[History through films] ‘Hunt’ spy flick set in Korea’s violent, chaotic ’80s

South Korea in the 1980s is often described as an era of violence and chaos.

The period was marked by numerous major events in South Korean history, among them: the Gwangju Democratic Uprising in 1980 in which the military cracked down on civilians leading to a massacre; one of the largest fraud cases to date involving Jang Young-ja, a woman associated with then-President Chun Doo-hwan’s wife’s family in 1982; the Oct. 9, 1983 assassination attempt on Chun in Yangon, Myanmar in which a North Korean-detonated bomb killed several high-ranking South Korean officials; and North Korean Air Force Captain Lee Ung-pyong’s defection to South Korea in 1983.

In “Hunt,” a 2022 spy action flick directed by actor Lee Jung-jae, a series of actual events during the ’80s are rearranged in Lee’s cinematic imagination. The movie also closely weaves in psychological conflicts and mind games involving Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) officers.

The movie begins with a confrontation between the chief of the foreign unit Park Pyong-ho (played by Lee) and his counterpart Kim Jung-do (played by Jung Woo-sung), the domestic unit chief.

When an assassination attempt is made on President Chun Doo-hwan during a visit to the US, Park and Kim turn deadly pale after learning that there is a North Korean mole operating within the KCIA.

While the two chiefs are assigned to finding out who the spy called “Dong-rim” is, they get an inevitable feeling that they will end up suspecting each other.

“Hunt” was invited to the 75th Cannes Film Festival’s Midnight Screening section in 2022. It was the first film in which the two stars, friends in real life, starred in the same movie after “City of the Rising Sun” (1999).

The movie showcases director Lee’s flair for action and stunts: downtown car chases, over 200 location shootings as well as the use of over 10,000 bullets for gunfights.

For viewers who are unfamiliar with the events depicted in the movie, the events in the film may be a bit confusing, but director Lee said in an interview with the local press that he revised and edited the movie on the plane back home after hearing similar responses at Cannes.

While both “the 1980s” and “authoritarian government” coherently guide the movie’s plot, it is the ensemble cast’s superb acting that carries the day.

Director Lee exploited his network and relationships built over three decades in the field to cast the country’s top-notch actors such as Hwang Jung-min, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Nam-gil, Lee Sung-min and Park Sung-woong.

“Hunt,” which opened in local theaters in August 2022 is currently available on streaming platforms Netflix, Wavve and Watcha.

The article is the sixth installment of the eight-part series that looks into Korea’s modern and contemporary history through films released between 2000 and 2020. -- Ed.