Gyeongseong Creature: Unveiling the True Story of Unit 731

The Real-Life Events in Gyeongseong Creature

Despite the fantastical nature of Gyeongseong Creature, which includes zombies and monsters, the series discusses real-life events – including the true story of Unit 731. Gyeongseong Creature makes the most of its 1945 setting, offering a series that addresses generational trauma and the impact of the Japanese rule over Korea. From the independence movement to the atrocities committed against locals, Gyeongseong Creature season 1 shows the final months of World War II from the perspective of the people of Gyeongseong.

Soldiers shooting prisoners in Gyeongseong Creature episode 1

Gyeongseong Creature episode 10’s ending credits scene took place in 2024. However, the majority of the season was set in 1945, just a few weeks before the end of the war. Even though the Netflix Korean show does not directly reference many real-life figures, it recreates important historical moments and offers the perspective of Korean artists on one of the saddest, most horrifying events of the 20th century.

Soldiers burning documents in Gyeongseong Creature

The True Story Of Gyeongseong Creature’s Unit 731

Japan had an extensive program of biological warfare during World War II, and the most infamous example is that of Unit 731. Established in 1936 on a building complex near Harbin in Manchuria, Unit 731, or Ishii Unit, was secretly used for human experimentation and the development of biological weapons. It could hold 600 prisoners and welcome 3000 personnel at a time. While the number of people who were killed during the experiments cannot be accurately stated due to the lack of documents, all estimates account for thousands of people who were experimented on and killed inside Unit 731 from 1936 to 1945. Sheldon H. Harris' Factories of Death: Japanese Biological Warfare, 1932-45 and the American Cover-Up estimates the number of Chinese victims from the Japanese Army's biological warfare is in the hundreds of thousands range. The operation was led by Surgeon General Shiro Ishii, who had been tasked in 1932 with leading the Army Epidemic Prevention Research Laboratory. Human experimentation conducted inside Unit 731 included infecting prisoners with various pathogens, such as cholera, plague, and anthrax. Prisoners would be exposed to extreme conditions and other inhumanities, including the performing of dissection on alive human beings without the use of any form of anesthesia. Unit 731’s place in Japan’s World War II strategy went beyond in-door experiments and also included field tests, especially in China. Multiple disease outbreaks in Chinese cities were started through plague bombs.

A custom image featuring a real-life picture of Shiro Ishii and the Unit 731 Museum in China

Gyeongseong Creature Combines Fact and Fiction

Gyeongseong Creature combines the true story of Unit 731 and the atrocities it committed with fantasy elements like monsters and zombies. These fantasy elements, especially the creation of a monster through the use of a mysterious parasite, metaphorically discuss how the real monsters in any true story of horrors are humans and not fictional creatures. The “creature” referenced in Gyeongseong Creature’s title was actually a victim – a prisoner from Unit 731 that had been experimented on and had now become a giant monster. Chae-ok and her father, two of the show’s main characters, came from Manchuria to Gyeongseong and knew about Unit 731. The trauma with which Chae-ok and her father discuss what is happening in Gyeongseong adds another layer of depth to the show. However, apart from the opening sequence, Gyeongseong Creature does not feature Unit 731’s main buildings in Manchuria. Instead, most of the show takes place in the fictional district of Bonjeong in Gyeongseong and the also fictional Ongseong Hospital. Despite the fictional additions, the show recreates some of the experiments conducted by the real Unit 731 in very disturbing scenes – such as when Sachimoto has to watch the dissection of someone who was still alive and was given no anesthesia.

A soldier wearing a mask in Gyeongseong Creature episode 1