# Woochi
**Woochi** (전우치; also released internationally as *Woochi: The Demon Slayer* or *Jeon Woochi: The Taoist Wizard*) is a 2009 South Korean fantasy action film written and directed by Choi Dong-hoon, in which a Joseon-era Taoist wizard framed for his master's murder is sealed inside a painted scroll and released 500 years later in modern Seoul to fight goblins threatening the world.[1](https://www.koreafilm.co.kr/movie/jeonwoochi/jwc_6.htm) • [2](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=24978) It was marketed as the first Korean-style hero movie and drew 6,136,928 admissions in South Korea.[3](https://www.bntnews.co.kr/article/view/bnt200912150134) • [2](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=24978)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | December 23, 2009 (South Korea); 136 minutes; rated 12 and over[1](https://www.koreafilm.co.kr/movie/jeonwoochi/jwc_6.htm) |
| Director and writer | Choi Dong-hoon, then known for *The Big Swindle* (2004) and *Tazza: The High Rollers* (2006)[4](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/woochi/5009333.article) |
| Production | Zip Cinema; distributed by CJ Entertainment; budget in the 10-billion-won range (about $12 million)[2](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=24978) • [5](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/200910271608303/amp) • [6](https://cinegraph.org/movies/woochi-the-demon-slayer-2009) |
| Lead cast | Gang Dong-won (Jeon Woo-chi), Kim Yoon-seok (Hwadam), Lim Soo-jung (Seo In-gyeong), Yoo Hae-jin (Chorangyi), Baek Yoon-sik (Cheongwan Daesa), Yum Jung-ah (the Actress)[1](https://www.koreafilm.co.kr/movie/jeonwoochi/jwc_6.htm) |
| Source | Adapted from the classic novel *Jeon Woochi-jeon*, reworked as a modern Seoul story[5](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/200910271608303/amp) |
| Box office | 1.79 million admissions in the first week; 6,136,928 total admissions[7](https://sports.donga.com/article/all/20091228/25082590/1) • [2](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=24978) |
| Genre positioning | Fantasy action comedy presented as Korea's first homegrown superhero film[3](https://www.bntnews.co.kr/article/view/bnt200912150134) |
## Spoilers
### Story
The film opens 500 years in the past, in the [Joseon dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/joseon-dynasty). When the legendary flute Manpasikjeok falls into the hands of goblins and chaos spreads, immortals ask the era's greatest Taoist master, Cheongwan Daesa (Baek Yoon-sik), and the wizard Hwadam ([Kim Yoon-seok](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-yoon-seok)) to seal the creatures and split the flute in two, each keeping half.[2](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=24978) Cheongwan's wayward disciple Jeon Woo-chi (Gang Dong-won) uses his transformation magic to deceive the king and cause an uproar; when the master is then found murdered and half the flute missing, Woo-chi is framed for the killing and sealed inside a painted scroll along with his dog Chorangyi ([Yoo Hae-jin](https://www.edgepedia.org/yoo-hae-jin)).[2](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=24978) • [8](https://outnow.ch/en/Movies/2009/Woochi/Review/)
In 2009 Seoul, the sealed goblins reappear and the immortals, now living quietly as a priest, a monk, and a fortune-teller, summon Woo-chi and Chorangyi from the scroll, which has become a museum exhibit. They promise full release if he captures the creatures, but Woo-chi is more interested in exploring the changed world and in romancing Seo In-gyeong (Lim Soo-jung), who has the same face as a woman he loved centuries earlier.[2](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=24978) Hwadam, who murdered the master and has survived into the present accumulating money and power, reappears to pursue the flute halves and reunite them to call forth the demon underworld, setting up the final confrontation.[8](https://outnow.ch/en/Movies/2009/Woochi/Review/)
## Production and style
Choi Dong-hoon took the hero character and Taoist magic (dosul) from the classical novel *Jeon Woochi-jeon* and rebuilt the story against modern Seoul, using Korean materials rather than imported genre conventions.[5](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/200910271608303/amp) He said he wanted to make a film he would enjoy himself, inspired by telling fairy tales to his nephews, and the resulting 12-and-over rating marked a departure from his earlier adult-rated films: violence is stylized, with no graphic bloodshed.[3](https://www.bntnews.co.kr/article/view/bnt200912150134) The action was choreographed by Jung Doo-hong and Heo Myeong-haeng, with visual effects supervised by Jo Yong-suk; reviewers praised both as skillfully and creatively executed.[1](https://www.koreafilm.co.kr/movie/jeonwoochi/jwc_6.htm) • [4](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/woochi/5009333.article) Choi described aiming for an absurd, comical kind of spectacle rather than grandeur, such as an immortal stuck helplessly against a wall and Woo-chi chasing a car on foot, to preserve the humor of the classical source.[9](https://v.daum.net/v/20100126173808832)
## Reception and box office
The film opened on December 23, 2009 against [James Cameron](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-cameron)'s *Avatar*, and the two films together drew about 6 million admissions over two weeks.[7](https://sports.donga.com/article/all/20091228/25082590/1) Woochi's first-week total of 1.79 million was the second-highest Korean opening to that point, behind only *Haeundae*, and it set the year's highest opening score and fastest 1.5-million mark among Korean films.[7](https://sports.donga.com/article/all/20091228/25082590/1) It passed 5 million admissions in late January 2010, the level Choi identified as its break-even point, and finished at 6,136,928.[9](https://v.daum.net/v/20100126173808832) • [2](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=24978)
Critical response was mixed. Screen's review called it a handsomely mounted but somewhat unfocused blockbuster that lacked the drive of Choi's previous work and ran too long at 136 minutes, while crediting its distinctive characters and strong performances, particularly from Yoo Hae-jin and Kim Yoon-seok.[4](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/woochi/5009333.article) Cine21's panel of critics averaged 6.13 out of 10, with audience ratings at 7.48.[2](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=24978) Common criticisms were a sprawling, at times confusing plot and heavy comic interludes; supporters highlighted the tongue-in-cheek humor, the likeable characters, and the inventive goblin designs, including a giant rabbit and a giant rat.[10](https://www.filmaluation.com/woochi-the-demon-slayer.html) • [8](https://outnow.ch/en/Movies/2009/Woochi/Review/) Choi himself acknowledged the charge that the film was scattered but disagreed with it, saying he had deliberately widened the gaps between dramatic beats compared with his tighter earlier films.[9](https://v.daum.net/v/20100126173808832)
## Legacy
The film established a template for Korean fantasy blockbusters built on classical literature and Taoist magic. Choi returned to similar material, sorcery interwoven with past and present settings, in *Alienoid* (2022); after that film drew harsh reviews for its sprawling structure, some Korean commentary reevaluated Woochi for its cleaner use of its characters and cast.[11](https://namu.moe/w/%EC%A0%84%EC%9A%B0%EC%B9%98%28%EC%98%81%ED%99%94%29) The story was also adapted for television: a 2012 KBS fusion period drama titled *Jeon Woo-chi*, starring [Cha Tae-hyun](https://www.edgepedia.org/cha-tae-hyun) as the wizard, drew on the same classical novel with romance, action, and comedy, and was set entirely in the Joseon era rather than moving between periods.[12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Up8KEsGtFQ)
## References
1. [전우치 staff and cast page, Korea Film Archive (KOFA)](https://www.koreafilm.co.kr/movie/jeonwoochi/jwc_6.htm)
2. [전우치 (Jeon Woochi) detail page, Cine21](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=24978)
3. ["'넉살' 좋은 영화 '전우치'", bntnews, December 15, 2009](https://www.bntnews.co.kr/article/view/bnt200912150134)
4. ["Woochi" review, Darcy Paquet, Screen Daily, January 4, 2010](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/woochi/5009333.article)
5. ["[영화세상] '전우치', 흥미진진한 캐릭터 포스터 공개", Sports Kyunghyang, October 27, 2009](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/200910271608303/amp)
6. [Woochi: The Demon Slayer, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/movies/woochi-the-demon-slayer-2009)
7. ["'전우치' '아바타' 세밑 쌍끌이 흥행몰이, 신기록 행진", Sports Donga, December 28, 2009](https://sports.donga.com/article/all/20091228/25082590/1)
8. ["Film Review – Jeon Woochi: The Taoist Wizard", OutNow](https://outnow.ch/en/Movies/2009/Woochi/Review/)
9. ["아바타 열풍 속 관객 500만명 돌파 '전우치' 감독 최동훈", Kukmin Ilbo via Daum, January 26, 2010](https://v.daum.net/v/20100126173808832)
10. ["Woochi: The Demon Slayer", Filmaluation, November 4, 2012](https://www.filmaluation.com/woochi-the-demon-slayer.html)
11. [전우치(영화), Namu wiki](https://namu.moe/w/%EC%A0%84%EC%9A%B0%EC%B9%98%28%EC%98%81%ED%99%94%29)
12. ["'전우치' 차태현" interview, KBS via YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Up8KEsGtFQ)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works) › Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2000s › Fantasy films of the 2000s*
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