Is The Creature of Gyeongseong based on a true story?

Gyeongseong creature is one of South Korea’s best action thrillers and lives up to the high standards K-dramas often discontinued. The drama starring Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee has released two exciting seasons so far, the first in 2023 (set in the 1940s) and the second in fall 2024 (set in modern-day Korea).

While the drama is full of fictional elements such as monsters and zombies, there are moments where it seems as if it is based on true historical events. While Season 2 is more reminiscent Parasyte: The Gray One, The first season reflects many events from World War II. This brings us to the main question: Is Gyeongseong creature based on a true story?

What is the Gyeongseong creature drama about?

Gyeongseong creature is a Korean historical drama set in 1940s Gyeongseong, during the Japanese rule over Korea. The first season of the drama begins in the spring of 1945 with two young adults, Jang Tae-sang, a wealthy head of the city’s most lucrative information office, and Yoon Chae-ok, an experienced tracker searching for her missing mother. In a twist of fate, their paths cross while on the same mission and decide to tackle the problem together. Unbeknownst to them, this journey would lead them to uncover the dark secrets behind a tragic chapter in South Korean history.

Related

34 Best Korean Dramas and Movies on Netflix to Watch Right Now

From Squid Game to The Glory, Netflix has it all and we don’t want you to miss it. Here are the best K-dramas you should watch on Netflix.

Season 2, meanwhile, is set in present-day Seoul, where Chae-ok has lived for decades after her sacrifice to save Tae-sang turned her into a monster. However, when she meets Ho-jae, who looks like the love of her life, things get complicated. When past events mysteriously come to light, Chae-ok faces two troubling challenges: saving Ho-jae and putting an end to inhumane experiments that turn innocent people into monsters.

The drama is partly based on a true story

A significant part of it Gyeongseong creature is completely fictionalwith Chae-ok surviving a century thanks to the parasite that brought her back to life. On the other hand, the entire first season seemed more like a true story told from the perspective of the people of Gyeongseong who suffered under Japanese rule.

During World War II, Japan conducted a covert biological warfare program under Unit 731 that carried out lethal human experiments. Established in 1936, Unit 731 was also a biological weapons development facility. Over a nine-year period ending in 1945, approximately 14,000 victims lost their lives after being subjected to extreme torture and experimentation.

According to Atlantis Press, the operation was led by General Isho Ishii, who headed the Army’s Epidemic Prevention Research Laboratory at the time, and he was tasked with infecting the subjects with various types of deadly pathogens and diseases to determine how many a human body could endure it before he dies. As mentioned in the magazine “A History of Japanese Unit 731 and Implications for Modern Biological Warfare“The subjects for these tests were selected from Korea and China, and most of them were war criminals.

Gyeongseong creature Cleverly weaves these dark chapters into the narrative, beginning with a frightening scene of Japanese soldiers burning the documents and executing the remaining prisoners to destroy all traces of evidence, as well as the use of dynamite and poison, which makes people believe that it was all part of the war.

“These experiments have killed thousands of research participants and caused terrible harm to others. At the end of July 1945, at the time of the victory of the anti-fascist armies, 400 to 500 Chinese were still imprisoned in Unit 731 Prison. To eliminate the evidence of their crimes, Unit 731 turned on the poison gas switch.”

The Gyeongseong Creature is a fictional version of the story

While only a part of it Gyeongseong creature Although the series appears to be based on the infamous Unit 731 Incident, it draws heavily on the war itself, depicting how innocents suffered the most despite not being a part of the war. For example, although the monsters and zombies are entirely fictional, they serve as metaphors for real-life atrocities committed by the Japanese during World War II. The show makes reference to some disturbing experiments detailed in the diary, including the live section of a person living without anesthesia.

Related

12 Korean Dramas That Incorporate Folklore and Legends

Did you know that these Korean dramas are based on mythology and folklore?

Furthermore, everything about the creature accurately symbolizes the true horrors of Unit 731, as the victim, Seong-min, was a prisoner of war for ten years before being infected with the virus known as “Najin.” The subtle clues to the creature and the spread of parasites serve as a great reminder of the pathogens from the diary, which were an important aspect of human experimentation.

Aside from Unit 731, Gyeongseong creature also deals with Korea’s struggle for independence, with characters like Tae-sang, who is initially skeptical about achieving freedom. However, their perspectives change dramatically after witnessing the atrocities of Japanese tyranny. Although the series promptly includes fantasy elements such as zombies and mutant creatures in both seasons, the core of the drama remains focused on addressing Korea’s resilience in overcoming such dark times. Gyeongseong creature is now streaming on Netflix.