Flu

The events unfold in contemporary South Korea, reflecting a modern urban outbreak with advanced medical institutions, media coverage, and international health organizations involved. The story follows the rapid escalation from a local incident to a nationwide crisis, illustrating how urban density accelerates contagion. Government and medical responses shift from initial denial to urgent containment and mass evacuation.

Bundang serves as the outbreak's initial hub in a modern South Korea setting, with the Contagion Center located there. The city becomes a quarantine battleground as the virus spreads through hospitals, markets, and transit. Seoul later becomes central for care and vaccine efforts as authorities coordinate with international agencies.

🦠 Outbreak

A deadly, mutating virus drives the plot from the discovery of deaths in a shipping container to its swift spread through hospitals and city streets. The film emphasizes how quickly contagion can overwhelm urban systems and expose gaps in health surveillance. It highlights the race to identify the pathogen before it kills within 36 hours. The mutated H5N1 strain becomes a constant threat that shapes every decision.

🚧 Containment

Quarantine becomes the central tool, with IQZ beneath stadiums and camps outside cities. The military, health agencies, and politicians clash over strategy while resources and communication falter. Civilians face scarcity, panic, and rioting as trust between authorities and the public fractures. The film probes the ethics and efficacy of forced isolation under extreme pressure.

💉 Treatment

Doctors race to find a remedy, exploring antibodies and transfusions as possible bridges to a cure. In-hae's effort to use Monssai's antibodies on a patient is resisted, revealing tensions between urgency and protocol. The film centers on the stubborn hope that a child’s immune response might unlock a vaccine. It shows improvisation and moral risk in desperate medical settings.

🤝 Humanity

The outbreak strains relationships and reveals acts of courage: rescuers, doctors, and families band together to shield the vulnerable. Riots and fear give way to protective instincts as the state adapts its response and halts drastic measures. The bond between mother and child anchors the story, underscoring resilience amid chaos.