Overview of The Drug King
In the film, Lee Doo-sam rises to power through drugs, but he was not chosen by the audience who watched his story unfold.
Table of Contents
- Smuggling
- Methamphetamine Production
- The Methamphetamine Brand “Made in Korea”
- The President’s Death and the Fall of the Drug King
- Box Office Failure
- Drug King Lee Hwang-soon
- After the President’s death, why did no one respond to Lee Doo-sam?
- What happened to Kim Jeong-ah after the President’s death?
Smuggling
The film The Drug King was released on December 19, 2018. The “Drug King” in the title refers to Lee Doo-sam. Actor Song Kang-ho plays Lee Doo-sam, and Song Young-chang plays the UN ambassador. The film begins with smuggling.
It is 1972. Lee Doo-sam meets the UN ambassador and takes part in a smuggling operation. Lee Doo-sam acts as an appraiser. When the crackdown team appears, Lee Doo-sam jumps into the sea with a bag. Chief Kim and the UN ambassador were on the same side. The UN ambassador had not informed him in advance.
Methamphetamine Production
Actor Lee Hee-joon plays Choi Jin-pil, and Kim Hong-pa plays Professor Baek.
Lee Doo-sam goes to meet Choi Jin-pil. He proposes a partnership and says he plans to go into the methamphetamine business. Lee Doo-sam recruits Professor Baek. They manufacture methamphetamine at a pig farm.
Methamphetamine is a type of drug that has stimulant effects.
The Methamphetamine Brand “Made in Korea”
Actor Bae Doona plays Kim Jung-ah.
The relationship between Lee Doo-sam and Kim Jung-ah begins. Lee Doo-sam and Kim Jung-ah board an airplane together. Lee Doo-sam decides to name the methamphetamine brand “Made in Korea.”
The President’s Death and the Fall of the Drug King
News reports announce the death of the president. This becomes the starting point of Lee Doo-sam’s downfall. Although his collapse was already foreshadowed by his own drug use, the president’s death rapidly changes the situation and accelerates his fall. Lee Doo-sam rose through drugs and fell through drugs.
Up to this point is a simplified summary of the 139-minute film The Drug King.
Box Office Failure
With an audience of 1.86 million, the film failed to reach even half of its break-even point and was a box office failure. It also received no awards.
The Drug King has many characters and a fast-paced narrative. For that reason, it might have worked better as a drama series rather than a single film.
Drug King Lee Hwang-soon
Episode 135 of ‘Tails of Tales’ Season 3, broadcast on July 4, 2024, covered the story of drug king Lee Hwang-soon. The reason Lee Hwang-soon was able to grow into a drug king was that many government officials accepted bribes.
As of January 16, 2026, ‘Tails of Tales’ is available on Netflix.
After the President’s death, why did no one respond to Lee Doo-sam?
President Park Chung-hee passed away. It was the October 26 Incident.
After the President’s death, Lee Doo-sam tries to call people, but no one answers. From this moment, it becomes clear that this is the beginning of his downfall. However, there is no explanation for the following questions.
Why did Lee Doo-sam try to contact people after the President’s death?
Why did people cut off contact with Lee Doo-sam?
I think about the two questions above as follows.
If someone you do business with might quit or be replaced, you would probably call that person and ask what is going on. The same applies to Lee Doo-sam.
If the President changes, the new President will appoint new people. That means your own position or your superior’s position could change. In an unpredictable personnel reshuffle, people would stop any behavior that could become a liability. Maintaining a relationship with Lee Doo-sam could have been seen as such a liability.
What happened to Kim Jeong-ah after the President’s death?
Kim In-gu tells Song Kang-ho that Kim Jeong-ah was taken by the Defense Security Command and was badly beaten. I think Kim In-gu may have lied to Song Kang-ho. After the President’s death, would Kim Jeong-ah have simply stayed still? It is possible that she ran away.
The Defense Security Command refers to the Republic of Korea Army Security Command. As I remember, Kim Jeong-ah was not a soldier but a civilian. Then why does the Army Security Command appear instead of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency?
The original Korean version of this blog post is available at the link below.
마약왕 – 이두삼 메이드 인 코리아 : 영화 후기 (Original Korean Blog Post)