother, is a lifeguard who rescues Hee-mi. Hee-mi becomes angered by the 'violent' rescue and annoys him by following him around, and the two begin to fall in love. During the fireworks, Man-sik proposes to Yeon-hee. Yeon-hee says that a ribbon hung outside her restaurant the day after would mean 'yes'. On the day after, Man-sik sees no ribbon, and he meets Dong-choon, who was nearby. Dong-choon tells Man-sik that he told Yeon-hee why her father died several years ago. Man-sik becomes furious, for he thinks that what Dong-choon told Yeon-hee caused there to be no ribbon; and attempts to attack him. During the fight, they witness a flock of birds flying away. Hwi notices that the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

(East Sea) is displaying similar activity to what was observed in the Indian Ocean five years prior. Despite his warnings, the Disaster Prevention Agency assures him that

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

is at no risk, but a large

megatsunami A megatsunami is a very large wave created by a large, sudden displacement of material into a body of water. Megatsunamis have quite different features from ordinary tsunamis. Ordinary tsunamis are caused by underwater tectonic activity (movemen ...

forms because of a

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments, ...

near Japan and starts to travel towards Busan, where millions of beachgoers are vacationing. Hwi realizes that the citizens of Busan have only 10 minutes to escape. A short earthquake (a minor

aftershock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousand ...

) hits Busan, before the sea starts receding from the shore, causing mass hysteria as people realize a tsunami is coming. Thousands of people run for their lives before the tsunami reaches Haeundae and continues into Busan. Dong-choon, Seung-hyun, his grandma, and other people on the

Gwangan Bridge The Gwangandaegyo or Diamond Bridge is a suspension bridge located in Busan, South Korea. It connects Haeundae-gu to Suyeong-gu. The road surface is about 6,500 meters long, with the bridge as a whole spanning 7,420 meters. It is the second lon ...

are swept away by the sea. A telephone pole collapses, electrocuting everyone in the water, but Man-sik and Yeon-hee survive. Dong-choon awakens on the bridge, but when he tries and fails to light a cigarette and subsequently discards the lighter out of frustration, it falls into petrol leaking from a tanker, causing an explosion that severs the bridge in half, sending shipping containers flying into buildings on the shore. Hyeong-sik jumps down from a rescue helicopter and saves Hee-mi in the sea. When Hyeong-sik and the rest of the group are together on the rope, Hyeong-sik realizes the rope is about to break, and only one can go up to the helicopter. He cuts the connected rope and falls into the violent sea. The elevator Yoo-jin is trapped in floods with water, and she talks in tears to her daughter Ji-min on her phone. A worker saves Yoo-jin. On the roof, she meets Ji-min and Hwi. The two help their daughter get on a crowded rescue helicopter. Before the helicopter leaves, Hwi tells his daughter that he is really her father. Yoo-jin and Hwi hug each other before another megatsunami kills them. After the tsunami, there is a memorial service for the thousands of people who died, including Hyeong-sik and Man-sik's uncle. Dong-choon finds out that his mother died as well and breaks into tears. Many people help reconstruct Busan. Man-sik, while cleaning the ruins of Yeon-hee's restaurant, finds the red ribbon which Yeon-hee said was a 'yes' to his proposal. The movie ends with a scene of Haeundae in ruins but in a hopeful atmosphere.

Cast

as Man-sik *

as Yeon-hee *

as Kim-hwi *

as Yoo-jin *

Yeo Ho-min Yeo is a Chinese, English, and Korean surname. Origins As an English surname, Yeo is a toponymic surname meaning "river", either for people who lived near one of the Rivers Yeo, or any river in general. The word comes from Old English , via sou ...

as Joon-ha * Kim Yoo-bin as Jin-soo *

Kim Jeong-woon Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese ...

as Hyeong-cheol *

Lee Min-ki Lee Min-ki (born January 16, 1985) is a South Korean actor, singer and model. Lee played his first TV leading role in the 2005 sports drama ''Taereung National Village'', followed by the television series ''Love Truly'' (2006), ''Dal-ja's Spri ...

as Hyung-sik *

Kang Ye-won Kang Ye-won (born Kim Ji-eun; March 15, 1979) is a South Korean actress best known for her roles in ''Tidal Wave'', ''Harmony'' and ''Quick Quick, as an adjective, refers to something moving with high speed. Quick may also refer to: In bus ...

as Hi-mi * Son Chae-bin as Eun-so *

Lee Si-on Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...

as Gong-joo *

Song jae-ho Song Jae-ho (born Song Jae-eon; 10 March 1937 – 7 November 2020) was a South Korean actor. Career He made his acting debut in 1959, and became best known for his work in 1970s and 1980s Korean cinema, notably ''Yeong-ja's Heydays'' (1975). S ...

as Eok-jo * Byeong-Suk Seong as Dong-choon's mother *

Kim In-kwon Kim In-kwon (born January 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor. Known for playing memorable supporting characters, he starred in his first leading role in the sleeper hit '' He's on Duty'' (2010), followed by '' Almost Che'' (2012), '' Born to Sing' ...

as Dong-choon *

Kim Yoo-jung Kim Yoo-jung (; born September 22, 1999) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a model for a confectionery brand at the age of four. After her acting debut in 2003, she became one of the best known child actresses in Korea since then, aft ...

as Ji-min *

Chun Bo-geun Chun Bo-geun (born August 23, 2002) is a South Korean actor. He first garnered attention in a KTF commercial in 2008, then began his career as a child actor in 2009. Chun has starred in the films ''Hello Ghost'' (2010) and ''The Grand Heist'' ( ...

as Seung-hyun * Seong Yoo-kyeong as You-kyung *

Kim In-gyoo Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnames ...

as You-kyung's dad * Hwang In-joon as You-kyung's dad *

Tae In-ho Tae In-ho (born Park Sang-yeon; May 2, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He starred in television series such as ''Misaeng: Incomplete Life'' (2014) and ''Descendants of the Sun'' (2016). Filmography Films Television series Web series ...

Song Jae-ho Song Jae-ho (born Song Jae-eon; 10 March 1937 – 7 November 2020) was a South Korean actor. Career He made his acting debut in 1959, and became best known for his work in 1970s and 1980s Korean cinema, notably ''Yeong-ja's Heydays'' (1975). S ...

* Kim Ji-yeong as Geum-ryeon

Release

Distribution rights for ''Haeundae'' was sold to

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, Japan,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, Australia and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. The film was released in South Korea on 22 July 2009. As of 20 September 2009, ''Haeundae'' had received a total of 11,301,649 admissions in South Korean theatres. In English-speaking countries, the film was released as ''

Tidal Wave Tidal wave may refer to: Seas and oceans * A tidal bore, which is a large movement of water formed by the funnelling of the incoming tide into a river or narrow bay * A storm surge, or tidal surge, which can cause waves that breach flood defence ...

'' (an incorrect term as such types of waves are actually caused by gravitational influences, not displacement of water). In the

, the

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

was released on October 12, 2009 from Entertainment One.UK release of Haeundae
. ''24framespersecond''. Retrieved on 8 October 2009.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * * * {{Blue Dragon Film Award Audience Choice 2009 films 2000s disaster films 2009 drama films South Korean science fiction films South Korean disaster films Films set in Busan Films about tsunamis 2000s Korean-language films 2000s survival films Flood films CJ Entertainment films Films directed by Yoon Je-kyoon 2000s South Korean films