Kdrama – The Worst of Evil – Trailer
“The Worst of Evil” is an original Korean drama series released on Disney+ starting from September 27, 2023. It is directed by Han Dong-uk, the director of the film “Man in Love”. The story of “The Worst of Evil” revolves around Jun-Mo, a police officer who infiltrates the Jiangnan United Organization, a transnational drug trafficking center in Korea, China, and Japan during the 1990s. The series premiered with three episodes on September 27th, followed by two episodes every Wednesday until October 25th when the final three episodes were released. In total, there are twelve episodes in this drama series.
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Kdrama – The Worst of Evil – Episode 1-3 Review and 4 highlights Explained, Recap
Kdrama The Worst of Evil Review: I want to make quick money, I can endure any hardship (EP1).
“The Worst of Evil” Recap: Two years ago, in 1994, the South Korean nightclub scene was buzzing with promotions for DJ Jung Gi-Cheul. The crime organization’s boss, Sergeant Jang, couldn’t understand why someone as talented and capable as Jung Gi-Cheul would choose to be a DJ. So he decided to make Jung Gi-Cheul the owner of a nightclub instead, knowing that he wouldn’t pass up such a lucrative opportunity.
And so it happened that ten years later, Jung Gi-Cheul successfully managed the nightclub business. Of course, in order to make money from the club, he had to endure insults and humiliation from wealthy customers. But even then, he couldn’t resist taking matters into his own hands. Although he received punishment from the organization for his actions, Jung Gi-Cheul mustered up the courage to approach Boss Sergeant Jang and demand that their agreement be fulfilled – otherwise, he would find his own way to make money.
However, Sergeant Jang was furious and had no intention of becoming involved in drug trafficking. He thought Jung Gi-Cheul’s idea was terrible and warned him not to act recklessly. But Jung Gi-Cheul refused to be restricted by these warnings. Together with his partners, they sought out new allies to expand their influence and overthrow Sergeant Jang.
During an organizational gathering one night when both sides were engaged in a secret battle against each other; ultimately resulting in chaos – Sergeant Jang assassinated Kwon Tae-Ho because Kwon Tae-Ho took away his gold watch; this drove Jung Gi-Cheul into madness seeking revenge on Sergeant Jang at all costs.
Afterwards,Jung-Gi Cheol went looking for Boss sergeant jang claiming that sergeant jang injured one of their gang members before running away without trace.Now unable locate him ,Jung-Gi Cheol offered himself as subordinate to the boss, promising to pay him fifty million won every month.
In the beginning of Episode 1 of “The Worst of Evil,” we can see the contrast between two characters, Park Jun-Mo and Jung Gi-Cheul, who are both struggling. Although the drama does not directly show Jung Gi-Cheul venting his frustration by hitting a customer, it is implied when he is reprimanded by the organization for doing so. The director uses a few simple scenes to convey Jung Gi-Cheul’s perspective and his desire to earn money and status despite enduring humiliation from wealthy individuals.
Towards the end, when Jung Gi-Cheul can no longer bear it, it seems that it is not solely due to the actions of these wealthy individuals but rather because they have crossed a line that insults his status and dignity.
Through “The Worst of Evil,” we can see that Jung Gi-Cheul endures this treatment because he is waiting for the boss to fulfill their promise. If viewers pay attention, several characters continuously refer to him as a “poor loser” or “poor person.” The script builds upon Jung Gi-Cheul’s desire to make big money and gain status while he waits for an opportunity that will give him a position in society.
Jung Gi-Cheul’s character reveals his ambition for wealth through lines such as “Can you live like this?” Of course, there is also curiosity about his past and childhood experiences that led him down this path and made him so determined to pursue status and financial satisfaction.
In Episode 1 of “The Worst of Evil,” there seems to be an underlying connection with its title. Sergeant Jang represents evil, while within Sergeant Jang’s organization, Jung Gi-Cheul stands out as an even more prominent embodiment of evil. However, what fate awaits this kind of evil? The script hints at this through Kwon Tae-Ho taking Sergeant Jang’s watch during their confrontation which ultimately leads to his death.
The watch symbolizes status and money, and Kwon Tae-Ho’s act of forcefully taking it represents “seizing” (and the watch itself is a symbol of status, as there are many scenes in “The Worst of Evil” where underlings try to snatch someone’s watch, metaphorically representing Jung Gi-Cheul’s desire for a position built upon wealth). In the end, Kwon Tae-Ho meets a bloody demise, foreshadowing that Jung Gi-Cheul will encounter similar fates because he obtained Jiangnan through “seizing.”
Furthermore, Sergeant Jang being able to take a life over a watch also signifies how those in power trample on those at the bottom. The stabs inflicted by Jung Gi-Cheul represent his pent-up anger because in Sergeant Jang’s eyes, both Jung Gi-Cheul and his subordinates are considered “poor people” who are looked down upon. For Jung Gi-Cheul, this is payback; it is fair for him to seek revenge with bloodshed.
Additionally, considering how much importance Jung Gi-Cheul places on loyalty towards his subordinates and comrades-in-arms, it makes me wonder what would happen if Park Jun-Mo and Jung Gi-Cheul start developing ambiguous feelings within the organization. How would Jung Gi-Cheul react when he discovers Park Jun-Mo’s true identity? Especially since Park Jun-Mo will come to understand more about Jung Gi-Cheul’s inner world through Zheng Eui-Jeong. Will Park Jun-Mo develop pity as a result?
Kdrama The Worst of Evil Review:Do you want me to become a bad person and catch other bad people? (EP1)
“The Worst of Evil” Recap: Two years ago, in 1994, Seoul, South Korea. Yu Eui-Jeong was transferred to the security department, which marked the beginning of her journey towards becoming an elite police officer. Yu Eui-Jeong’s family criticized Park Jun-Mo for not making progress. While his wife is an elite police officer, Park Jun-Mo is just a small-town cop. Fast forward to the present day, a nightclub accident occurs in Japan where a woman falls from a building after taking drugs.
Murayama Hideaki from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Narcotics Control Division comes to Korea to investigate the source of the drugs because the driver claims they came from Korea. Japan demands that they catch the top boss and obtain both people and evidence before taking action. Therefore, they need an undercover agent who can infiltrate Korean gangs, and Seok Do-Hyung immediately thinks that Park Jun-Mo is the best candidate for this role.
However, Park Jun-Mo believes that catching criminals through pursuit is enough; he doesn’t want to get involved in dirty business. He has been refusing all along even when Cho Chang-Sik personally visited him. One major reason why Park Jun-Mo doesn’t want to accept this mission is because his father was discovered as a drug addict during his wedding ceremony. As a result, Park Jun-Mo despises drug addicts and refuses to become one himself by joining gangs.
Cho Chang-Sik knows that Park Jun-Mo is pursuing promotion and promises generous money and advancement if he solves this case successfully.However, although Park Jun-Mo accepts the mission, he requests not money but two levels of promotion instead.Park Jun-Mo begins to understand Jung Gi-Cheul’s entire organization structure and learns that over six months Jung Gi-Cheul has taken control of various nightclubs in Gangnam district.The police suspect there must be a strong connection between the large amount of money and Gangnam Crystal, and that the raw materials come from China.
Professor Yoon Won-Gil seems to be the person in charge of manufacturing the supply. She only appears in one scene in “The Worst of Evil” trilogy. The poppy flowers around her indicate that she is connected to the supply. ↓↓↓↓↓
Furthermore, one point I would like to mention is about the necklace worn by Jung Gi-Cheul in “The Worst of Evil” Episode 1. At the beginning, Park Jun-Mo takes out the same necklace from Yu Eui-Jeong’s box. Yu Eui-Jeong explains that it was a necklace from their high school days and serves as a foreshadowing of Yu Eui-Jeong being Jung Gi-Cheul’s first love.
In Episode 2, when Yu Eui-Jeong and Jung Gi-Cheul reunite, we see how much Jung Gi-Cheul longs for the memories behind this necklace. It signifies that he still hasn’t forgotten about Yu Eui-Jeong.
In Episode 1 of “The Worst of Evil,” there is a sense of melancholy surrounding Park Jun-Mo, an unsuccessful police officer. Particularly when it mentions his father being involved in illegal activities and how his position as a police officer is mocked by Yu Eui-Jeong’s family. Both Park Jun-Mo and Jung Gi-Cheul have goals they strive for; they are willing to sacrifice anything to achieve them – “I don’t want money, just promote me two ranks.” For Park Jun-Mo, promotion holds more importance than money, similar to Jung Gi-Cheul who faces disdain due to poverty.
I believe their lives are quite similar; both looked down upon because they lack something essential. Perhaps through their future interactions with each other, they will discover that they truly understand one another on a deeper level.
Kdrama The Worst of Evil Review:A group of disloyal guys (EP2)
“The Worst of Evil” Plot: Park Jun-Mo uses the excuse of finding the killer who wants to kill Kwon Tae-Ho as a way to get close to Jung Gi-Cheul. Park Jun-Mo takes a big step forward and is quite impressed with his acting skills.
On the other hand, Jung Gi-Cheul visits Kwon Tae-Ho’s father in order to find out if Kwon Tae-Ho really has a cousin. Fortunately, Jung Gi-Cheul has done thorough research for this mission, and Kwon Tae-Ho’s father has already been deceived by Seok Do-Hyung using the same story, leaving no room for suspicion from Jung Gi-Cheul.
Park Jun-Mo meets up with Jung Gi-Cheul as planned. In order to make it believable that he is Kwon Tae-Ho’s cousin, Park Jun-Mo intentionally gets angry in front of Jung Gi-Cheul when he tries to dismiss him with money.
This allows Park Jun-Mo an opportunity to showcase his skills and determination in front of everyone present, making it clear that he is determined to find the person responsible for killing Kwon Tae-Ho.Immediately after this incident, some subordinates express their desire for Park Jun-Mo to join their group. In order for them to believe that he is indeed Kwon Tae-Hos’ cousin, Park Jun-Moreleases flyers stating that they are looking for Sergeant Jang who went missing.
Hee-Sung sends money every month to Song Dong-Hyuk and expresses his dissatisfaction with how Jung Gi-Cheul thinks highly of himself while taking advantage of others. Despite their ten-year friendship, Hee-Sung feels like he is being bossed around by him. Therefore, Hee-Sung plans on betrayingJungGiCheultogain back their former territory by gathering members of the Busan gang. He even promises to give Song Dong-Hyuk double the money every month, which convinces him to join.
Jung Gi-Cheul meets Park Jun-Mo at night and asks him to join their gang. He reveals that everyone present is actually a former subordinate of Sergeant Jang, who was killed. In this fight, Park Jun-Mo naturally stands on Jung Gi-Cheul’s side. It turns out that this was all part of a plan between Jung Gi-Cheul and Hee-Sung to lure out Song Dong-Hyuk, who secretly wanted to get rid of Jung Gi-Cheul. Taking advantage of the situation, Jung Gi-Cheul declares that he will no longer send money in the future and severs ties with Song Dong-Hyuk.
Of course, this also attracts danger for Jung Gi-Cheul as Song Dong-Hyuk decides to send someone to eliminate him regardless of whether or not his boss in Japan likes him. As for why JungGiCheulfoundParkJun-Mo,it is because his newly opened café is meantto commemorate Kwon Tae-Ho’s dream since it was a shop he always wantedto open.JungGiCheulfulfillsKwonTaeHo’swish,andfinallyadmits that he himself killed Sergeant Jang.
In the end, Park Jun-Mo becomes the youngest member within the organization and learns about the work of new comers. He handles incidents on the street and collects protection money, but never inquires about drugs. Yu Eui-Jeong hasn’t heard from Park Jun-Mo these past few days so she arranges a dinner date with him.
However,Jung Gi Cheul sees them together. Yu Eui-Jeong is surprised when she sees Jung Gi Cheul since they used to know each ot her from church. Park Jun-Mod esperately explains that his father was arrested and Yu Eui-Jeong contacted him out of concern. Surprisingly, Jung Gi-Cheul remains silent throughout the encounter. Park Jun-Mo then realizes that Yu Eui-Jeong is actually Jung Gi-Cheul’s first love.
In the second episode of “The Worst of Evil,” Park Jun-Mo truly showed his courage when facing Jung Gi-Cheul, just as Seok Do-Hyung described. This also explains why Park Jun-Mo requested a two-level promotion, because he is indeed, as he said himself, “the only one risking his life.”
Just seeing how Park Jun-Mo can act so shamelessly and aggressively in front of a group of gangsters creates an atmosphere that makes people sweat for him. However, based on the content, it seems that Park Jun-Mo intentionally provoked these gangsters in order to have a chance to showcase his skills in front of Jung Gi-Cheul. Only then would he have the opportunity to gain recognition from Jung Gi-Cheul and join the organization.
In this scene, the director deliberately portrayed Park Jun-Mo as someone who never gives up easily. For example, even after being knocked down, he can stand up and continue fighting. There is even a close-up shot where Park Jun-Mo uses biting as a way to break free.
If viewers notice carefully, they will find that many lines spoken by Park Jun-Mo during this action scene are filled with gangster slang such as “you useless piece of trash,” “amateur,” and “let go of me, you bastard.” I believe these lines were intentionally added by the screenwriter and director to create the impression that Park Jun-Mo can blend into this group’s characteristics.
Furthermore, this action scene is brutal and savage which perfectly matches the style of gangs. The director portrays Park Jun-Mo as ruthless and bloody throughout; especially during the scene with an ashtray which left many viewers shocked and unable to bear watching further. This highlights how well-suited Park-Jun Mo is for staying within this organization compared to anyone else present at that moment.
Kdrama The Worst of Evil Review:I never expected him to become a gangster when he grew up (EP3).
“The Worst of Evil” Recap: After Park Jun-Mo learns that Yu Eui-Jeong was Jung Gi-Cheul’s first love, he starts to feel jealous and angry towards Jung Gi-Cheul. During their high school days, Yu Eui-Jeong and Jung Gi-Cheul met in the church choir where they both wore identical necklaces.
One day, Jung Gi-Cheul’s mother was taken away by the police covered in blood, and he never saw her again. At this point, Jung Gi-Cheul asks someone to investigate whether Kwon Tae-Ho’s cousin’s father was really arrested by the police and also wants to find out about Yu Eui-Jeong’s background and her husband who is a policeman.
Yu Eui-Jeong is worried that Jung Gi-Cheul might discover Park Jun-Mo’s scheme. Soon enough, Jung Gi-Cheul receives information about Yu Eui-Jeong’s current situation and finds out that her husband is named Park Jun-Mo.
Fortunately, Seok Do-Hyung had already replaced the photo with someone else’s picture so Park Jun-Mo’s true identity remains undisclosed. While patrolling the streets with Yong-Dae, Park Jun-Mo notices a suspicious cart filled with people wearing masks; it turns out their target is to capture Jung Gi-Cheul.
Naturally, Park Jun-Mo rushes to save him on-site which leads to Jung-Gi Cheol deciding to keep Park-Jun Mo as his personal bodyguard despite knowing his close ties with the police because he witnessed how sincerely Park-Jun Mo risked his life for him (although this was all part of a plan orchestrated by Seok Do-Hyung for Jong-Gi Cheol to believe Song Dong-Hyuk wanted him dead when in fact those thugs were all policemen).
On another front, Song Dong-Hyuk specifically contacts Japan to express his desire to eliminate Jung Gi-Cheul and take over the entire Gangnam area. This is a significant development for Kanemoto, considering the close relationship between Jung Gi-Cheul and Kanemoto. Jung Gi-Cheul visits Yu Eui-Jeong’s mother at the hospital where she advises him not to engage in any wrongdoing while managing the nightclub.
However, Song Dong-Hyuk calls the next day saying he wants to get rid of him, and Jung Gi-Cheul does not object. The following day, when Park Jun-Mo learns that Jung Gi-Cheul goes fishing twice a month and often spends nights outside, he decides to secretly enter his office in search of clues.
He guesses Yu Eui-Jeong’s birthday as the password and successfully gains access but finds no fishing equipment in his room. Park Jun-Mo plans on finding a way for Jung-Gi Cheol to take him fishing instead. They also discover that police officers disguised as gangsters have infiltrated their company which complicates matters further.
At the same time, they learn about someone who intends to betray and monopolize Gangnam business from within Jiangnan Club; thus they set up a trap to expose this person with Park Jun-Mo tasked with eliminating them so that he can gain Jong-Gi Cheol’s trust.
Why did Jung Gi-Cheul end up on the path of the underworld? Based on the content, it can be seen that in the past, Jung Gi-Cheul used to go to church and was a member of the choir. This also indicates that he used to be a good student (Yu Eui-Jeong’s mother also mentioned that Jung Gi-Cheul’s mother was a devout Christian).
However, his mother was taken away by the police covered in blood (most likely because of problems caused by Jung Gi-Cheul’s father, which ultimately led to his mother taking drastic measures). The brokenness within his family brought difficulties for Jung Gi-Cheul in the future.
Currently, it is unknown what happened to Jung Gi-Cheul’s family or where he went after that incident. But I feel that in Episode 3 of “The Worst of Evil,” the story between Jung Gi-Cheul and Yu Eui-Jeong reveals a deeper side to his character. He is not simply evil nor purely bad; however, considering how much importance he places on having no power, money or influence himself, I believe that at that time, Jung Gi-Cheul’s father must have provided him with a poor and despised household.
Through this segment in “The Worst of Evil,” I think the screenwriter intends to portray how determined Jung-Gi Cheol is to earn money and gain status using any means necessary. After all, society works this way – as demonstrated when Park Jun-Mo remains an insignificant rural policeman who gets ridiculed by Yu Eui-Jeong’s family until he makes something out of himself; achieving recognition becomes essential for one’s existence.
This world forces everyone into certain situations just like Park Jun-Mo has no choice but to become a bad person in order catch other criminals while for Jong-Gi Cheol survival requires him becoming corrupt himself within this society.
Therefore, in Episode 3 of “The Worst of Evil,” when Park Jun-Mo asks Yong-Dae why he joined the Gangnam Association, Yong-Dae replies, “Of course, I wanted to live a good life.” This also implies that everyone at that time desired status for themselves; it’s just that their methods were crooked.
For Jung Gi-Cheul, having an elder like “Boss Kanemoto” to respect is what defines an elder figure for him. As Park Jun-Mo gradually gets pushed by Jung Gi-Cheul into doing more brutal things, this simultaneously forces Park Jun-Mo towards the realm of evil.
Especially in the final scene of Episode 3 of “The Worst of Evil,” when Jung Gi-Cheul pressures Park Jun-Mo to shoot someone, it represents a struggle within Park Jun-Mo’s moral compass. He had previously questioned whether he should become a bad person to catch other criminals. This line demonstrates the character’s moral dilemma – he doesn’t want to become a bad person. Therefore, whether or not the shot fired by Park Jun-Mo hits someone becomes the deciding factor on whether he falls into the domain of evil or not.
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