Gangnam 1970) is a 2015 South Korean neo-noir action film[2][3] written and directed by Yoo Ha, and starring Lee Min-ho and Kim Rae-won.
[4][5] The film is set in the 1970s against the backdrop of the real estate development of the Gangnam region of Seoul amidst socio-political turmoil and terrorism.
Childhood friends, Jong-dae (Lee Min-ho) and Yong-ki (Kim Rae-won) struggle to get by, until their shanty homes are demolished by local thugs.
Meanwhile, Yong-ki has risen as a made man inside Seoul's most powerful criminal organization, the Myeongdong-pa, under Yang Ki-taek (Jung Ho-bin).
While the gangs fight over the rights to various plots and to maintain dominance in the power structure, Yong-ki betrays his people and eliminates opposition with Jong-dae.
This was the final film in director-screenwriter Yoo Ha's "street series" trilogy, after Once Upon a Time in High School (2004) and A Dirty Carnival (2006).
But after being convinced by his wife, Yoo realized the potentially huge impact of "flower boy"[14] actors completely transforming their image, and together they collaborated to "burn to the ground" Lee's previous screen persona as a chaebol's son.
[25] The film was released with a different cut for the Chinese market in March 2015, in order to capitalize on Lee Min-ho's big fan base in the region.