Jo In-sung's 'HUMINT' Hits #1 on Netflix Globally With 11 Million Views

Korean action spy thriller HUMINT debuted at the top of Netflix's global non-English film chart, pulling in 11 million views during the week of March 30 to April 5, its very first week on the streaming platform.

According to Netflix's official site Tudum, the film ranked first in 14 countries including South Korea, Hong Kong, and Vietnam, and broke into the Top 10 in a total of 67 countries, including Japan, Italy, Greece, and the Czech Republic. It's a strong international showing for a mid-budget Korean production that had a relatively modest domestic run.

HUMINT is set in Vladivostok and follows a collision of intelligence operatives: Jo In-sung plays NIS agent Chief Jo, Park Jung-min plays North Korean security officer Park Gun, and Park Hae-jun plays the North Korean consul general. The three men are drawn into conflict over Chae Seon-hwa (played by Shin Se-kyung), a North Korean restaurant worker who doubles as an informant.

The film was written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, one of Korea's most reliable action directors, known for The Berlin File and Escape from Mogadishu. It opened in Korean theaters in February, drawing approximately 1.98 million admissions before arriving on Netflix on April 1.

The global chart performance suggests the film found a much wider audience on streaming than it did in cinemas, not an unusual trajectory for Korean genre films, which have consistently punched above their weight on Netflix's international charts.