From Mob Leader to Korean President: Jung-min Hwang's Portrayal of Good & Evil

Hello, Peliplaters!

In Western culture, organized crime is often synonymous with the Italian Mafia, particularly as depicted in The Godfather (1972). Deliberately speaking thoughts grounded in principles, Marlon Brando's portrayal of mafia boss Vito Corleone embodies aristocratic grace. The Godfather has profoundly shaped Western cinema, leaving traces of Vito Corleone visible in countless mafia boss characters—until Colin Farrell's Penguin broke this mold.

While Western media typically limits mafia organizations' political reach to threatening local mayors, Korean media presents a different reality: mafia-like syndicates can infiltrate the military, with their leader rising to become South Korea's president.

In 12.12: The Day (2024), Jung-min brings Chun Doo-hwan to life with “mafia boss vibes”. Beyond his intimidating exterior lies an unwavering drive for success at any cost. His establishment of the exclusive military group Hanahoe combined military discipline with organized crime tactics, creating an atmosphere more oppressive than that of typical criminal organizations.

Three weeks have passed since I watched 12.12: The Day, and Hwang Jung-min's nuanced performance still resonates with his thorough capture of Chun Doo-hwan's journey—from pre-coup struggles to fear of defeat during the coup, to maniacal triumph after success.

Historical films often reduce antagonists to one-dimensional villains for audience catharsis, yet such portrayals lack credibility. Viewers inevitably ask: "Why would anyone follow someone so purely evil?" Yet, Korean audiences praise Hwang Jung-min's interpretation of Chun Doo-hwan as the most convincing and multifaceted. This sparked my curiosity: how did he craft such a compelling antagonist?

After exploring more of Hwang Jung-min's filmography, I realized his previous roles had perfectly prepared him for this masterful portrayal of Chun Doo-hwan.

Before 12.12: The Day, Hwang Jung-min delivered a memorable performance as mafia boss Jung Chung in New World (pictured above).

Korean media consistently portrays the mafia as "thugs in suits". Unlike the Italian Mafia, with its aristocratic presence, or the bushido-driven Japanese yakuza, these characters remain ruffians, maintaining their working-class demeanor even after acquiring wealth and status. Their distinctive cultural style emerges from a combination of strict organizational discipline and raw aggression.

This cultural portrayal emphasizes the distinct "wildness" of the Korean mafia, where raw power dictates authority and victors claim everything. These mobs show open contempt for law enforcement and rival groups yet maintain unwavering loyalty to their leaders. In this ruthless environment, leadership belongs not to the most charismatic, but to the most merciless.

Yet Hwang Jung-min's Jung Chung reveals unexpected tenderness beneath his brutal exterior. The story centers on his deep friendship with Lee Ja-sung (played by Lee Jung-jae)—brothers-in-arms who built their criminal empire from scratch. After six years of power struggles, Jung Chung ascends to leadership with Lee as his deputy. Though Jung Chung brutally eliminates rivals and informants, upon discovering Lee's true identity as an undercover officer, he makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect his friend.

While Infernal Affairs champions duty above all else, Jung Chung (Hwang Jung-min) embodies the supremacy of friendship. This compelling portrayal of brotherhood not only established him as a convincing mob leader performer, but also prepared him to capture Chun Doo-hwan's essence—another figure who rose from modest beginnings and built his power by rallying loyal compatriots.

The ability to portray a mafia boss convincingly doesn't automatically translate to depicting a general effectively. A nation's leader projects a different kind of authority than even the most powerful crime boss can’t give off. In 12.12: The Day, Hwang Jung-min captured Chun Doo-hwan's self-proclaimed "completely selfless" justification for his military coup, presenting a masterfully crafted patriotic facade.

While watching 12.12: The Day, I was struck by Hwang Jung-min's commanding delivery of lines like "Failure makes us traitors, success makes us revolutionaries." This theme resonated even more deeply when I watched The Spy Gone North (2018), where he portrayed Black Venus, an agent of the ANSP (Agency for National Security Planning). In this film, Black Venus infiltrates North Korea's External Economic Commission under the guise of a businessman. His mission takes an unexpected turn when he discovers a disturbing truth: the ANSP isn't serving its noble purpose of protecting the country but instead operates solely to strengthen the ruling regime's grip on power.

In a pivotal scene set in Beijing, Black Venus meets with the North Korean commission's leader. As they walk on the city's vibrant streets, discussing how revolution shapes nations, Black Venus commits to exposing the ANSP's conspiracy. At this moment, Hwang Jung-min's portrayals of Chun Doo-hwan and Black Venus began to overlap in my mind, and I realized the crucial distinction between true and false justice: one emerges from the people, the other from power itself.

Now I find myself looking forward even more to Hwang Jung-min's future performances. His career showcases an exceptional range and flexibility in acting, crafting characters that transcend simple good-versus-evil dichotomies. For Hwang Jung-min, the secret to creating compelling characters lies in his ability to portray both virtue and vice.

This mirrors life itself. We all contain the capacity for good and evil, and it's how we respond to life's moral challenges that shapes who we truly become.