Latest news with #Baek
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Trigger Ending Explained: Does Kim Nam Gil's Netflix thriller have a happy ending and who survives the rampage of gunplay?
Trigger is a new Korean drama streaming on Netflix, spotlighting South Korea's escalating violence through a world where deadly guns suddenly start appearing across the country. The show is set in a fictional version of Korea, where strict gun laws are ignored and illegal firearms flood the streets. It follows the story of Lee Do and Moon Baek, two men whose lives were wrecked by gun-related crimes but who grew up in completely different circumstances. One is hell-bent on destroying the country, that failed to protect him; the other tries to stay on the right side of the system. Here's breaking down the ending of Trigger. Spoiler Alert The villain of the story is Moon Baek (Kim Young Kwang). With only six months to live, he facilitates the entry of a powerful black-market arms group called the International Rifle Union (IRU) into the country using his old connections. Baek was trafficked from Korea to the U.S. for his organs as a kid. He was later rescued by the IRU, who raised him as one of their own. Jake, one of the group's higher-ups, saw something valuable in the desperate, vengeful boy, and used it. As an adult, Baek returns to Korea, knowing he's dying of cancer, and starts laying the groundwork to unleash chaos. His plan is to hand over guns to people already pushed to the edge including bullied workers, struggling citizens, and let them crack. For Baek, the 'trigger' lives in their hearts. All it needs is a reason to be pulled. Also read: Wall to wall ending explained: Who's the real noise maker in Kang Ha Neul's Netflix psychological thriller? On the other side of the system is Lee Do (Kim Nam Gil), who is not a staunch supporter of gun culture, despite having served in South Korea's military. He carries a traumatic past, as his mother and brother were murdered during a robbery when he was a child. However, unlike Baek, he was rescued by Captain Jo, a father figure who raised him with the same love he gave his own daughter, and trained him to stay on the right path. But, as the situation starts getting worse with a record number of violence being recorded, Lee Do does everything he can to stop the spread of violence. He tries not to use a gun, but as shootings increase, he's forced to pick one up again. When Lee Do starts getting on Moon Baek's nerves, he grows intrigued by this cop, and to get closer to him, he acts as just another recipient of one of the illegal weapons and offers his help in trying to stop shootings. Do, however, recognises his ill intent. After escaping police, Baek goes after Captain Jo too. When Jo's daughter is driven to suicide by a scam, he takes matters into his own hands and chases the scammers with a gun. Lee Do stops him just in time, reminding him that revenge won't ease the pain. 'How did you bear this pain at such a young age?' Jo asks Do. 'It was all thanks to you, Captain.' But Baek, who is the mastermind behind everything, is not a fan of what he's seeing, so he shoots both Jo and Do. Jo dies, and Do wakes up to a country already driven mad into chaos. Time takes a brief leap. Now, the public is terrified. People are buying guns for self-protection. The president is considering martial law. Baek organizes a 'Free Guns' rally, where he plans to turn the city into a warzone. He soon drives a truck full of guns into a crowd, throws smoke bombs. Baek's final goal is for Lee Do to shoot him, as the shooting sound would cause the crowd to go mad and eventually everyone would start pulling the trigger to save their lives. But, Do refuses. He instead asks him, 'Wouldn't pulling a 5-milimeter trigger in pursuit of revenge spread fear in the minds of many?' To which Baek replies, 'All I did was hand them a gun. It's up to them whether they pull the trigger.' Baek disappears in the smoke. Also read: 'Kim Taehyung makes me feel I can't afford…': BLACKPINK's choreographer reveals how working with BTS' V changed her Later in the crowd, Do finds a crying boy in the crowd holding a gun and drops his weapon to hug him. This moment gets captured live, and suddenly, people watching realise what's at stake. The violence stops. The image of Lee Do hugging the boy becomes a symbol of peace. People begin turning in their guns, including a nurse who was about to kill her bullies. In the end, Baek is found shot, possibly by himself, and left in a coma. His condition is critical. Meanwhile, foreign IRU members plan their next move, and a woman is seen walking into Baek's hospital room, likely sent to finish the job. Lee Do survives and adopts the boy he saved. He continues to live by the same values Captain Jo taught him – protect, not punish. He picks up the boy from school and walks him home, trying to pass on the peace he fought so hard for.
Pink Villa
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Trigger Ending Explained: Is Kim Nam Gil Able to Stop Rampant Gunplay by Kim Young Kwang? Find Out
Netflix's new K-drama, Trigger, has got the fans hooked to the screen. The climax of the show included a high intensity of drama; the audience could not help but sit through the episodes till the last. The series revolves around Kam Nam Gil's character, who, along with other arms brokers, finds himself in a tense showdown. As for the laws, South Korea is strict over its gun policy, and the show, Trigger, stands for everything against the gun laws in the country. In the 10 episodes, the audience saw Lee Do, a police protagonist, as he saves the Korean society from falling into a panic state. Trigger ending explained In the final episode of the Korean show, Baek's actions got Do out of his job for a few days. When Lee Do wakes back up, he is heartbroken over learning about Captain Jo's death. The latter steps up as a chief mourner, as he mourns the death of Jo and his daughter. As for Baek, he went on to declare that whoever wants the gun in Korea will be able to get one. Following the announcement, public fear engulfs the country, as thousands of weapons are delivered to the populace. Moreover, the decision of providing the guns to the public becomes a topic of debate amongst the politicians. Further in the episode, Lee Do returns back to work. He remembers Baek's advice that the latter had provided him with over a dinner before realizing that Baek was villainous. 'Wouldn't pulling a 5-millimeter trigger in pursuit of revenge spread fear in the minds of many?' Do tell, Baek. He further states, 'Out of fear that they might die without a gun, everyone will rush to get one. And a society like that will soon be destroyed.' After a major fight sequence that takes place in the finale episode, Baek is in the hospital. When Do visits him, the doctor reveals that he is unlikely to recover due to cancer and the blood loss that happened following the gunshot wounds. Though the ending of Trigger isn't a happy one, it definitely provides hope to the fans. The police go on to conduct a drop-off drive to collect as many weapons from the country as possible. As for Lee Do, he de-escalates yet another day. He also adopts the child, in the echo of Captain Jo's words.
Time Magazine
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
Breaking Down the Ending of Netflix K-Drama 'Trigger'
If Trigger were a U.S. production, the action thriller that follows a police force as they deal with an influx of guns into their city wouldn't have a very novel premise. In the U.S., where gun violence was declared a public health crisis last year, there are more guns than there are people, with an estimated 120.5 guns per every 100 people. But in South Korea, where Trigger is set, there are only 0.2 guns per every 100 people. Korean gun control laws are strict, and the weapons are practically a non-issue when it comes to public safety. While gun violence does occur, as was the case last week when a father shot his adult son using a homemade gun, it is a rarity in Korea, where private gun ownership is uncommon. According to a 2022 article in the Korea Herald, private guns are intended for shooting athletes, manufacturers and sellers of firearms, and for those who need them for construction or as props in film or TV production. Licensed hunters may apply for gun ownership, but they must go through a rigorous qualification process and are only allowed to keep their guns at home during hunting season. Other times of the year, the firearms must be stored at the local police department. Otherwise, only authorized personnel in security-related fields can be in possession of firearms, and often, police officers choose not to carry them. Trigger envisions a world where gun control laws in Korea are ignored Trigger, a Netflix K-drama from writer-director Kwon Oh-seung (Midnight), imagines what would happen if all of these regulations were ignored, and unregistered, highly deadly firearms started streaming mysteriously and rapidly into the country. Across 10 anxiety-inducing episodes, we follow police protagonist Lee Do (Island's Kim Nam-gil) as he tries to keep Korean society from falling into a panic-induced frenzy, and succumbing to a status quo where gun violence is the norm. The thriller is simultaneously a parable for Korean viewers and a mirror for American viewers, who already live in a society where buying a gun can take as few as five clicks. Who is behind the gun plot in Trigger? The guns in Trigger are being funneled into the country by the fictional International Rifle Union (IRU), a black market arms dealer with immense political and economic power globally. The person behind the plan is Moon Baek (Evilive's Kim Young-kwang). Baek stumbles upon the IRU when as a kid, looking for revenge after being trafficked from Korea to the United States for his organs. Jake, one of the organization's higher-ups, sees something valuable in the desperate, vengeful kid. He raises Baek to be a part of the organization. The IRU's entrance into Korea is facilitated by Baek, who has been diagnosed with six months to live due to cancer. While Baek presumably presents the plan to Jake as a business opportunity, he is really looking for retribution against the country that failed him. Upon his arrival in Korea, Baek murders the man who made his childhood a living hell. He hides bullets in the ceiling of the man's apartment, a signal to officials that everything in Korea is about to change. Baek uses some local gangsters, posing as regular mail couriers, to distribute the guns. He targets individuals who are marginalized for some reason or another. Many of them are physically and mentally bullied by the people in their lives. 'Everyone carries a trigger in their heart,' a psychologist says early in the show's run. Trigger implies that everyone is capable of violence, and it is the job of a functional society not to give its citizens access to a weapon that can so easily lead to violent self-destruction. Lee Do's backstory explained Lee Do serves as a counterpoint to Baek's nihilistic ruthlessness. While Do's childhood may not have been quite as horrific, he didn't have it easy. His parents and brother were killed during a home robbery when he was just a child. Immediately following the incident, Do takes a gun off of Captain Jo's (Kim Won-hae) desk and aims it at the man who killed his family, intending to pull the trigger. The captain talks him out of it, but the moment is a formative one for Do. Jo raises Do as his own, alongside his daughter. Decades later, Lee Do is the Platonic ideal of a policeman, protecting the vulnerable and preferring de-escalation to violence. Until guns start appearing amongst the civilian population, Do chooses not to use a gun himself, still haunted by the lives he took during his years as a soldier. When gun violence starts ramping up, he decides to pick up a gun once again—but only when it is necessary to take someone down. Moon Baek kills Captain Jo While Trigger has a complex cast of characters, Lee Do and Moon Baek are the protagonist and antagonist at its center. Both suffered tragedy as children. One was given the support they needed to become a happy, healthy adult. The other was not, and has grown into a ruthless killer as a result. While Lee Do wants to protect the innocent (and even the guilty) around him, Moon Baek wants to see people suffer like he has. Gun violence is his method. When Lee Do starts getting in Moon Baek's way, the criminal mastermind becomes intrigued by the stalwart cop. To get closer to him, he poses as just another recipient of one of the illegal weapons, and offers his 'help' in trying to stop various shootings. Do almost immediately identifies Baek as one of the people behind the organized influx of guns. However, when the police go to arrest Baek, he uses his immense resources to slip between their fingers and continue to wreak havoc. Captain Jo, Do's surrogate dad, becomes one of Baek's desperate targets when a jeonse fraud drives his daughter to suicide. Jo finds the men who scammed his daughter, confronting them at a karaoke room. When they show no remorse, he starts firing. Lee Do arrives on the scene once Captain Jo has followed one of the men outside. He convinces Jo to put the gun down, asking him not to let the feeling that killing the man will help fool him in this moment. 'How did you bear this pain at such a young age?' Jo asks Do. 'It was all thanks to you, Captain,' Do tells him, embracing his distraught father figure. Baek, who has orchestrated the entire scenario to drive up public anxiety around shootings and to break Do's resolve, doesn't like how the scenario ends. He comes out of the shadows to shoot both Captain Jo and Lee Do. 'Just wait and see,' Baek tells Do as he loses consciousness. 'You'll wake up to a whole new world.' The ending of Trigger explained As intended by Baek, Do is out of the action for at least a few days following the incident. When he wakes back up, he is devastated to learn that Captain Jo has died. He grieves Jo and her daughter, acting as the chief mourner at their funeral. Meanwhile, Baek has announced to the public that anyone who wants a gun in Korea can get one. Public fear is at an all-time high as thousands of weapons are delivered to the populace, and incidents of gun violence become more common as a result. On the news, political pundits begin to debate whether gun ownership should be legalized in Korea. The president is considering martial law. A 'Free Guns' rally is organized by Baek to pit the two sides of the argument against one another. Lee Do leaves the funeral in order to attend. Baek has a truck filled with boxes of weapons driven into the middle of the rally. Chaos breaks out as people frantically grab the weapons, thinking they need them to protect themselves. Baek sets off smoke bombs to further confuse the crowd. As Lee Do makes his way to Baek, he remembers a philosophical argument they had over dinner, before Do realized Baek's villainy. 'Wouldn't pulling a 5-milimeter trigger in pursuit of revenge spread fear in the minds of many?' Do told Baek. 'Out of fear that they might die without a gun, everyone will rush to get one. And a society like that will soon be destroyed.' Baek wants to create that society, and he is well on his way. 'It was this world that made the people angry,' he tells Do, making the bad faith argument. 'All I did was hand them a gun. It's up to them whether they pull the trigger.' In the smoky plaza, as scared people point guns at one another, Baek taunts Do. 'What I want is a single gun shot … that will make these people start shooting at each other' He wants Lee Do to be the one to pull the trigger. Baek disappears into the smoke and Do follows, gun drawn. Before he can find the man, a gun shot rings out. Baek has been shot, perhaps by his own hand. The plaza erupts into gunfire. In the chaos, Do sees a boy alone, crying for his mother, a gun in his hands. It is an echo of the boy he once was. Rather than defend himself, Do drops his gun and rushes to him. He embraces the child as the gunfire continues. 'It's okay. You're safe,' he tells him. The image is captured by a livestreamer on the scene. It stops nurse So-hyeon, whom we have been following throughout the series, from using a gun to kill the co-workers who bully her. Once the dust has settled, and scores of people are dead, the image of Lee Do embracing the scared child becomes a symbol of choosing empathy over violence. Later, we see the image at a memorial for the victims of the shooting. Another message at the memorial states: 'We will remember the innocent lives lost and work to create a safer world.' Does Moon Baek die at the end of Trigger? Baek is in a coma following the events of the firefight. The doctor tells Do, who visits Baek in the hospital, that he is unlikely to recover, due to his cancer and the blood loss sustained from the gunshot wound. Later, we see an English-speaking cabal of IRU members, including Jake, vaguely discussing their next business move. A woman walks into the wards where Baek is unconscious, presumably to kill him. Does Trigger have a happy ending? The ending of Trigger isn't happy, but it is hopeful. Across the country, the police hold illegal firearm drop-off drives to collect as many of the weapons as possible. One of the people who drops off a fun is nurse So-hyeon. "It took too long," she tells Officer Jang, who collects her signature. "You did the right thing,' he tells her. Lee Do survives to de-escalate another day. In an echo of what Captain Jo did for him, Do adopts the child he saved in the firefight. He picks the boy up from school, and holds his hand as he walks him home. Do is doing what he can.
Korea Herald
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
CJ ENM unveils plans to expand use of AI across content pipeline
Entertainment giant aims to streamline operations and cut costs with AI, spotlighting a new content strategy centered on AI-driven films, series and animation South Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM announced plans to expand its use of artificial intelligence across its content pipeline as part of a broader strategy to boost production and realize ideas that would otherwise be limited by budget constraints. During a press event Monday, the company said AI will be applied across four key areas: scriptwriting, production (such as the editing process), international distribution of content, and original content such as films and series developed using generative technology. Among its AI-driven projects is "Cat Biggie," a no-dialogue short-form animation about a cat who becomes a father to a baby chick. Created by a six-person team over five months, which is a fraction of the typical workforce and timeline, the 30-episode series will roll out globally on YouTube in July. Each episode will run for two minutes, and the series will be released for free to boost character recognition among global audiences, the company said. Jung Chang-ik, who created "Cat Biggie," said during Monday's CJ ENM Culture Talk event held at the company's Talent Studio in Seoul, that deploying AI significantly shortened the creation process. "In comparison to traditional animation production methods, which typically require at least 20 to 30 staff members and a development period of over one to two years when including the planning and development stages, our team of just six creators completed the project in only five months," said Jung. "This can truly be considered an innovative process, and it was made possible due to the integration of AI solutions," he said. Baek Hyun-jung, head of AI Business & Production at CJ ENM, emphasized the company's long-term vision for AI, citing two additional AI-based projects in development: the Greek mythology-inspired series "Legend" and the film "Apartment," both targeting late 2025 releases. Baek also pointed to AI's potential to unlock previously unattainable concepts, particularly in high-cost genres like sci-fi and fantasy. "As production costs and related factors continue to grow on a massive scale, the amount of content that can actually be produced each year is, in reality, very limited," she said. "Fantasy and sci-fi genres, in particular, require substantial budgets, which leads to genre-based limitations, especially when compared to Hollywood, where large-scale action blockbusters are produced much more frequently," she said. "Because these genres often involve astronomical production costs, no matter how many creative sci-fi or fantasy ideas exist, very few of them are actually realized. That's why our goal is to integrate AI-driven graphics technologies into traditional dramas and films, allowing us to tell richer stories and deliver higher-quality visuals without being restricted by subject matter," Baek added. One hurdle in AI-led production remains consistency, a critical component for serialized or long-form storytelling. "Even when using the same prompts, (AI is) very limited in generating identical characters or backgrounds. This makes it extremely challenging to produce video content with coherent storytelling. However, at CJ ENM, we are working to advance our solutions to ensure consistency tailored to the desired style," Baek explained.
The Review Geek
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Second Shot at Love – K-drama Episode 12 Recap, Review & Ending Explained
Episode 12 Episode 12 of Second Shot at Love begins with Geum-ju and Ui-joon heading to the nursing home. Mr Seo is drinking nearby and sees them. Geum-ju waits outside and calls the cops when Mr Seo goes after Ui-joon. Why did Nurse Baek abandon Ui-joon? Nurse Baek survives the stabbing and Geum-ju heads to her place to pick up some clothes. She ends up finding a letter which details why Baek left Ui-joon. A flashback shows that Baek gets pregnant with Ui-joon when she is in college. Her father disapproves and wants her to get an abortion. When she refuses, he forces her to give Ui-joon to Seo's mother and sends her abroad. She finally returns during Ui-joon's graduation. She keeps her identity a secret as she believes it would hurt less if he thought his mother had died. Once he becomes a doctor, she stays by his side. On his birthday, her father wants to meet her. It is why she swaps shifts with Nurse Jeong. After the murder, she promises to make Mr Seo pay for ruining Jeong and Ui-joon. At present, Ui-joon confronts her and she reveals that she was scared. The town ladies learn that Baek paid for all of Ui-joon's 'scholarships' and tuition. While the cops search for Mr Seo, there is also an investigation as Baek kidnapped him and held him captive in the nursing home. How does Ui-joon come to terms with the situation? Ui-joon isn't sure how to react to his mother and avoids Baek. She asks Geum-ju to stay by his side no matter what. She ends up revealing how he cut ties with Geum-ju because he was afraid Mr Seo would hurt her. Fortunately, Ui-joon has no such plans. He promises that he won't leave Geum-ju again to protect her. To lighten the mood, Geum-ju jokes that she will protect him. She helps him find Mr Seo but unfortunately, it is too late. Seo gets drunk and passes away at his mother's grave due to alcohol poisoning. Ui-joon holds his funeral but no one is present. Gradually, everyone from Bochun shows up and helps with the ceremony. Even the elderly patients send condolence wreaths. Ui-joon is overwhelmed and thinks he has failed as a doctor and a son. He also blames himself for Baek's injury. Geum-ju assures him that Baek endured it all so her son could find some happiness. In the end, he brings Nurse Baek to the funeral and accepts that it was alcohol that ruined Mr Seo. He also calls Nurse Baek his mother and thanks her for being by his side. She tears up as she calls him her son and they hug. How do Seon-wook and Hyeon-ju get together? Seon-wook runs away to Seoul as he has a hard time getting over Hyeon-ju. Seon-hwa is sick with worry and her mother-in-law comforts her. She regrets opposing Seon-hwa and Young-woong's marriage. No one can stop love and she urges Seon-hwa to be happy for Seon-wook and Hyeon-ju. Hyeon-ju tries to surreptitiously bring some food but Seon-hwa catches her. Hyeon-ju declares that she is ready to wait till Seon-hwa becomes her friend again. She accepts that Seon-wook's kindness kindled her feelings for him but she will let them go. However, Seon-hwa tells her not to give them up. Gwang-ok also urges Hyeon-ju to be courageous. Turns out Jeong-su and Gwang-ok have a rich guy-poor girl love story. She thought she would ruin him but soon realised that she could not live without him. She tells Hyeon-ju not to have any regrets. At present, Hyeon-ju finds Seon-wook. He is shocked that Seon-hwa gave her blessing and that Hyeon-ju wants to date him. He is overjoyed and they hug. How does it end for everyone? A year passes by. Nurse Baek's probation is over and she joins a cooking club. Geum-ju and Ui-joon are happy and still dating. At home, Ui-joon and Seon-wook often compete over the title of best future son-in-law. Ui-joon leaves the clinic and opens a hospital to treat alcoholism. Geum-ju goes to team dinners now but remains sober. At the end of Second Shot at Love Episode 12, Geum-ju and Ui-joon go on a run. She is still tempted by alcohol now and then. To distract her, he kisses her and she runs after him for more. The Episode Review With most of the drama wrapped up, Second Shot at Love Episode 12 gets emotional as it solely focuses on Ui-joon and his family. The K-drama continues with the theme of alcoholism but with Mr Seo, who ends up hurting his ex and dying because of it. However, there is too much going on, in fact, worthy of a whole K-drama instead of a one-episode subplot. Mr Seo goes from wanting money from Ui-joon to wanting to kill him as a way to get back at his ex. But it is never shown when Seo realises that Baek is back. It is not clear when they broke up and it doesn't make sense why Grandma Seo takes in the child of her teenage son's ex-girlfriend. If Baek's family is so powerful that they keep Nurse Baek abroad till she is a middle-aged woman, why do they stop caring once she returns and sticks by Ui-joon's side? If Mr Seo was such a bad man, why did he visit his mother's grave? There are too many plot holes that are never explained and it is a shame, as this storyline is quite intriguing. Unfortunately, this show was never about the Baek family drama. But by shoving it into the finale, the Hans don't get the finale they deserve. Geum-ju becomes a secondary character in her own show. Hyeon-ju and Seon-wook barely get any space to wrap up their love story. And apart from a few passing comments about the Hans' alcoholism, it is never brought up again. All in all, as a stand-alone episode, this one works as a strong foundation for a thriller that we will never get, and ends up as a disappointing final episode for the show it actually belongs to. Previous Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
