This is an unusual situation for the Korean film industry: a film with LEE Sung-min is competing against another one of his movies. The Witness has topped the local box office and has grossed USD 10.6 million (KRW 11.9 billion), surpassing The Spy Gone North, the previous owner of the title. The Spy Gone North, in which LEE earned rave reviews for his performance, has so far sold 4,040,502 tickets, while LEE’s lead thriller The Witness brought 1,365,459 moviegoers in its opening week. Since TV series Misaeng (2014), LEE’s popularity never ceased to rise. After appearing as a supporting actor for a long time, he has now become a true box office star; and his film’s records of the past five years are a clear proof of this. A Violent Prosecutor (2016) with GANG Dong-won was a hit, as was the unexpected mid-budget comedy-thriller The Sheriff In Town (2017). But LEE’s performances this year are even more remarkable: The Spy Gone North and The Witness are topping the Korean box office while upcoming crime drama Drug King, due for release later this year, is long-awaited and expected to feature another brilliant performance from LEE.