An United States freighter ship carrying sensitive cargo en route to Taiwan is hijacked by North Korean pirates led by Sin (Jang Dong-gun), a terrorist set on destroying the Korean Peninsula. The sensitive cargo is weapons technology for a military satellite, secretly made by the U.S. in reaction to strengthening Chinese/Russian relations. Having stolen the technology, Sin attempts to attain nuclear grade radioactive waste from Russia through the black market. His plan is to detonate a fleet of helium balloons loaded with radioactive waste over the Korean Peninsula.