“Bogota: City of the Lost” takes us back to 1997, when South Korea went bankrupt and had to ask the International Monetary Fund for help.
The effects of the economic crisis left many people without homes, forcing Kook-hee and his family to move to Colombia’s capital, Bogota. Kook-hee’s father used all his savings to move his family after hearing that his army friend, Park Jung-su, had become successful in Bogota.
Jang-su is now a powerful businessman in the San Andresito market, and Kook-hee’s father hopes to get his help. Jang-su is a well-known and respected figure among Korean businesspeople, mainly because his father-in-law has connections at the customs department.
This gives him the ability to help others bring products from Korea to Bogota. As a result, Jang-su and other Korean merchants run a successful smuggling operation, importing goods from South Korea to sell in the San Andresito market.
Does Kook-hee get into the smuggling business?
Kook-hee’s first experience with smuggling does not go as planned. At one checkpoint, an officer insists on seeing the documents, so Miguel and Kook-hee have to wait for Soo-young’s approval.
The customs police arrive to arrest them, and Kook-hee, wanting to impress Jang-su, panics and drives off. This leads him to being locked up at Almacen Dian, a customs warehouse. Soon after, Jang-su bribes an official to get them released.
Kook-hee learns how to handle smuggling and grows close to Miguel and Soo-young. Even though the number of trucks they drove through customs increases, Kook-hee’s life doesn’t change much. Soo-young tells him that Jang-su will never allow him to grow and that the dream Jang-su gave him of moving from Zone 1 to Zone 6, where the rich live, was just talk to make him work for Jang-su.
Bogota: City of the Lost Ending Explained: What happens to Kook-hee’s father?However, Soo-young has a new plan. He wants to sell a new product and open shops, but Jang-su is not interested. Regardless, Soo-young imports goods from Korea and asks Kook-hee to help bring them to his warehouse. At the same time, Jang-su tests Kook-hee’s loyalty by asking him to bring Soo-young’s products to his own warehouse.
Kook-hee knows Jang-su is testing him and doesn’t trust him. He takes the truck and leaves while transporting the goods. Miguel had been told to let him go since Jang-su had set up his plan to fail. However, Kook-hee had thought ahead and tampered with the stickers. He delivers the correct goods to Soo-young, and they become business partners.
What happens after Soo-young sets up his shops?
Soo-young and his friends, who are university graduates, understand business. Their business grows so quickly that local merchants like Alejandro become upset. Soo-young realizes they still need Jang-su’s customs connections, so he strikes a deal to share profits with him, and things start working out. Money begins to come in, and Kook-hee moves his family to Zone 3.
Soo-young and Kook-hee become close friends. At a party, Soo-young shares his dream of building a shopping mall one day. He even gives Kook-hee an expensive watch as a gift, asking him to be part of his dream. Meanwhile, Alejandro bribes customs officials to seize all the goods the Koreans had smuggled in for Christmas sales. Alejandro wants to destroy the Korean businesses and push them out of the San Andresito market.
What happens to Kook-hee’s father?
After the goods are seized, the merchants become very angry and blame Jang-su. He calls for a meeting to discuss the next steps since the customs officials didn’t listen to him, and the merchants cannot afford to lose out on the Christmas sales quota.
Bogota: City of the Lost Ending Explained: What happens to Kook-hee’s father?Jae-ung suggests they buy goods from Venezuela, which has a lot of smuggled products. The problem is that it’s a rebel area, and none of the merchants want to take the risk. Kook-hee volunteers, and everyone contributes some money to buy the goods. Jang-su gives Kook-hee the money to handle.
At home, Kook-hee’s father suddenly rushes in holding a gun. He fights Kook-hee and takes the money. Kook-hee chases after him, but his father is with another woman. A motorbike rider blocks Kook-hee’s way, causing him to crash. The woman shoots Kook-hee’s father, grabs the money bag, and escapes with the man on the motorbike.
Do the Korean Merchants get their seized goods?
The merchants become even angrier with Kook-hee. Customs gives the goods to Alejandro, and now the only money they had left is gone. At Kook-hee’s father’s funeral, only Jae-ung and Soo-young attend. Jae-ung accidentally reveals that Alejandro has all their products in his warehouse.
That night, Kook-hee sneaks into the warehouse, pretending to be one of Alejandro’s men. However, the warehouse workers realize he is lying, and a fight starts. Soon, Miguel and other drivers arrive with more trucks to help Kook-hee get the goods back.
The situation makes the relationship between the Colombian merchants and the Koreans worse. Alejandro physically attacks Jang-su when he visits his office to talk. Meanwhile, one of Alejandro’s men chases Kook-hee. At the negotiation meeting, Jang-su blames Kook-hee for everything, and Alejandro asks for him to be handed over so he will forget about the incident.
Just then, Kook-hee walks in, followed by the man who had been trying to kill him. Alejandro mocks Kook-hee, saying he doesn’t belong at the negotiation table. Jang-su tells him that they’ve already agreed, but Alejandro is asking for half of their profits.
Alejandro tries to show off his power, telling Kook-hee that in Colombia, people speak Spanish. Without hesitating, Kook-hee tells Alejandro that he paid the assassin he sent twice as much and now the assassin works for him. The assassin shoots Alejandro dead and threatens Jang-su with a gun to his head. Kook-hee reminds Jang-su of his words; he needs to survive to make it to Zone 6.
Bogota: City of the Lost Ending Explained: What happens to Kook-hee’s father?Who tries to kill Kook-hee?
After Alejandro’s death, Carlos gets promoted in the customs department. Jae-ung helps Kook-hee bribe the police and customs officials to gain their support. Three years later, Kook-hee has done well for himself. He can freely travel between Korea and Bogota, has a house in Zone 6, and an office. He is also the head of the merchants’ organization.
Carlos announces the new anti-smuggling law, which affects the smuggling business. Kook-hee now wants to build a shopping mall and make his business legal. However, Jang-su, Soo-young, and other businesspeople are not supportive of his idea. Despite that, customs are serious about stopping smuggling, and one night, they raid the Korean warehouses and burn their goods.
The Koreans protest against the anti-smuggling law. They refuse to listen to Kook-hee and start a riot with the police. Kook-hee calls for a meeting and tries to explain his ideas of the shopping mall and starting legal businesses for the Koreans. However, they don’t listen and insist on sticking to illegal smuggling.
The next day, Kook-hee’s car explodes, injuring him. The merchants begin to suspect each other, as each of them has a plan to kill Kook-hee. Jae-ung leaves Bogota, and Soo-young starts planning as well because they fear Kook-hee. They think he will become suspicious and kill them.
However, it turns out Kook-hee had planned the assassination attempt. He knew the merchants would try to kill him, but he figured if they believed someone tried and failed, they would all be afraid.
How does the movie end?
After leaving the hospital, Kook-hee works on eliminating his enemies. The acupuncture doctor helps him kill Soo-young. Jae-sung drives them to the outskirts to bury him. On the way back, Jang-su pretends to stop for a pee break, but he actually plans to kill Kook-hee.
However, Kook-hee had already thought ahead and brought his gun. At the end of the episode, Kook-hee kills Alejandro’s eldest son and Jang-su. The film ends with Kook-hee admiring Bogota from the top of a cliff.