A scene from "Humint" / Courtesy of NEXT ENTERTAINMENT WORLD
Action scenes unfold carefully and ferociously, while romance lingers in quiet melancholy. Director Ryu Seung-wan, long regarded as one of Korea’s most reliable action filmmakers, expands his range with "Humint," a spy thriller that balances spectacle with emotional undercurrents.
The film opened on Wednesday. And with a production cost of 23.5 billion won ($16 million), excluding marketing expenses, the film stands among the most anticipated Korean releases of the first half of the year.
The title combines the words “human” and “intelligence.” Set partly in Vladivostok, Russia, the story follows the clash and uneasy cooperation between South and North Korean agents revolving around a female North Korean informant working at a restaurant.
At first glance, the premise evokes the cerebral espionage dramas associated with John le Carré. Yet "Humint" ultimately leans closer to the brooding atmosphere of Hong Kong noir, blending intelligence warfare with unresolved romance and internal tensions within North Korea.
The story follows Jo, a National Intelligence Service officer played by Zo In-sung, as he investigates an influx of North Korean narcotics into South Korea. After uncovering suspected human trafficking involving North Korean women linked to the Russian mafia and possible involvement by North Korean diplomatic officials, he travels to Vladivostok.
North Korea simultaneously dispatches its own agent, Park Geon (played by Park Jeong-min), to investigate disappearances of North Korean women near the border region. Upon arriving in Vladivostok, Park begins gathering evidence while growing suspicious of North Korean Consul General Hwang Chi-seong (Played by Park Hae-joon)
The tension deepens when Chae Seon-hwa, the informant recruited by Jo and played by Shin Se-kyung, is revealed to be Park’s former fiancée. As Hwang identifies her as a suspected spy, the three characters find themselves locked in a three-way standoff.
A scene from "Humint" / Courtesy of NEXT ENTERTAINMENT WORLD
"Humint" unfolds through a Mexican standoff centered on the informant Chae Seon-hwa, with Jo, Park and Hwang pointing guns at one another.
Source: Korea Times News
