Gyeongseong Creature, the South Korean series directed by Chung Dong-yoon, revolves around the historical era of the Japanese colonization of Korea. The strict Japanese military and their coercive rules dominating the lives of the Koreans have been shed light on. The harsh methods used by the Japanese to use their Korean, Mongolian, Chinese, and other subjects as mere objects for cruel experiments from 1933–1945 have been highlighted in the series. Gyeongseong Creature is currently streaming on Netflix, starring famous actors like Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee. Is the series a way to bring out the atrocities Japanese army had committed against the Koreans? What will happen to Jang Tae-sang? Let’s find the answers!
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Ishikawa Summon Jang Tae-Sang?
The master of the house of Golden Treasure, Jang Tae-sang, was considered a resourceful man in Joseon. He had been summoned by the Japanese Commissioner, Ishikawa, on the false charges of being involved with his wife, Lady Maeda, in a romantic affair. After third-degree torture, he told Jang Tae-sang to accept his fault and spill all the beans about his secret affair with his wife. However, Tae-sang was aware that Ishikawa’s real motive was something else. Later, when he asked Ishikawa about his real motive, he told Tae-sang that he wanted him to find out about his missing mistress, Myeong-Ja, as she had disappeared all of a sudden. Ishikawa told him that he knew that he was the information king of Joseon, and he wanted all the information on his mistress before the shedding of the spring flowers. Ishikawa was worried about Myeong-Ja, as she was carrying his child, and wanted to find out her whereabouts as soon as possible. The Japanese army was so harsh on the Korean commoners during those times that Ishikawa had an issue asking directly for Tae-sang’s help. He had to arrest him and torture him first to establish his power.
What Were The Coercive Methods Of The Japanese Military?
The ruthlessness of the Japanese military has been shown in the very first episode of the series, where all the documents of their experiments are seen being burned by them. They even cremated a lot of the corpses of people they experimented on. Any rebellion was brutally crushed by the Japanese military forces, and they were forced to join the Japanese Imperial Army. Lieutenant Kato, the one in charge of all these experiments, is seen to be an extremely ruthless man who has no regard for human life. Women are seen to be kidnapped by the military and taken in as subjects of their experiments. Their cruelty is seen when two women are randomly chosen out of prison for an experiment. They were given food and water (containing a serum), which caused them to show severe symptoms. The first subject killed herself banging her head against the concrete in the prison due to a severe headache, while the other turned into a disfigured monster beyond recognition.
How Do Jang Tae-Sang And Chae-Ok Meet?
While on his mission to find out the whereabouts of Myeong-Ja, Tae-sang notices Ishikawa’s people keeping a close eye on him. He also noticed an external spy woman tailing him, and he realized that she had a different motive than that of Ishikawa. When Tae-sang went out to meet one of his friends to gather information about the missing woman, he was followed by the spy woman. Later, when he confronts her, an intense fight occurs between them, and she then reveals her motive to him. She was Chae-ok, on a search for a Japanese painter, Sachimoto, and was also on the lookout for her mother, who had been missing for the past ten years. She told him that he, being the information king, could help her find the whereabouts of these missing people, to which he disagreed. Later, the character of Sachimoto, however, ignites a spark of curiosity in his mind, and it is likely that he will later help Chae-ok find Sachimoto.
Why Is Tae-Sang So Cold?
Tae-sang goes to meet his friend, Jun-taek, to find information on Myeong-Ja at the Moonlight bar and is told that he does not have any information on the lady. Jun-taek told him that he had courted the lady for a while, but after Ishikawa took a favor from her, she broke his heart and went along with the commissioner. Later, Jun-taek accused Tae-sang of being indifferent to the suffering of the people of Joseon while enjoying his own wealth. When he advises Tae-sang that he should donate some of his money to his own fellow people, he gets furious and tells Jun-taek that he had worked hard to earn his wealth and would not give it away to others. This brings out the lack of empathy he had for his own people, indicating the possibility of past trauma. It is also possible that his loyalty to the Japanese military was a result of the facilities that he was provided as a member of the wealthy segment of society.
Who Is Sachimoto?
When Tae-sang returned home, his assistant introduced him to two sleuths, or spies, who could help him find Meyong-Ja. He again comes across the same woman, Chae-ok, and her father, who were appointed as the sleuths to help him search for the woman. Chae-ok gives him the condition that she will help him find Myeong-Ja, but only if he provides her with information about the missing painter, Sachimoto. Meanwhile, we see Sachimoto being summoned by the Japanese officials in the women’s prison to sketch the subjects in captivity. Sachimoto went to peek into the prison, where the two subjects of the experiment had been captured. When he saw the insides of the prison, he saw that one woman was lying dead, while the other one had turned into a strange creature. It is possible that the Japanese military kept Sachimoto as their sketch artist by force so that he could paint the creatures, which would help them gain insight into the physical transformation of humans into gruesome creatures.
What Will Happen In The Next Episode?
Myeong-Ja being captured in one of the Japanese experimental cells is most likely to be explored in the next episode. When Ishikawa learns of the atrocities committed against his beloved, it is most likely that he will resent his own people. It is possible that even Tae-Sang will be dragged into the problem by Ishikawa, threatening to confiscate his property. Sachimoto is being searched for by Chae-ok and her father because there are certain secrets that they are aware of about the experiments. There is a possibility that they are agents of a secret Korean agency who are against the experiments and want to stop them. We are yet to uncover a lot of secrets! Let’s find out what interesting turns the second episode of Gyeongseong Creature takes.
