Netflix's ongoing K-drama series, Gyeongseong Creature, is much scarier than you realize. Fans would be surprised to know that some elements in the series are historically accurate, which includes the story behind Unit 731. So, what's up with Gyeongseong Creature's Unit 731?
What Unit 731 Beholds in Gyeongseong Creature
The horrific setting that makes up Gyeongseong Creature's eerie atmosphere was inspired by the chemical warfare division Unit 731, so it's no wonder that the historical depiction behind the K-drama would send chills down its viewers' spines.
According to a 2018 The Guardian article, the existence of Unit 731 was very much true in the history of the war with the Japanese.
The unit was formed in the mid-1930s in Harbin, north-eastern China, where medical professionals were ordered to conduct lethal experiments on an estimated 3000 prisoners (most of whom were Chinese and Korean).
These experiments ranged from amputating body parts to the removal of organs after the victims were infected with typhus and cholera diseases.
Gyeongseong Creature Depicts the Notorious Unit in its Fictional World
Unit 731 in Gyeongseong Creature had a closer depiction of what type of experiments went through behind closed doors by the Japanese.
The only difference in the Netflix K-drama is that the experimented men and women transformed into monsters as designated weapons in the outgoing world war.
The experiments took place in Ongseong Hospital where infected prisoners were kept and brutally abused in the name of science.
READ MORE: What Webtoon is Gyeongseong Creature Based On?
Exploring Gyeongseong Creature's Historical Setting
On the day that Gyeongseong Creature debuted on Netflix, the K-drama director Chung Dong-Yoon shared how they created the fictional story while staying true to its historical roots on TIME Magazine:
"There was a lot that we paid attention to in trying to recreate what old Seoul was like back in 1945. However, there wasn't that much data that we could rely on. And because I haven't experienced that era, there were a lot of concerns when I started working on it. I went into it thinking it was going to be nearly impossible to recreate the time perfectly, so instead I tried to focus on the overall sentiment of the era—the overall look and feel that the time must have had back then."
Gyeongseong Creature Season 1 was divided into two parts, with Part 1 releasing its first seven episodes on December 22, 2023, and Part 2 begins streaming its remaining three episodes on January 5, 2024.
Meanwhile, the official synopsis of Gyeongseong Creature reads (via Netflix):
Set in early 1945 when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule, the series centers around two young adults who encounter strange creatures born from greed and then must battle for survival in the city of Gyeongseong — now known as Seoul. But it turns out, there may be something even more dangerous out there than the creatures themselves.
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