Story __exclusive__ | Is The Gangster The Cop The Devil Based On True

The terrifying antagonist in the film, Kang Kyung-ho (played by Kim Sung-kyu), is heavily based on a real-life South Korean serial killer named .

Critics and audiences generally praise the film for its unique spin on the thriller genre.

The characters of the rogue detective Jung Tae-suk (Kim Mu-yeol) and the mob boss Jang Dong-soo are composite characters. They represent real-life societal dynamics in South Korea during the 1990s and 2000s. The Real-Life "War on Crime" is the gangster the cop the devil based on true story

Beyond the plot, the film accurately captures the socio-political atmosphere of South Korea in the mid-2000s.

Detective Jung Tae-suk realizes that the mob boss's attacker is the same serial killer he has been tracking. Because the police force is choked by bureaucracy and corruption, the cop strikes a secret deal with the gangster: whoever catches the killer first gets to deal with him by their own laws (legal trial vs. mob execution). They pool together police databases and underworld manpower. The terrifying antagonist in the film, Kang Kyung-ho

The film captures the feel of early 2000s South Korea, a time of rising, often untraced, violent crime in urban areas.

Sadly, the real-life gangster, Kim Tae-chon, did not have a heroic arc. He was a violent criminal who, despite inadvertently helping the police by identifying a serial killer, remained a career gangster. He passed away in 2016. They represent real-life societal dynamics in South Korea

The film’s primary inspiration is the prolific serial killer , who terrorized Seoul and surrounding areas in 2003-2004. Known as the “Raincoat Killer” (for wearing a raincoat to avoid blood splatter), Yoo confessed to murdering at least 20 people—mostly wealthy elderly individuals and female masseuses.

The film’s screenwriter reportedly read about a real incident where a criminal survived an attack by a serial killer and helped police—but that story was .