In an interview with News1, Narco-Saints creator Yoon Jong Bin talked about meeting the real informant that inspired the story.
Narco-Saints follows a civilian businessman involved in the National Intelligence Service’s covert operation to bring down a Korean drug lord in Suriname. The show has been garnering explosive reactions from many global viewers since its release.
When asked if he actually met the real-life informant who inspired the story of Kang In Gu (played by Ha Jung Woo), Director Yoon answered, “I have met him in person three times. He was like a soldier and seemed like he could survive in the wild just fine. When I first heard his audio recordings, I instantly thought, ‘He must have been crazy to take such a risk for three years.’ But I came to understand why and how he did it as soon as I met him. I thought the story might turn out too rigid if I based the character on the real figure. So I made an original character off of him to make the story more enjoyable and fun.”
The director also explained why Jeon Yo Han (Hwang Jung Min) was depicted as a cult leader. He said: “That’s probably the one I tweaked the most from the original story. The real informant went to Suriname alone and lived under the same roof as the drug lord. He said he thought the trafficker was just a successful businessman until he knew who he really was. As much as it was mind-blowing, I thought it wouldn’t make perfect sense to viewers, so I came up with ways to make the story more plausible and appealing. After giving it much thought, I decided to portray Yo Han as a pastor who naturally earns the trust of people.”
When asked if he had ever heard anything about the real drug lord, he replied, “I asked the National Intelligence Service and the police for help but I haven’t heard anything from them.”
Source (1)
