Haeundae

Director: Yoon Je Kyun

Actors:
Ha Ji Won
Sol Kyung Gu
Uhm Jung Hwa
Park Joong Hoon
Lee Min Ki

A marine geologist Kim Hee (Park oong Hoon) discovers Korean East Sea is showing signs of activity similar to the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 and heads to Haeundae to warn the authorities but was turned away. In the mean time, residence of Haeundae goes through life as usual with problems in life, career and love. Fisherman and seafood restaurant owner Man Sik (Sol Kyung Gu) has feelings for Yeon Hee (Ha Ji Won) but doesn't know how to express it partly due to feeling responsible for the death of her father during the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Man Sik's brother Hyung Sik (Lee Min Ki) is a coast guard who got intertwined with a Seoul privileged university whom he met during a rescue. Coincidentally, Kim Hee's estranged ex-wife Yu Jin (Uhm Jung Hwa) and daughter resides in Haeundae and proceeds to get them out of harms way. The inevitable finally comes and disaster is blanketed over Haeundae.

First disaster movie and one of top 5 grossing film in Korea, Haeundae delivers in special effect and did not fail in keeping the audience engage in the visual effect and emotional turmoil when disaster strikes. The disaster didn't strike until the last 20 minutes of the film, but the first half was necessary to build the characters and understand the lives of those in Haeundae. It makes the devastation that much more impactful when disaster do strike because now you're connected to those who are fighting for their lives. Haeundae is a disaster movie but it did not lose the Korean flavor of including comedy in the film. Haeundae is funny, sad, adventurous all rolled up in one. It's a nice feeling of being able to experience different emotions in one film and not feel so burden by the heaviness of a typical disaster movie.