Spy () is a 2015 South Korean television series based on the Israeli drama The Gordin Cell but modified to depict North/South Korean relations. A family drama with spy thriller elements, it starred Kim Jae-joong as a genius analyst working for the National Intelligence Service (NIS), while Bae Jong-ok played his mother, an ex-spy from North Korea.
SPY aired two episodes a week back to back on Fridays on KBS2 from January 9 to March 6, 2015 for a total of 16 episodes.
Plot The fictional story begins after the execution of real-life North Korean general Jang Sung-taek. One day an order comes down from North Korea, reactivating erstwhile spy Park Hye-rim who has spent decades in South Korea as an ordinary housewife. She is given the mission to turn and bring in her own son, Kim Sun-woo. Cool-headed, quick-witted genius Sun-woo is an information analyst on North Korea working for the NIS. His girlfriend Yoon-jin is a tour guide for Chinese tourists who cannot speak Chinese, and they fell in love when Sun-woo helped her translate. Hye-rim is suddenly forced to choose between her son and country, and risks her life to see the choice through.
Cast and characters
Main characters ActorCharacterDescriptionNIS North Korean information analyst In front of his parents, he hides as a normal public official, but in fact, he is a genius analyst who has outstanding abilities in information analysis. He always takes care of his family, his girlfriend and his colleagues with a warm heart and maturity.Sun-woo's mother; A former spy The instinct of a spy is still left in her. Like an obsessive-compulsive disorder patient, she is a little wary of people around her and tries to make everything in her family perfect. However, she cherishes and loves her son and her family more than anyone. North Korean agent Agent who comes to reorganize the spy line in South Korea but he does not work by himself. He just picks the people who become the pawns in his chessboard. This time the sacrificial lamb of his intelligent play is the peaceful and happy family of Hye-rim and Sun-woo.Sun-woo's girlfriend Mysterious woman with many secrets. She claims to be an orphan but it is revealed later on that this is not true. However, she is very nice and caring just like Sun-woo. Just when she dreams about a happy family with Sun-woo, she could not have expected that she would face the opposition of his mother, Hye-rim.
Kim's family ActorCharacterDescription Sun-woo's father, Hye-rim's husband He is an executive of an IT security company. In love with Hye-rim, even knowing that she was a North Korean spy, they got married. He compromises with North Korean Intelligence Agency to monitor his son Sun-woo in order to collect intelligence information.Sun-woo's sister, Hye-rim's daughter She is a high-school student who is suffering from her demanding mother and tons of classwork. Despite the high pressure from her mother and her school she is very much a bright and cheery girl.
Members of NIS ActorCharacterDescriptionSun-woo's colleague A man who likes cracking jokes and flirting with girls. Unlike his appearance, he is an expert in obtaining intelligence information. He has once been the ACE of NIS, made a mistake and lost his teammate. He is now a sinecure in the organization.조달환, KBS '스파이' 합류…김재중과 호흡 TVREPORTSun-woo's boss Chief of the analyzing team. He and Hyun-tae joined NIS in the same period of time, good at playing political games. He pays special regard to Sun-woo's strengths and abilities, tries to train Sun-woo to become his right-hand man.Sun-woo's colleague A subtle competition exists between Eun-ah and Sun-woo because of her exceptional abilities. However, as she starts working in the same team as Sun-woo, her feelings for him begin to change. NIS Vice-chief Flattering the superiors is his stock in trade to get promoted.
Ki-chul's men ActorCharacterDescriptionKi-chul's assistant North Korean agent who works with the NIS
Episodes
No.SummaryIn a dark alley of Shenyang, China, Kim Sun-woo speaks with his mother on the phone, reassuring her that he is traveling up from Busan. He climbs into a car, a briefcase in hand, but barely drives off a few yards before a truck slams into the car. The driver who sits next to Sun-woo (who is later revealed to be his work-partner) is stabbed to death. The man who orders the attack spares Sun-woo from the same fate due to a family photo found inside his wallet. His briefcase is stolen along with some personal belongings to mask the attack as a robbery. Sun-woo is sent back to Seoul injured. Later, he is questioned at the National Intelligence Service (NIS) headquarters in regards to his failed operation. No one understands why Sun-woo's life was spared. Chief Song takes the opportunity to reassign Sun-woo to his team as an analyst.
Sun-woo wants to bring his girlfriend, Lee Yoon-jin, home to introduce to his family. However, Sun-woo is late because of traffic, Yoon-jin has to face a challenge by meeting Sun-woo's anxious, over-protective mother. Her attempts to endear herself to Sun-woo's mother by revealing that they are from the same hometown in China are met with suspicion.
Sun-woo and Agent Hyun-tae are appointed to meet a North Korean female secret agent. Hyun-tae is displeased that Sun-woo has not brought a gun with him so he intends to pull out and arrange another rendezvous location, but Sun-woo decides to head in himself because they may not have another opportunity like this. They eventually bring the girl to their headquarters. The girl, Soo-yeon, is interviewed by Sun-woo's female co-worker Noh Eun-ah to put Soo-yeon at ease. Eun-ah's aggressive interrogation style, however, upsets Soo-yeon and she refuses to say anything else until Sun-woo volunteers to speak with her. Sun-woo eventually finds the location where she was held after asking Soo-yeon a few questions. Soo-yeon begs Sun-woo to rescue her family from North Korea.
Back at home, someone rings the bell, Sun-woo's mother goes to answer the door and opens it. Mom is scared to death when an unexpected male guest appears. The visitor, Hwang Ki-chul, is a North Korean spy and Mom's workmate from when she was an active agent in China. He is now an apparent ghost from her past. Ki-chul comes on business and asks Mom to take an order or risk giving up her perfect family.
While interrogating Soo-yeon, Sun-woo becomes aware that the "scarred man" who kidnapped her and executed her comrades is the same man who spared him in China but killed his partner. Soo-yeon argues that she doesn't know much but she is willing to cooperate and in exchange begs for the NIS agents to save her family by helping them escape from North Korea. Sun-woo tells her that they can't guarantee the safety of her family in the North. They can only take care of her while she is with them. Soo-yeon claims that there is a supervisor who can be paid for his services and that he will bring her family to the South. Hyun-tae suddenly bursts into the interrogation room to demand Soo-yeon a number of questions about her supervisor.
Sun-woo is upset when he learns that Chief Song reassigned him to a desk job. Sun-woo insists that he is made for the field and has recovered from his injury, but Chief Song is not persuaded.
A nightmare returns Sun-woo to the scene of the crash and he wakes up in Yoon-jin's home. It seems that the nightmares are nothing new to her. She is worried about him, but he hides what he was dreaming about and wipes her worries with ease.
While mom sits in on Young-seo's class, Ki-chul calls the cellphone he secretly left in her handbag. He instructs her to take a bag out of one of the nearby lockers, threatening to expose her identity to the whole nation if she disobeys. Mom takes the bag to the location provided by Ki-chul after disguising herself in bargain store clothes. Ki-chul calls her to leave the bag at a subway terminal, saying that someone will collect it after she leaves. While Mom is turning her back to leave, the bag behind her explodes. Mom hurries back home and Ki-chul's call follows. He admits the subway explosion was a setup to get Mom under his control for the real task ahead. Mom is shocked to learn from Ki-chul that her son is not a simple government employee but an exceptional field agent of the NIS. Ki-chul comments that while Sun-woo is not as good as she was in her prime he is fast, strong and adept at deceiving people.
"Hand Kim Sun-woo over to me, then you will be free." Ki-chul instructs. Mom refuses to believe that Sun-woo is actually a spy, but when she calls his work number, the person on the other line verifies that Sun-woo has been transferred to another department three years ago and that the business trip to Busan Sun-woo had told her he attended was cancelled.
Sun-woo discovered that the interrogation process has ceased, and Soo-yeon, the North Korean agent will speak out in a press conference tomorrow morning. Sun-woo visits Hyun-tae. Hyun-tae reminds Sun-woo that it would be better for him to give up any idea on Soo-yeon's case, but Sun-woo says that he would never forget the scarred man who killed his fellow agent in China.
Mom heads to the bank to withdraw all of her money from her accounts but discovered that it was taken out two days ago. Later, she also discovers that none of her credit cards work either. Ki-chul appears and warns Mom to not try to run away alone and leave her family behind. Ki-chul offers to meet either Mom or Sun-woo that night. Dad receives a goodbye text from Mom so he runs out from his workplace to chase her. Mom tells her husband that Hwang Ki-chul is here he wants Sun-woo to work for him. Their son, Sun-woo, is not a simple government employee but works as an NIS agent. Dad insists that they should tackle the difficulty ahead together.
Sun-woo finds Eun-ah sitting alone in a bar looking depressed after her blind date did not go well. Sun-woo drinks with her and gets to know more about his team from her.
When the designated time draws near, Dad insists to go with his wife to meet Ki-chul. As they meet Ki-chul, Mom were forced to call Sun-woo over but she refuses to do so. The couple want to become spies in Sun-woo's place. Ki-chul agrees to let the parents do the spying in her son's stead, he demands Mom to hack Sun-woo's cellphone and computer, and reports Sun-woo's activities to him.
Sun-woo commits to Chief Song that he has an idea to capture the North Korean spy in-charge. Song calls a meeting, Sun-woo's plan is to turn Soo-yeon into a double agent and send her back out into the field. However, Song plans to let Soo-yeon meeting the in-charge directly and then capture him. Song leaves all the planning to Sun-woo.
Sun-woo conveys the double agent idea to Soo-yeon, who agrees as long as she can get enough money to resettle herself and her family abroad when it's all over. Even though Hyun-tae is in his ear telling him not to promise anything, Sun-woo assures to Soo-yeon that he will do his best. Soo-yeon makes a phone call to Ki-chul, claiming that she has found the money he requested and has information about the supervisor he may want to know. Ki-chul promises to fix a time and place to meet.