Someone on AVS Forum sent an e-mail to MPI about the 1080i issue and here is the response they got back:

I have no idea if this makes any sense. Anyone?

It seems that all the in-print copies of the Korean BD are of the shortened international cut. So if you want the longer cut of the movie (like I do), you're out of luck.

So the oop copy is uncut?

Ok..I'm confused...which cut is which? What does each one have? Gah...! Which is the original or preferred cut? !!!!!

The International cut is what played at Cannes at 120 minutes. The Korean cut debuted in Korea a few months later at 139 minutes, but it's not just additional footage. The ending is slightly altered, the scenes have some extensions here and there, and the credits are in Korean and English, depending on the version.

The Korean version is more of an "Extended Alternate Cut" and not a director's cut, as both versions are directors cuts. I personally liked the Korean cut more (the first I saw), as the drug scene was extended, and the ending, which I won't say. I personally loved the movie, even though I know there are some detractors.

The US, UK DVDs have the International cut only with English subtitles
The UK, US, Korean BDs have the International cut only with English subtitles

The Korean DVD, Japanese DVD, Japanese BD have both cuts with English subtitles.

Yup. All in-print copies (even the Korean ones) are the 129-minute International version.

alright....fuck it. I'm getting the Korean BD. BUT...do I get Eng. subtitles on the features and the commentaries? I can't get any info on this fucker.

After watching my copy (the Cdn E1 release), I found that the PQ was actually quite decent. Even though much has been made about the video being 1080i (and I assume that the E1 release is, even though the packaging says 1080p, since I can't figure out how to determine this on the PS3), to my eyes, it's actually pretty good. Detail and sharpness were all there, although there were a few medium-to-long shots that weren't as sharp, but I suspect this is the nature of the film. The bitrate averaged in the mid-thirties, although it did seem to me that toward the end of the film the bitrate tended to dip to around 20 here and there. The SDH-only subtitle track wasn't that bad either. There weren't excessive descriptions of the non-dialogue bits, so it was definitely more tolerable than I expected. The cut of the film is exactly what I remember viewing at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2008, so at least I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

checked my copy - no, there are not any english subs on the extras or the commentary.

well good thing I didn't buy it yet. I want to get the UK in that case but it looks like it doesn't have the fucking commentaires...UGHHHHH! is it region free and are the features good on it?

UK Disc is Region B locked.

God motherfucking son of bitch **** whore shitfucker fuck fuckity fuck fuck.....Fucking damnit all to hell.

the UK disc is also cut for animal cruelty (horse falls)

*sigh* god motherfucking jesus titty fucking christ...will I ever get a proper version of this thing to cater to my non Korean speaking self? I'd take Spanish subtitles on the features at least...

I just checked my oop Korean copy and it's 2:09:54 (129 minutes)

So just out of curiosity....but why is the Korean cut OOP?

Can't say for sure, but I have a few Korean editions featuring Director Cuts or otherwise different versions that are out of print. The Korean DVD market doesn't bear much of anything staying on that market for extended periods of time, let alone the super-special editions. I'm not at home at the moment, but one that instantly comes to mind is the SE of RED SHOES, which has a significantly different Director's Cut (with no English subs, sadly) of the film on a second disc that has never been released anywhere else, or re-released in Korea.

The first prints of CJ Entertainment Blu-Ray releases come in limited edition digipaks. The second prints come in regular Blu-Ray cases. I don't see any reason why the discs would be any different.

Yet they are....

Are they? In what way?

You the mean different cuts? if so...The Korean cut has an extended ending also the tone of it is much different from what i hear. Inter. cut has the shorter ending. Both are...director's cuts as well. I hate it when directors do that. It makes me conflicted as to what cut is the one true cut. In cases such as these...there is no one sole DC.

I know there are different cuts of the film. What I said is I don't think there's any difference between the oop Korean Blu-Ray and the in-print Korean Blu-Ray in terms of disc content. Someone said the oop BD contains the longer cut of the film, but as I said a few posts up, I checked it myself and that isn't true.

You have the 1st BD Korean print? Sounds like you have the 2nd one. The 1st BD had the extended one. The current one in Korea has the international cut. The OOP BD had the extended Korean cut. Post up a pic of your BD. front and back if possible.

Where is this info coming from? Because the packaging clearly indicates the runtime is approx. 130 minutes, and I checked the disc to confirm this.

Various sources...but....I'm now looking at yesasia.com for example.............only the Japanese BD (I'm disregarding the DVD format atm) has the Korean cut. Seems like many people have been and still are confused by all of this.

Well. Guess Korea only got the international one on BD. They got the Korean cut in theaters but only got the international on BD? Why?