Actor Kang Ha-neul plays the role of Lee Kang-soo in the film “Yadang: The Snitch.” Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

“A prosecutor in Korea can make a president, or kill one!”

This line, which now feels almost self-evident, is shouted by Goo Gwan-hee (played by Yoo Hae-jin), a seasoned prosecutor trying to shed his long-standing label as a mere rank-and-file and climb higher up the ladder. And he says it in front of the drug-addicted son of a presidential candidate who was once the head of the Special Investigation Division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

The film “Yadang: The Snitch,” released on April 16, carries a provocative title. Here, “yadang” does not refer to the common political term meaning “opposition party.” The English title clarifies its true meaning. In criminal slang, “yadang” refers to informants, those who avoid prosecution and make money by feeding information on drug crimes to law enforcement. While the term evokes images of snitches or undercover agents, in the film, yadang plays a role as an intermediary who realizes the desires of each of the conflicting interests. The word appears frequently in the film in phrases like “doing yadang business” or “pulling a yadang move.” Actor Kang Ha-neul takes on the role of Lee Kang-soo, a yadang who moves swiftly through the tangled web of crime and justice. Actor Park Hae-joon, recently dubbed the “national dad” for his role in Netflix’s original series “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” plays Oh Sang-jae, a narcotics detective repeatedly duped by the collusion between prosecutors and yadang, ultimately leading to the ruin of his own life.

‘Yadang,’ slang used in drug world

It just so happens to be presidential election season. Director Hwang Byeong-gug, who got the idea for the film from the Kyunghyang Shinmun’s article in 2021 reporting that “drug users gather every morning at the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office to exchange information,” likely did not expect that his film, shot in 2023, would premiere right before the presidential election in 2025. Hwang and the production team are quick to clarify, “It’s not that yadang,” asking viewers not to mistake the film for a political commentary. Still, the new film could easily be categorized as a full-blown political film. While the central theme revolves around the world of drug crimes, the true core lies in the desires hidden behind the power plays, between prosecutors, police, drug informants, and dealers. And to top it off, the storyline is set against the backdrop of the presidential election.

The film unfolds at a brisk pace, with rapid scene transitions. If you try to pause for a moment to process the plot or dialogue, the story has already moved on. This quick rhythm gives the film a strong sense of momentum. Director of photography Lee Mo-gae noted that “the film features more camera movement than most of his previous works,” which is a deliberate choice to strip away any detached or observational perspective, allowing the audience to fully feel the characters’ emotional turbulence.

Heo Myeong-haeng, known for directing action in “The Roundup: Punishment,” served as action director of “Yadang: The Snitch,” bringing high-quality action sequences to life in multiple key scenes.

How Korean films consume ‘prosecutors’

Prosecutors were once such a staple of Korean films that it was said that “a Korean film isn’t complete without a prosecutor.” “Yadang: The Snitch” follows that familiar formula, and with the addition of drugs and organized crime, it is hard to avoid the sense that we have seen a film like this before.

The overarching narrative of the film closely mirrors the trajectory of “Inside Men.” Just as Lee Byung-hun’s character loses an arm in “Inside Men,” Kang Ha-neul’s character in “Yadang: The Snitch” has both of his legs burned. The revenge narrative against those in power feels strikingly similar. Scenes of drug offenders partying in a drug-induced haze echo the sleazy nightlife sequences from “Inside Men.”

The scene where the son of a chaebol chairman gets high at the beginning of the “Yadang: The Snitch” is reminiscent of the film “Veteran.” Yoo Ah-in’s portrayal of the arrogant conglomerate heir Jo Tae-oh seems to have found a successor in Ryu Kyung-soo’s character, Jo Hoon, the son of a presidential candidate in “Yadang: The Snitch.” And when a narcotics officer yells, “So just because you’re prosecutors, you can steal cases? Don’t we need to make a living too?” it strongly recalls a similar outburst by Hwang Jung-min, who plays a police officer from the Metropolitan Investigation Team in the film “The Unjust,” as he yells at prosecutor Ryu Seung-bum.

Ironically, director Hwang Byung-gug acted in all three of the films. As a result, for audiences craving something fresh and original, “Yadang: The Snitch” may feel like a cinematic throwback to something aged 10 to 15 years.

A déjà vu born from a reality more cinematic than the film itself

The feeling that “Yadang: The Snitch” is a film we have already seen is not entirely the film’s fault. It may stem from the fact that real life feels far more sordid than fiction. Audiences still remember the infamous scene where former Blue House civil affairs secretary Woo Byung-woo appeared as a suspect at the prosecutor’s office with his arms confidently crossed, while an investigating prosecutor stood before him with hands politely clasped. That very image is subtly, perhaps unintentionally, echoed in the film. Throughout the film, a framed calligraphy piece hangs on the wall of the prosecutor’s office with the phrase “sohwenanpa,” which means “If the nest is destroyed, so are the eggs.” The prosecutor who most often used the phrase “sohwenanpa” in inauguration speeches or congratulatory remarks at events is Kim Hak-eui, the former vice minister of justice who was at the center of a major scandal involving sex parties and sexual assault videos. A simple Google search of “sohwenanpa Kim Hak-eui” brings up a flood of news articles.

The film’s prosecutor, Gu Gwan-hee, is brimming with ambition, though he mostly keeps it in check, like pressing down on a stepper machine, one step at a time. But there is a moment when that bottled-up desire erupts when he declares, “A prosecutor in Korea can make a president.” Actor Yoo Hae-jin even added a profanity at the end of the line for emphasis. “I begged the director not to cut that curse word from the scene because it was absolutely necessary for that moment,” Yoo said.

We have witnessed more than just prosecutors making a president. We have seen one become president himself, only to be ousted from office. That is why Yoo’s explosive curse word, which could have come off as cliché, instead lands with a sharp, cathartic punch.