Gap-dong
| Gap-dong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Crime Thriller Drama Mystery Action |
| Written by | Kwon Eum-mi |
| Directed by | Jo Soo-won |
| Starring | Yoon Sang-hyun Sung Dong-il Kim Min-jung Kim Ji-won Lee Joon |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Kang Hee-jun |
| Production location | Korea |
| Running time | 70 minutes Fridays and Saturdays at 20:40 (KST) |
| Production companies | Pan Entertainment CJ E&M |
| Original release | |
| Network | tvN |
| Release | April 11 – June 21, 2014 |
Gap-dong (Korean: 갑동이; RR: Gapdongi) is a 2014 South Korean television series starring Yoon Sang-hyun, Sung Dong-il, Kim Min-jung, Kim Ji-won and Lee Joon. It aired on cable channel tvN from April 11 to June 14, 2014 on Fridays and Saturdays at 20:40 for 20 episodes.[1]
The series is based on the real-life unsolved Hwaseong serial murders case, which involved the rape and murder of ten women from 1986 to 1991 in the Taean neighborhood of Hwaseong City. The case also inspired the 2003 film Memories of Murder.
Plot
1996, the (fictional) city of Iltan in Gyeonggi Province: A young girl gets brutally murdered by an unknown person on a dark night. As the city is gripped by a succession of serial killings, a total of nine murders within a twelve-kilometer radius since 1993, the police conclude that a man they've nicknamed "Gap-dong" is behind the crimes. But detective Yang Cheol-gon is convinced that the actual killer is Ha Il-sik, a resident of the town who is intellectually challenged. His attempt to arrest the suspect fails as Ha commits suicide to prove his innocence. His death inspires his son Moo-yeom to become a cop to clear his father's name and restore his honor.
Seventeen years later, Moo-yeom is a police detective who spends his career chasing dead ends and helping juvenile delinquents. After the statute of limitations on the case expires, Moo-yeom becomes resigned to the belief that Gap-dong is dead. But then a series of incidents occur in the town that bear an eerie resemblance to Gap-dong's crimes. Cheol-gon, now a well-decorated officer, has recently transferred back to Iltan, and to his dismay, Moo-yeom joins his investigation team to catch Gap-dong once and for all.
Cast
Main characters
- Yoon Sang-hyun as Ha Moo-yeom
- A detective in Iltan Police Department's violent crimes unit. He vows to avenge his wrongly accused father.[2]
- Sung Dong-il as Yang Cheol-gon
- He was a police inspector at the time of the original murders, and is now a well-decorated officer. Upon receiving his latest promotion, he surprises his superiors by requesting to be assigned back to Iltan, because he wants to end his career by capturing Gap-dong. Still convinced that Moo-yeom's father was the killer, he is extremely prejudiced against Moo-yeom, which makes for a combative working relationship. He also hiding grief of his daughter's death.
- Kim Min-jung as Maria Oh
- A psychiatrist with a mysterious double life and a suspicious curiosity for all things Gap-dong.
- Kim Ji-won as Ma Ji-wool
- A 17-year-old high school student and webtoon artist with the pen name "Matilda." Ji-wool becomes pivotal to the case when her webtoon titled The Beast's Path ends up foretelling the crimes. When she becomes the killer's next target, it also serves as a set of clues to find him.
- Lee Joon as Ryu Tae-oh
- An inmate of a prison psychiatric hospital, who becomes a barista after his release. With a genius IQ of 150, his excellent and detailed memory may prove valuable to cracking the case, but he also happens to have the disposition to be a dangerous psychopath, and considers Gap-dong his god and hero.[3][4][5][6]
Supporting characters
- Jung In-gi as Cha Do-hyeok, the police section chief
- Kang Nam-gil as Han Sang-hoon, a profiler
- Jang Gwang as Jinjo, a monk
- Jo Ji-hwan as Lee Hyung-nyeon, Moo-yeom's partner
- Choo Soo-hyun as Oh Young-ae
- Min Sung-wook as Nam Ki-ri
- Jung Won-joong as Park Joong-goo
- Jang Hee-soo as Kim Young-mi, Maria's mother
- Yoon Kyun-sang as the youngest detective.
- Hyun Woo as young Cha Do-hyeok
- Hong In-young as Hong Sung-hee, a reporter
- Seo Joo-hee as Ji Hwa-ja, Ji-wool's mother
- Yoo Eun-ho as Yang Seon-joo, Cheol-gon's daughter
- Lee Go-eun as young Seon-joo
Ratings
| Episode | Original airdate | AGB Nielsen ratings[7][8] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average rating | |||
| 1 | April 11, 2014 | 1.51% | |
| 2 | April 12, 2014 | 1.98% | |
| 3 | April 25, 2014 | 1.37% | |
| 4 | April 26, 2014 | 1.64% | |
| 5 | May 2, 2014 | 1.77% | |
| 6 | May 3, 2014 | 1.76% | |
| 7 | May 9, 2014 | 1.81% | |
| 8 | May 10, 2014 | 2.32% | |
| 9 | May 16, 2014 | 1.72% | |
| 10 | May 17, 2014 | 2.00% | |
| 11 | May 23, 2014 | 1.89% | |
| 12 | May 24, 2014 | 2.08% | |
| 13 | May 30, 2014 | 1.68% | |
| 14 | May 31, 2014 | 1.91% | |
| 15 | June 6, 2014 | 2.32% | |
| 16 | June 7, 2014 | 2.23% | |
| 17 | June 13, 2014 | 1.85% | |
| 18 | June 14, 2014 | 2.17% | |
| 19 | June 20, 2014 | 2.07% | |
| 20 | June 21, 2014 | 2.13% | |
| Average | 1.91% | ||
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 7th Korea Drama Awards | Best New Actor | Lee Joon | Nominated |
International broadcast
It aired in Thailand on Workpoint TV beginning March 9, 2015.[9]
References
- ^ Kim, Hee-eun (11 April 2014). "Drama based on murders familiar". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ "Yoon Sang Hyun Gets Intense for Upcoming tvN Drama Gapdong". Soompi. 9 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
- ^ Bae, Sun-young (4 February 2014). "MBLAQ Lee Joon to Turn into Barista in New Drama". TenAsia. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
- ^ Kim, Hee-eun (20 March 2014). "Lee Joon joins new thriller". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (11 April 2014). "Lee Joon Says MBLAQ Members Liked that He Was a Psychopath in Gapdong". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ Jeon, Ah-ram (28 June 2014). "Interview: Lee Joon Shares on Acting as a Psychopath in Gapdong". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
- ^ AGB 닐슨 미디어리서치 홈페이지
- ^ This drama airs on a cable channel/pay TV which has a relatively small audience compared to free TV/public broadcasters (SBS, KBS, MBC).
- ^ "Gap Dong กั๊บดง ถอดรหัสฆ่า / GabDong – ซีรีย์เกาหลี". korea.tlcthai.com. 2 September 2015. Thai: ภาษาไทย