“The Unstoppable Laugh Riot: 6/45 – A Borderline Comedy Classic” is a fitting nickname for this 2022 South Korean military comedy that became a sleeper hit and audience favorite. Directed by Park Gyu-tae, 6/45 (also known as Yuksao or Lucky Lotto) is a film that masterfully blends slapstick humor, heartfelt camaraderie, and a uniquely Korean take on the absurdities of life at the border. With a premise that could only emerge from the tension and idiosyncrasies of the Korean Peninsula, 6/45 tells the story of a winning lottery ticket worth 5.7 billion won that accidentally drifts across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) from South to North Korea, sparking a comedic crisis for both sides.
At its core, the film is a celebration of human ingenuity and the universal desire for a windfall, set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most heavily militarized borders. The film’s protagonist, South Korean soldier Park Chun-woo (played by Go Kyung-pyo), is a relatable everyman whose hopes for a better life are dashed when his ticket is blown away by a gust of wind. What follows is a series of increasingly ridiculous negotiations, secret meetings, and cross-border shenanigans as soldiers from both sides try to claim the prize without alerting their superiors or sparking an international incident.
The chemistry between Go Kyung-pyo and Lee Yi-kyung, who plays the North Korean soldier Ri Yong-ho, is electric. Their performances, along with strong supporting turns from Eum Moon-suk, Park Se-wan, and Kwak Dong-yeon, ensure that the film is packed with memorable characters and laugh-out-loud moments. The humor is sharp but never mean-spirited, and the film’s lighthearted approach to the sensitive topic of inter-Korean relations is both refreshing and cathartic.
What sets 6/45 apart is its ability to find laughter in the most unlikely of places. The film’s setting—a military outpost near the DMZ—is rendered with authenticity and a touch of absurdity, and the filmmakers take full advantage of the unique environment to deliver a series of inventive set pieces. From secret tunnels to military drills gone awry, the film is a masterclass in situational comedy.
Audiences and critics alike praised 6/45 for its fresh premise, strong performances, and genuine heart. The film’s success at the box office—topping the charts in its second week and drawing over a million viewers—proved that there is still an appetite for original, character-driven comedies in Korean cinema. With its clever script, tight pacing, and irresistible charm, 6/45 stands as one of the most entertaining and memorable Korean films of recent years.
6/45 Film
- English 6/45 | Korean 육사오(6/45) | Japaness 6/45
- Directed by Park Gyu-tae | Screenplay by Park Gyu-tae
- Produced by Lee Chang-dong, Park Gyu-tae, others
- Starring Go Kyung-pyo (Park Chun-woo), Lee Yi-kyung (Ri Yong-ho), Eum Moon-suk (Captain Kang), Park Se-wan (Lee Yeon-hee), Kwak Dong-yeon (Kim Man-cheol)
- Distributed by CJ ENM
- Release dates August 24, 2022 (South Korea)
- Running time 113 minutes
- Country South Korea
- Language Korean
- Budget $3 million (approx. 5 billion KRW)
- Box office $8.36 million (approx. 11 billion KRW)
- Rating 15+
![[K movie] 6/45 Plot summary Ending & cast](https://kdrama.rubadum.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/K-movie-6-45-Plot-summary-Ending-cast.webp "[K movie] 6/45 Plot summary Ending & cast")
Table of Contents
Movie rating
IMDB 7.0
Director Park Gyu-tae’s filmography
Director Park Gyu-tae is known for his work on films such as Bunt (2007) and Husbands in Action. His style is characterized by sharp comedic timing, inventive set pieces, and a focus on character-driven storytelling. For 6/45, Park drew inspiration from real-life stories of soldiers stationed near the DMZ and the absurd situations that can arise in such a unique environment. The production was praised for its tight pacing and strong ensemble cast, with Park encouraging improvisation and collaboration among the actors to bring out the best in each scene.
Movie 6/45 cast
Park Chun-woo (Go Kyung-pyo)
Ri Yong-ho (Lee Yi-kyung)
Captain Kang (Eum Moon-suk)
Lee Yeon-hee (Park Se-wan)
Movie 6/45 plot summary
Along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), soldiers of the Korean People’s Army and the Republic of Korea Army are engaged in a tense standoff. However, it turns out that the North Korean soldiers have been pretending to fire their guns by playing recorded gunshots over the radio, fooling the South. Meanwhile, at a village bar near the MDL, old men are watching the news about the previous night’s North Korean provocation and cursing the military, when female part-time workers from a soju company distribute leaflets with a lottery card attached—each bearing a different number.
Among the discarded lottery cards, one flies out of the bar during cleaning, gets carried by the wind, sticks to a delivery motorbike, and eventually ends up on a military jeep. By chance, the lottery ticket finally lands in front of a South Korean guard post at the Military Demarcation Line.
Sergeant Park Chun-woo, who is assigned to the post, performs a trick for three types of cows by milking them and pouring the milk into different paper cups before going on duty. At the guard post, Chun-woo chats with a Welsh Corgi the military keeps, asking it to bark if an officer comes. Coincidentally, the jeep that arrives has the lottery ticket stuck to it, and Chun-woo picks it up without realizing.
Back at the barracks, Chun-woo happens to watch a lottery broadcast on TV and remembers the ticket he picked up. He checks the numbers one by one, growing more excited as each matches, and finally realizes he has won the first prize—lottery draw 934, with a jackpot of 5.7 billion won. He is so shocked he faints, then alternates between laughing and crying hysterically. After finally calming down, he carefully tucks the ticket into a book and takes a commemorative selfie with it. Just then, a gust of wind blows the ticket across the border into North Korea.
The ticket lands on a hill beyond the South Korean fence, on the North Korean side of the MDL. Junior Sergeant Ri Young-ho, who is working on the hill, finds the ticket but thinks it’s just a leaflet and tries to throw it away. However, every time he moves, the wind blows the ticket back to him. Annoyed, he finally picks it up. Back at his unit, Ri Young-ho asks Corporal Bang Chul-jin, who is watching a German war movie, what the ticket is. Bang explains, “This is called 6/45. You pick 6 numbers out of 45, and if you get them all right, you win a huge sum of money. It’s a ruthless capitalist exploitation tool that squeezes the blood out of the South Korean people.” For fun, they check the numbers and realize it’s a first prize winner.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Park Chun-woo is distraught over losing the ticket. He digs under the fence to cross the border, even entering a minefield. He calculates the ticket’s weight, wind speed, and weather, and uses the Riemann hypothesis and various physics laws to predict where it might have landed, but only finds North Korean leaflets and is left disappointed. At the fence, he meets Junior Sergeant Ri Young-ho, who is wearing a ghillie suit for camouflage. Ri offers to give Chun-woo 10% of the winnings if he cashes in the ticket, but Chun-woo demands the ticket itself. Ri retorts, “Who owns a piece of paper?” and the first negotiation breaks down.
Meanwhile, South Korean Captain Kang Eun-pyo notices Chun-woo’s suspicious behavior and scolds him for digging under the fence every night. Chun-woo confesses he won the lottery, but the ticket flew to the North. Captain Kang thinks he’s lost his mind and orders him to be hospitalized, but Chun-woo shows him the selfie as proof. Convinced, Captain Kang, Chun-woo, and Corporal Kim Man-cheol form a team to retrieve the ticket. For the second negotiation, they use a supply tunnel to reach the fence.
At the second negotiation, Chun-woo cites South Korea’s Lost Property Law, which allows a finder to claim 5–20% of the value, and proposes an 80:20 split. Ri Young-ho refuses, saying he can find relatives in the South to claim the prize. Back in North Korea, Ri explains the situation to Corporal Bang, but Senior Captain Choi Seung-il overhears and threatens them with a pistol. Ri panics and says, “We won the 6/45 lottery first prize and are negotiating with the South to split the money.” When Choi asks how much in dollars, Ri replies, “Six million dollars.” Choi puts his gun away and joins the negotiation.
To arrange another meeting, the South broadcasts a message over loudspeakers using Nosajin’s song “Meeting” and a message about negotiations. Later, they use Jang Ki-ha and the Faces’ song “Let’s Meet Now” to set a time. While watching the North through binoculars, they notice the two North Korean negotiators have become three. After exchanging signals, they agree to meet at a joint water supply area.
That night, the South and North lottery negotiation teams meet at the joint water supply area. The North claims, “The 6/45 ticket is clearly ours, and we’re here to teach you thieves a lesson.” The South counters, “Do you even know how much tax you’d have to pay?” Corporal Kim Man-cheol presents a calculation: “Total prize: 5,765,772,844 won. For amounts over 300 million, you pay 30% income tax and 3% local tax, totaling 33%. Net amount: 3,914,959,762 won.” The North remains stubborn, using a projector to assert their dominance.
As negotiations drag on, the South proposes a 30:70 split just to get the ticket back. The North prepares the paperwork, but just as they’re about to hand over the ticket, Ri Young-ho realizes the South’s trick, and chaos erupts. The South’s supply officer intervenes and suggests a 50:50 split, calling it the “lottery of peace,” since neither side can claim ownership. The teams agree but, distrusting each other, decide to exchange one soldier each as hostages, just like in a spy movie. After the exchange, they plan to cash the ticket in dollars, retrieve their hostages, and split the money 50:50. The supply officer leaves without taking a share, acting magnanimously.
The next day, negotiations resume over the hostage exchange. Because Chun-woo is from Gangwon Province, near North Korea, he is chosen to go to the North, while Ri Young-ho is sent to the South. In North Korea, Chun-woo is assigned to break rocks with a hammer during strength training. To impress, he recites the New Year’s address he memorized during the exchange, but still ends up doing the training. Meanwhile, the farm workers, including Ri Young-ho’s sister Ri Yeon-hee and her friend Choe Young-chul, already know about the lottery and help Chun-woo.
Chun-woo uses his skills to multiply the farm’s harvest overnight, but his success nearly gets him sent to a cadet school in Pyongyang. Choi Seung-il and Corporal Bang try to sabotage the vehicle to prevent this, but the order stands. Just as Chun-woo is about to be sent to Pyongyang, Ri Yeon-hee proposes that he document his methods first, delaying the transfer and forming a romantic subplot between Chun-woo and Ri Yeon-hee.
Meanwhile, in the South, Ri Young-ho saves a new recruit who steps on a landmine while others flee. The battalion commander enters the mess hall, and while everyone stands at attention, Ri, unaware, piles his plate high and keeps eating. When the commander asks where he’s from, Ri almost says “Hamhung” but quickly claims “Hamburg” instead, making up a story in broken German.
Movie 6/45 ending spoiler
Captain Kang and Corporal Kim discuss how to claim the prize. They decide to fake an injury for Kim so he can be sent to a rear hospital and claim the prize. Captain Kang warns Kim not to be fooled by brokers and sews a zippered pocket into his underwear. On his way to the bank, Kim keeps touching his crotch, making people think he’s a pervert. He drops his phone while running from a security guard and causes a scene at the bank.
In North Korea, Kim Gwang-cheol sexually harasses Ri Yeon-hee but is knocked out. As Ri Yeon-hee tries to leave, she meets Chun-woo, and Kim realizes Chun-woo is not a North Korean soldier. Kim threatens him with a gun, but Ri Yeon-hee and Choi Seung-il intervene and knock him out. Choi stays to watch Kim, while Chun-woo and Ri Yeon-hee rush to the joint water supply area.
There, both sides discuss the situation. Just as Kim Man-cheol arrives with the dollars, Kim Gwang-cheol appears, threatening everyone with a gun. Suddenly, a wild boar enters the area, grabs the money bag, and runs into a minefield. Kim Gwang-cheol chases it and is blown up by a mine, while Corporal Bang fails to catch the boar. The prize money is lost inside the boar, and everyone despairs.
Just then, Kim Man-cheol pulls out money from his underwear—he had hidden $400,000 in various pockets because the bag couldn’t hold it all. Each side takes $200,000. As they say goodbye, Chun-woo and Ri Yeon-hee promise to meet again if Korea is reunified. The film ends with another lottery ticket blowing away in the wind.
Movie 645 ending explained
The ending of 6/45 is bittersweet but hopeful. While the soldiers do not get the money, they gain a new understanding of each other and the absurdity of their situation. The film suggests that, despite the political divide, people on both sides of the border share the same hopes and dreams. The post-credits scene reinforces this message, showing the soldiers still in contact and planning new schemes together.
Movie 645 box office
The production budget for 6/45 was approximately $3 million (5 billion KRW). The break-even point was set at 1.65 million viewers, which the film surpassed with ease, ultimately drawing over 1.13 million viewers in its first two weeks and topping the box office.
6/45 was a box office hit, topping the Korean box office in its second week and grossing over $8.36 million (approx. 11 billion KRW) during its theatrical run. The film’s success was attributed to strong word-of-mouth, positive reviews, and the appeal of its star-studded cast.
Korean Movie 6/45 review
Critics and audiences have praised 6/45 for its fresh premise, strong performances, and genuine heart. The film is widely regarded as one of the funniest Korean comedies in recent years, with many viewers highlighting the chemistry between Go Kyung-pyo and Lee Yi-kyung. The humor is described as sharp, inventive, and never mean-spirited, and the film’s lighthearted approach to the sensitive topic of inter-Korean relations is both refreshing and cathartic. The film’s success at the box office and its enduring popularity are a testament to its universal appeal and timeless humor.
True story related
While 6/45 is a work of fiction, it is inspired by the real-life experiences of soldiers stationed near the DMZ and the stories of cross-border encounters that occasionally make headlines. The film’s lighthearted approach to a sensitive topic has been praised for its ability to find humor and humanity in even the most unlikely of places.
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