What Is the Terrifying True Story Behind Gyeongseong Creature? (2024)

Gyeongseong Creature is one of South Korea's finest action thrillers, living up to the high standards that K-dramas often set. Starring Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee, the drama has thus far released two thrilling seasons, the first in 2023 (set in the 1940s) and the second in the fall of 2024 (set in present-day Korea).

While the drama is packed with fictional elements like monsters and zombies, there are instances when it feels like it is based on true historical occurrences. While Season 2 is more reminiscent of Parasyte: The Grey, the first season mirrors many incidents 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

Action

Horror

Thriller

Release Date

December 22, 2023

Cast

Park Seo-joon , Han So-hee , Soo Hyun Kim , Kim Hae-sook

Seasons

1

Gyeongseong Creature is a historical Korean drama set in the 1940s Gyeongseong, during Japanese rule over Korea. The first season of the drama begins in Spring 1945, with two young adults, Jang Tae-sang, a wealthy master of the city's most lucrative information bureau, and Yoon Chae-ok, a skilled tracker looking for her missing mother. By a twist of destiny, they cross paths while on the same mission and decide to tackle the problem together. Unbeknownst to them, this journey would lead them to unravel the dark secrets behind a tragic chapter in South Korean history.

Meanwhile, Season 2 takes place in present-day Seoul, where Chae-ok has lived for decades after transforming into a monster as a result of her sacrifice to save Tae-sang. However, when she meets Ho-jae, who resembles the love of her life, things become complicated. With past events mysteriously surfacing, Chae-ok faces two troubling challenges: saving Ho-jae and putting an end to inhumane experiments that are turning innocent humans into monsters.

The Drama Is Partly Based on a True Story

A substantial part of Gyeongseong Creature is entirely fictional, with Chae-ok living for a century thanks to the parasite that brought her back to life. On the other hand, the entirety of the first season seemed more like a true story told through the eyes of Gyeongseong inhabitants who suffered under Japanese rule.

During World War II, Japan carried out a covert biological warfare program under Unit 731, which engaged in deadly human experimentation. Established in 1936, Unit 731 was also a facility for the development of biological weapons. Over a span of nine years, ending in 1945, approximately 14,000 victims lost their lives after being subjected to extreme torture and experimentation.

According to the Atlantis Press, the operation was led by General Isho Ishii, who was in charge of the Army Epidemic Prevention Research Laboratory at the time, and he was tasked with infecting the subjects with various types of lethal pathogens and diseases to determine how much a human body could withstand before dying. As mentioned in the journal "A History of Japan’s Unit 731 and Implications for Modern Biological Warfare," the subjects for these tests were chosen from Korea and China, and the majority of them were war criminals.

Gyeongseong Creature smartly weaves these dark chapters into the narrative, opening with a chilling scene where Japanese soldiers burn the documents and execute the remaining prisoners in order to destroy all traces of evidence, as well as the use of dynamite and poison, leading people to believe it was all part of the war.

"These experiments have killed thousands of research participants, as well as inflicting horrible harm on others. In late July 1945, at the time of the victory of the anti-fascist armies, 400 to 500 Chinese were still detained in the prison of Unit 731. To eliminate the evidence of their crimes, Unit 731 turned on the poison gas switch."

Gyeongseong Creature Is a Fictionalized Version of History

While only a portion of Gyeongseong Creature might seem to be based on the infamous Unit 731 incident, the series draws heavily from the war itself, portraying how innocents have suffered the most while not being a part of it. For instance, even though the monsters and zombies are entirely fictional, they serve as metaphors for real-life atrocities committed by the Japanese during WWII. The show makes reference to a few disturbing experiments detailed in the journal, including the live dissection of someone alive without anesthesia.

Furthermore, everything about the creature precisely symbolizes the true horrors of Unit 731, as the victim, Seong-min, was a war prisoner for 10 years before being infected with the virus known as "Najin." The subtle hints regarding the creature and the spreading of parasites serve as a great callback to the pathogens from the journal, which were a major aspect of human experimentation.

Aside from Unit 731, Gyeongseong Creature also addresses Korea's struggle for independence, with characters like Tae-sang, who is initially skeptical about gaining freedom. However, their perspectives shift dramatically after witnessing the atrocities of Japanese tyranny. That said, while the series promptly features fantasy elements like zombies and mutated creatures in both seasons, at its core, the drama remains focused on addressing Korea's resilience in overcoming such dark times. Gyeongseong Creature is now streaming on Netflix.