Yaksha: Ruthless Operations () is a 2022 South Korean spy action film directed by Na Hyeon. The film stars Sol Kyung-gu and Park Hae-soo. Based in Shenyang, China, the film revolves around a leader of an espionage agency's black ops team, and a prosecutor who was demoted to the espionage agency. The film was released worldwide on April 8, 2022 on Netflix.
Plot
After a botched attempt to prosecute Lee Chan-young, chairman of Sangin Group, Han Ji-hoon, a prosecutor from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, is demoted to the legal support office of the NIS. Ji-hoon eagerly takes up an assignment declined by his superior and prosecutor Park and is sent by Director Yeom to inspect the NIS Shenyang branch, a highly classified black ops base involved with North Korean counter-intelligence. The Black Team is led by Ji Kang-in and fronted as Samjin Travel Agency. After upsetting Kang-in by intervening in an operation, Kang-in has Ji-hoon framed for prostitution and using illegal drugs to test his skills at improvising a response.
Ji-hoon climbs out the hotel window where the drugs were planted to flee police, thus passing the test, and he officially joins the team at its secret base. Kang-in is briefed on the mission to extract Moon Byung-uk, the head of Room 39, part of the North Korean Central Committee involved in maintaining the Kim family's slush funds. Moon intends to defect South Korea, but the extraction fails when he is pursued by various parties who wants the information he holds. The team manages to secure Moon's adult daughter Ju-yeon. When they intend to torture her for information on her father, Ji-hoon allows her to escape. The Black Team tracks Ju-yeon to Moon's safe house, only to find they have been set up by Yoshinobu Ozawa for the murder of Moon and kidnapping of Ju-yeon.
With Chinese cops on their heels, the Black Team cleans out the travel agency and destroys its secret base. The team refuses to leave Shenyang and regroups to extricate Ju-yeon from the Japanese consulate. Ji-hoon escapes with Ju-yeon, who reveals the information held by her father and where it is stored. Threatened by Ozawa with his family's lives, Ji-hoon works with the Black Team to deceive the former that Kang-in is dead. Kang-in prevents Ju-yeon from deleting the list under Ozawa's threat and Ji-hoon dupes Ozawa to delete the list, triggering a program to disseminate the information, exposing all of Ozawa's double agents. Ozawa dies and Director Yeom gets arrest. Ji-hoon returns to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and prosecutes the Sangin Group chairman. Kang-in contacts Ji-hoon and the Black Team members, who have settled around the world, to gather in London for an unknown dangerous mission.
Cast
Main
Sol Kyung-gu as Ji Kang-in, head of the Shenyang branch of the NIS and nicknamed "Yaksha". Willing to go to any means, including breaking the law, to achieve the branch's missions. Park Hae-soo as Han Ji-hoon, a former prosecutor from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and inspector to the NIS Shenyang Branch. In contrast to Kang-in, he believes justice should be upheld through law. At the end of the film, he returns to the Prosecution Office with a new perspective on justice. Hiroyuki Ikeuchi as Ozawa Yoshinobu, a Japanese spy disguised as a former Japanese intelligence officer and lobbyist. He sets up the Black Team for the murder of Moon Byung-uk.
Supporting
Samjin Travel Agency, the front business for the NIS Shenyang Branch (Black Team)
Yang Dong-geun as Section Chief Hong, an agent of the Black Team later revealed to be a mole working for Director Yeom. Lee El as Hee-won, a veteran senior agent of the Black Team. Song Jae-rim as Jae-gyu, an agent of the Black Team. Park Jin-young as Jeong-dae, the youngest member of the Black Team.
Headquarters of National Intelligence Agency (NIS)
Jin Kyung as Yeom Jeong-won, Director of the 4th Bureau in charge of NIS foreign intelligence activities. Suspicious of the Black Team's activities, she sends Ji-hoon to Shenyang. Later revealed to be working for Ozawa Yoshinobu and had successfully turned NIS agents into moles. The Black Team ambushes her and hands her over to Ji-hoon at the end of the series.