Gap-dong

Gap-dong (갑동이) refers to a fictional serial killer and the namesake of the 2014 South Korean crime thriller television series, Gap-dong, the Serial Killer. In the fictional context, "Gap-dong" is not the killer's real name, but a moniker given to him by the police and media due to the circumstances of his initial alleged crimes in the city of Iltan 20 years prior to the series' timeline.

Within the narrative, the Gap-dong case revolves around the unsolved murders attributed to this individual. The crimes involved sexually motivated assaults and homicides, leaving a lasting impact on the detectives involved and the community at large. The original lead investigator believed he had identified the killer, but the suspect was eventually released due to insufficient evidence and later committed suicide, fueling further ambiguity and doubt about the true identity of Gap-dong.

The series explores the psychological impact of the case on those connected to it, including the original investigator's son, who becomes a detective himself, and the potential emergence of a copycat killer, forcing authorities to revisit the long-dormant case and grapple with the possibility that the real Gap-dong may still be at large, or that the original suspect was indeed innocent. The name "Gap-dong" becomes synonymous with fear, unresolved trauma, and the enduring question of justice.