Here is where the film diverges from reality. In the movie, the detective (Jung Tae-seok) has no leads. He is frustrated, departmentalized, and desperate. He needs the gangster’s help.
In the real 2004 case, the police were already several steps ahead. When Kim Tae-chon was beating up Yoo Young-chul in the street, police were already investigating a series of murders that Yoo had committed. In fact, Yoo was already on their radar via a separate investigation into stolen golf clubs.
Furthermore, the "mob boss" Kim Tae-chon never entered into a formal alliance with the police. Kim was arrested shortly thereafter for his own crimes (including violence, blackmail, and running gambling dens). He only told the story about beating up the serial killer to the press after he was in prison, likely to boost his reputation. is the gangster the cop the devil based on true story
When the police interrogated Yoo Young-chul, the killer confirmed the story. He admitted he was terrified of Kim and had avoided the Gangnam district entirely after that beating.
In the pantheon of modern Korean cinema, few films blend brutal action with moral ambiguity as deftly as Lee Won-tae’s 2019 masterpiece, The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil (Korean title: Akinjeon). Starring the legendary Ma Dong-seok (also known as Don Lee) as a crime boss and Kim Moo-yul as a rogue detective, the film delivers a visceral cat-and-mouse game where the lines between law enforcement and organized crime vanish completely. Here is where the film diverges from reality
But after watching the film’s relentless violence and its central premise—a gangster and a cop forced to team up to catch a serial killer—viewers are left with a burning question: Is The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil based on a true story?
The short answer is yes, but with significant dramatic license. While the characters are fictionalized and the plot amped up for cinematic thrills, the film’s core narrative engine—a serial killer who attacks a mob boss, leading to an unlikely alliance—is rooted in a bizarre and real criminal incident from the early 2000s. He needs the gangster’s help
Let’s dive deep into the true story that inspired the film, the real-life “cop-gangster” alliance, and how Hollywood and Korea adapted the same legend.
If you’re a fan of gritty Korean cinema, you’ve likely heard the buzz around Lee Won-tae’s 2019 action-packed thriller, The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil (Korean title: Amafokabeng). Starring the legendary Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee) as a crime boss and Kim Moo-yul as a hot-headed detective, the film delivers a brutal, cat-and-mouse game with a twist: the gangster and the cop must team up to catch a serial killer.
But one question lingers after the credits roll: Did this insane story actually happen?
The short answer is no, not exactly. However, the long answer is far more fascinating. While the characters and specific plot are fictional, the film is deeply rooted in the real-world phenomenon of serial killers in the early 2000s—specifically, the reign of Korea’s most infamous predator.