12 years after the original, director KWAK Kyung-taek returns with Friend 2, once again exploring the world of gangsters that made him a hit director in 2001. In this sequel, the action will take place both in 1963 and 2013. The modern day events follow on from where the original left off with YOO Oh-seong reprising his role as the gangster Joon-seok while the young KIM Woo-bin has joined the cast as Seong-hoon, the son of Dong-soo, who was played by JANG Dong-gun in the original. Also joining the cast is KWAK stalwart JOO Jin-mo as LEE Cheol-joo, a former gangster and Joon-seok’s father. The film begins with Joon-seok’s release from jail for the murder of his friend Dong-soo.

Following the original’s stellar performance (it brought in over eight million viewers) KWAK found success with a series of action films and dramas such as Mutt Boy (2003), Typhoon (2005) and Love (2007). The events of the original Friend were partly based on KWAK’s early life, growing up in Busan.