''Traffickers'' () is a 2012 South Korean

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

starring

Im Chang-jung Lim Chang-jung (; born November 30, 1973) is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actor. He is often referred by Koreans as "the original multi-entertainer" for being active in all three fields: music, film and entertainment. He made his acting ...

Choi Daniel Choi Daniel (born 22 February 1986) is a South Korean actor, DJ and model. He is best known for his television roles in ''The Ghost Detective'', ''Jugglers'', '' High Kick Through the Roof'', Baby Faced Beauty, ''School 2013,'' and rom-com fi ...

Oh Dal-su Oh Dal-su (; born 15 June 1968) is a South Korean character actor who has appeared on television, film, and stage. His acting career spans over 35 years. Oh is best known for his supporting roles in director Park Chan-wook's films, having appear ...

and

Jo Yoon-hee Jo Yoon-hee (; born October 13, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for starring in the television dramas ''My Husband Got a Family'' (2012), ''Nine'' (2013), ''The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop'' (2016), and ''Beautiful Love ...

. It takes place in six hours on a passenger boat with an ongoing

black market A black market is a Secrecy, clandestine Market (economics), market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality, or is not compliant with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the set of goods and services who ...

organ-trafficking operation, and a desperate husband out to find his missing wife.

Plot

After his best friend dies in an unexpected accident, the black market dealer Young-gyu decides to wash his hands of his illegal activities and start a new life. He then falls in love with an acquaintance, Yu-Ri, who is unaware of his feelings and of his past. He later learns that Yu-ri needs money for her father's surgery, and she has resorted to procuring the services of a local organ broker, who is Young-gyu's former client. The broker promises to help her secure a legal organ donation but secretly relies on black market dealers like Young-gyu, who engage in multiple kidnappings and killings. To help her out, Young-gyu agrees to do the job one last time when he is once again approached by his former client. His smuggling ring gets back together for a final run, and they resume their M.O. of operating out of a ferry boat that runs between Korea and China, picking victims from among its passengers, abducting them from their rooms, harvesting their organs on board the ship while they are still alive yet restrained, and then brutally disposing of the bodies afterwards. Meanwhile, a married couple, Sang-ho and Chae-hee (who is disabled and relies on a wheelchair), boards Young-gyu's ferry boat heading to

Weihai Weihai ( zh, t=, p=Wēihǎi), formerly Weihaiwei ( zh, s=, p=Wēihǎiwèi, l=Mighty Sea Fort, first=t), is a prefecture-level city and major seaport city in the easternmost Shandong province of China. It borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow ...

, China. That very evening, just when the boat enters international waters where countries' laws cannot be enforced, Chae-hee suddenly goes missing, and all her pictures and belongings vanish without a trace. Young-gyu runs into Yu-ri on the same ship, and she claims to be the only witness to Chae-hee's disappearance...

Cast

- Young-gyu *

- Sang-ho *

- Kyung-jae / "Old Man" *

- Yu-ri * Jung Ji-yoon - Chae-hee *Jo Dal-hwan - Joon-sik *Lee Young-hoon - Dae-woong *

Shin Seung-hwan Shin Seung-hwan is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Web series Television show Web shows References External links * * * Shin Seung-hwanat Daum Shin Seung-hwanat Naver Naver (; stylized as NAVER) ...

- Dong-bae *

Choi Il-hwa Choi Il-hwa (; born May 9, 1959) is a South Korean actor. He joined the Madang Sesil Theatre Group in 1983, and has since continued acting in Korean theater, television and film. Filmography Film *'' No Tomorrow'' (2016) *'' Wonderful Nightma ...

- Chul-soo *Lee Moon-soo - Dr. Oh *Heo Joon-seok - victim in prologue *Kim Jae-hwa - Gong Choon-ja *Go Jung-il - customs officer *Yoon Sang-ho - boat crew member *Song Yi-joo - Inspector Jang *Park Se-yeong - Min-seo *Park Sung-taek - Choi *Park Il-mok - office head *Son Jong-hak - company chairman *Gong Jung-hwan - Yong-chul *

Oh Sang-jin Oh Sang-jin (; born February 15, 1980) is a South Korean former news anchor, television personality, and actor. Career He joined MBC in 2006, and became one of the network's most popular news anchors and TV show hosts. A member of the reporte ...

- police station reporter *

Ra Mi-ran Ra Mi-ran (; born March 6, 1975) is a South Korean actress and television personality. She is best known for her roles in the television series ''Reply 1988'' (2015–2016), '' Avengers Social Club'' (2017), and '' The Good Bad Mother'' (2023) ...

- female courier 1 *Shin Hye-jeong - female courier 2

Awards and nominations

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

*Nomination - Best New Director - Kim Hong-sun *Nomination - Best New Actor -

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

*Best New Director - Kim Hong-sun *Nomination - Best New Actress - Jung Ji-yoon 2012 Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards *Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Film -

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Traffickers, The 2012 films 2012 crime thriller films South Korean crime thriller films Films about organized crime in South Korea Films about organ trade Films set in Shandong Films shot in China 2010s Korean-language films 2012 directorial debut films South Korean films based on actual events 2010s South Korean films Korean-language crime thriller films