Friend (Korean: 친구; RR: Chin-gu) is a 2001 South Korean action film written and directed by Kwak Kyung-taek. Upon its release, it became the highest-grossing South Korean movie up to that time. Its record was surpassed in 2003 by Silmido. This film is the director's experiences with his friends, a semi-autobiography set in his hometown, Busan, and the actors speak with a strongly accented Busan dialect. The film changed the public images of Jang Dong-gun and Yu Oh-seong; previously, Jang had been famous for romantic comedies and Yu had appeared in movies with mostly cult interest.