Memories of Murder
Memories of Murder
Bong Joon Ho's 2003 crime drama reconstructs the Lee Chun-jae serial murder cases through fictional detectives and a compressed investigation.
OVERALL TRUTH BASIS · Fact-based dramatization
The film directly draws on the serial murders and the investigative environment of the period, while its detectives, suspects, chronology, and individual scenes are composite or dramatized.
Lee Chun-jae Serial Murder Case
A series of sexual violence and murder cases that occurred from 1986 to 1991 in areas including Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. A name incorporating the place name was widely used in the past, but after 2019, use of the name “Lee Chun-jae Serial Murder Case” spread following Hwaseong residents’ requests to change the name and the disclosure of Lee Chun-jae’s real name.
FACT / FICTION
Verification 6
Fact / Fiction verification
6 recordsMemories of Murder is a 2003 film directed by Bong Joon Ho and based on the Lee Chun-jae serial murder cases.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- —
- Verified record
- A contemporary interview with Bong identifies the real-life serial murder cases as the film's source material.
View 1 sources
- 살인의 추억 봉준호 감독 인터뷰씨네21 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
The Lee Chun-jae serial murder cases took place between 1986 and 1991.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- Set in rural Gyeonggi Province in 1986, the film follows police officers investigating a series of murders.
- Verified record
- Later reporting on the reinvestigation dates the cases from September 1986 through April 1991.
View 2 sources
- 봉준호 16년전 그 말중앙일보/다음 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- 스모킹 건 이춘재 연쇄살인KBS · Other · Grade BOpen source →
Park Doo-man and Seo Tae-yoon are fictional or composite detectives constructed from the real investigative environment.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- A local detective and a detective from Seoul pursue the case using sharply different investigative methods.
- Verified record
- Bong researched the case by interviewing investigators, reporters, and Hwaseong residents, but the film's detectives are dramatic constructions.
View 2 sources
- 살인의 추억 봉준호 감독 인터뷰씨네21 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- 봉준호 16년전 그 말중앙일보/다음 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
The individual murder scenes, sequence of the investigation, and suspect narrative are a cinematic reconstruction that compresses and combines elements from multiple real cases.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- The film narrows its investigation around a particular leading suspect.
- Verified record
- The film selects and condenses material involving multiple victims, suspects, and investigative records from the real cases.
View 2 sources
- 살인의 추억 봉준호 감독 인터뷰씨네21 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- 살인의 추억TVING · Other · Grade BOpen source →
The cases were still unsolved when the film opened; during the 2019–2020 reinvestigation, police identified Lee Chun-jae as the person responsible.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- —
- Verified record
- Records from the reinvestigation confirm this identification.
View 1 sources
- 스모킹 건 이춘재 연쇄살인KBS · Other · Grade BOpen source →
The crimes were widely known as the "Hwaseong serial murder cases." reelVerity uses "Lee Chun-jae serial murder cases" as its primary label, reflecting concerns about stigmatizing the region and the naming shift after 2019.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- —
- Verified record
- In 2019, Yonhap News Agency announced that it would adopt "Lee Chun-jae serial murder cases" after Lee's name was made public and Hwaseong residents requested a change to avoid negative associations with the city.
View 1 sources
- '화성연쇄살인사건'을 '이춘재 연쇄살인사건'으로 변경연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
CHARACTER ↔ PERSON
Characters and real people
박두만
Fictional composite character서태윤
Fictional composite characterOther related people
Lee Chun-jae
Serial killerSources used
- 살인의 추억 봉준호 감독 인터뷰씨네21 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- 봉준호 16년전 그 말중앙일보/다음 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- 스모킹 건 이춘재 연쇄살인KBS · Other · Grade BOpen source →
- 살인의 추억TVING · Other · Grade BOpen source →
- '화성연쇄살인사건'을 '이춘재 연쇄살인사건'으로 변경연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →