In the late 1970s, Korea is under the absolute control of President Park who controls the KCIA, the organization with an edge over every branch of government. The director of the KCIA, Kim Gyu-pyeong, is a shoo-in for second-in-command. In the midst of a reign of fear, a former KCIA director, Park Yong-gak, who knows all about the government's obscure and illegal operations, is exiled to the U.S., where he opens the floodgates to the investigation of Koreagate.