Gyeongseong Creature: Season 1

January 8, 2024 9:35 PM - Season 1 (Full Season)

In the Spring 1945 in Gyeongseong, during the Japanese rule of Korea, a resourceful young Korean man accidentally discovers the local military hospital has created a monster through human experimentation.

Jang Tae-sang (Park Seo-joon) on paper runs a successful pawn, but his true vocation is selling information. When he is charged with finding a local politician's missing mistress, he ends up discovery that the basement of the local military hospital is used to conduct experiments on unwilling human subjects. Also starring Han So-hee, Wi Ha-joon (Squid Games), Jo Han-chul (The Wailing), and Kim Hae-sook (Thirst).

posted by miss-lapin (9 comments total)

The plot is far more complex as there is a side plot that involves the Korean resistance movement to the occupation.

The production values are simply gorgeous. Beautiful costumes and sets, good writing, great fight choreography, and the main actors are definitely all in.
posted by miss-lapin at 9:45 PM on January 8

This is reminding me of the terrific 2015 movie "Assassination."
posted by seasparrow at 10:33 PM on January 8

this looks fantastic! here is a trailer

I'm starting to feel like I picked the wrong streaming horse in this race.. I moved from Netflix to Crave years ago and I'm missing all the great Korean content Netflix has been acquiring for years now

gives me flashbacks to "The Host" for that military experiment--monster origin element
posted by elkevelvet at 8:28 AM on January 9 [1 favorite]

Ok, one of the Netflix descriptors for this is "horror." Can sometime tell me how scary it is?
posted by TwoStride at 4:47 PM on January 17

The plot revolves around a tentacle monster that is the result of unethical human experimentation in the basement of a military hospital and you see a fair amount of that experimentation. There's also a fair amount of torture and murder. Did I find it frightening? No. Did I find it horrifying? Yes.
posted by miss-lapin at 2:55 PM on January 18 [2 favorites]

Thanks, miss-lapin! That helps clarify it for me.
posted by TwoStride at 7:51 PM on January 18 [1 favorite]

I got a very 'Stranger Things' vibe from the monster effects, what with the floaty anthrax spores being emitted by the creature.

I don't know about this one. I agree that it's got a terrific cast and good production value. But I'm not sure whether I found it satisfying as an allegorical take on the atrocities of the Japanese occupation or a gratuitously exploitative take.
posted by oh yeah! at 5:01 AM on January 23

Just watching this now, halfway through a binge. It's so good! Have watched it with original language and also English dubbing, and the voice actors are really decent to good. I really like how they've played off the tension and gore with humor and wisecracks.
posted by the webmistress at 10:24 AM on April 13 [1 favorite]

From MyDramaList back in January - The Netflix series Gyeongseong Creature Season 2 unveiled stills of Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee from Season 2, set in modern Korea in 2024. It also revealed the new casting lineup for Season 2.
posted by oh yeah! at 6:53 AM on April 14 [1 favorite]