Han-ki, a gangster and pimp spots a pretty student, Sun-hwa, sitting on a park bench and instantly falls in love with her. The presence of the girl’s boyfriend does not deter him from giving her a kiss. Rejected, yet still strongly attracted to her, he starts to devise a plan to humiliate her. Sun-hwa will be blackmailed, bankrupted and offered no alternative but to work in Hang ki's brothel.

Bad Guy is Kim's first big budget film and also his first box office hit (700,000 people saw the film in South Korea - with the majority of its audience being young women). The film was invited to compete in the Berlin Film Festival, elevating Kim Ki-duk to a major director.

Awards:

2002    Fukuoka Asian Film Festival - Grand Prix
2002    Grand Bell Awards, South Korea - Grand Bell Award for Best New Actress:Seo Won
2002    Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival - Orient Express Award