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Episodes 9 to 12 of When Life Gives You Tangerines reference two of South Korea’s most notorious criminal cases from the 1990s: the Hwaseong serial murders and the Frog Boys disappearance. These real-life incidents reportedly gripped the nation with fear and mystery, leaving lasting scars on Korean society.
The drama appears to incorporate real-life events in its later episodes. In Episode 9, composite sketch flyers resembling those from the Hwaseong investigation are displayed. Additionally, Episode 10 features a news report about a 13-year-old victim linked to the eighth murder in 1988. The timeline in When Life Gives You Tangerines indicates that this scene takes place in December 1988.
By interweaving these two cases, When Life Gives You Tangerines effectively captures the fear and tension of that era, through the experiences of Oh Ae-sun and her husband, Yang Gwan-sik. Their daughter, Yang Geum-myeong, is a college student living alone in Seoul and working late nights—an unsettling situation for any parent during such perilous times.
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Crime flyers and frequent news reports in When Life Gives You Tangerines reinforce the ever-present sense of unease. This allows viewers of When Life Gives You Tangerines to share the same worry and dread that Geum-myeong’s parents feel as they watch over their daughter from afar in Seoul.
When Life Gives You Tangerines revisits Korea's infamous Hwaseong murders and Frog Boys mystery: Explored
The Hwaseong murders, spanning from 1986 to 1991, became one of the country’s largest criminal investigations, with police struggling for decades to identify the perpetrator. Meanwhile, the unexplained disappearance of five young boys in 1991 led to years of desperate searches, only for their remains to be discovered more than a decade later.
Here is a more in-depth look at the 2 dreadful incidents mentioned in When Life Gives You Tangerines:
1) The Hwaseong serial murders: A case that allegedly changed South Korea’s criminal justice system, mentioned in When Life Gives You Tangerines
Between September 1986 and April 1991, a series of brutal murders in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, terrorized the nation. According to a report by a South Korean media outlet, The Korea Herald, on July 5, 2023, over five years, 10 women were assaulted and strangled with their clothing, with the crimes displaying a similar pattern.
As per the outlet, the attacks occurred in rural areas, targeting victims ranging from teenagers to elderly women. Despite a large-scale investigation involving nearly two million police officers, the perpetrator remained unidentified for over three decades, making it one of South Korea’s most infamous unsolved cases.
The failure to apprehend the killer led to widespread fear and frustration. Authorities gathered forensic evidence, including hair, fingerprints, and bodily fluids, yet limitations in investigative technology prevented them from making a definitive match. Additionally, an early misidentification of the suspect’s blood type as B allegedly complicated the case, diverting the investigators away from the actual perpetrator.
The Korea Herald reported that, as pressure mounted to solve the case, law enforcement resorted to coercive interrogation methods, resulting in alleged wrongful convictions. Among those affected was Yoon Sung-yeo, who was convicted of the eighth murder, allegedly based on a forced confession.
He was sentenced to life in prison and served 20 years before being released on parole in 2009, as per The Korea Herald. In 2020, his conviction was overturned when new evidence confirmed his innocence, highlighting alleged flaws in the original investigation.
The case remained cold until a breakthrough in September 2019, when advances in DNA technology allowed investigators to identify Lee Chun-jae as the perpetrator, according to The Korea Herald. At the time, Lee was already serving a life sentence for the 1994 r*pe and murder of his sister-in-law.
Initially denying involvement, he later confessed to all ten Hwaseong murders, as well as additional unsolved cases and multiple s*xual assaults. However, due to South Korea’s statute of limitations, he could not be legally prosecuted for these crimes.
Further investigations revealed that Lee had been discharged from his mandatory military service in early 1986, months before his first known murder. His crimes continued over the next five years but abruptly stopped in 1991, the same year he got married. In 1994, after his wife left him, he r*ped and murdered his sister-in-law, leading to his imprisonment.
Following his confession, authorities verified his involvement in 14 murders, including the Hwaseong killings. They confirmed the presence of his DNA in evidence collected from five crime scenes, the outlet reported.
For the remaining cases, Lee provided specific details that only the perpetrator could know, including crime scene layouts and victim positioning. His confession also led to the exoneration of individuals who had been wrongfully accused during the initial investigation.
The Hwaseong case had a profound impact on South Korea’s legal and investigative systems, according to the report by The Korea Herald. The wrongful convictions and alleged forced confessions revealed weaknesses in law enforcement methods, prompting reforms in forensic science and criminal profiling.
The outlet wrote that, in 2020, courts issued a formal apology to Yoon Sung-yeo, acknowledging the errors in the original case and the injustices he suffered. The investigation also led to a significant expansion of South Korea’s forensic capabilities. By 2021, the country’s homicide solve rate had risen to 96.7%, a notable improvement from the time of the Hwaseong murders.
According to the Korea Herald report, the case also influenced South Korean culture, inspiring Bong Joon-ho's 2003 film Memories of Murder, which depicted the struggles of law enforcement in tracking down the killer. Now it is referenced in When Life Gives You Tangerines to set the tone of the drama's backdrop.
2) The frog boys disappearance: A 34-year mystery in South Korea mentioned in When Life Gives You Tangerines
On March 26, 1991, five boys—Cheol-won, Chan-in, Ho-yeon, Jong-sik, and Yeong-gyu—went missing near Mount Waryong, Daegu. According to a report by CNA Insider on February 2, 2020, the children, aged 9 to 13, vanished while searching for salamander eggs near Mount Waryong.
As per the outlet, despite their parents' immediate concerns, police allegedly dismissed the case as a runaway incident. This alleged negligence delayed critical early search efforts. The first major media coverage came only after five days, when news reports labeled them the "Frog Boys," based on an assumption about their activity.
As the case gained attention, the families launched an extensive search campaign, even quitting their jobs to distribute flyers nationwide. Their relentless efforts led to a live television broadcast in May 1991, during which a mysterious phone call—later confirmed as a prank—offered false hope that the children were alive. Over the years, as CNA Insider reported, more than 500 leads surfaced, but none proved fruitful.
As per the report, the case took a turn in 1996 when a criminal psychologist alleged that one of the boys’ fathers had buried the children under his own home. This led to a police excavation, which found nothing and left the accused father devastated.
In September 2002, 11 years after their disappearance, 2 hikers discovered the boys’ skeletal remains on Mount Waryong, as reported by CNA Insider. The remains were found just 100–300 meters from the military shooting range. Their bodies were buried together, raising suspicions of foul play, as per the report.
Their bones were tangled together, with some showing signs of trauma. Empty cartridges and unused bullets were found at the scene. However, the police suggested hypothermia as the cause of death, a claim widely criticized by forensic experts, the outlet wrote.
Forensic analysis revealed sharp fractures on the skulls, likely from blunt force trauma, contradicting the hypothermia theory. Experts also noted that the site was close to the road and did not match conditions for exposure-related deaths.
The bullets found at the scene were allegedly identified as belonging to the 50th Infantry Division, according to CNA Insider. However, the military denied involvement. As per the outlet, allegations persisted that an officer may have fired a rifle that day to use up leftover ammunition, but investigations did not establish any direct connection linking the military to the crime.
Despite extensive investigations and forensic studies, CNA Insider reported that the cause of death and the identity of the perpetrator remain unresolved. In 2006, the investigation of the case reached a legal dead end when the statute of limitations expired. However, in 2015, South Korea’s National Assembly abolished the statute of limitations for first-degree murder, allowing authorities to pursue charges if a suspect is identified in the future.
In commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the boys’ disappearance, the city of Daegu has erected a memorial in proximity to the site. This memorial, called the Frog Boy Memorial and Children's Safety Prayer Monument (개구리소년 추모 및 어린이 안전 기원비), serves not only as a tribute to the victims but also as a poignant reminder of the importance of child safety.
Concurrently, the Daegu police department has established a specialized task force to revisit the case and thoroughly investigate any new leads that may have emerged.
The families of the victims continue to pursue justice, firmly believing that their children were subjected to foul play. The disappearance of these five young boys is regarded as one of South Korea’s most enduring and infamous unsolved cases.
This tragic event has inspired several creative works in both film and music. Notably, the story has been adapted into 2 films, namely Come Back, Frog Boys (1992) and Children (2011). Additionally, the 2019 documentary In Search of the Frog Boys, revisited the case, and the event is mentioned in the 2025 drama When Life Gives You Tangerines.
Set in 1960s Jeju Island, When Life Gives You Tangerines is a coming-of-age drama that captures the innocence and depth of first love. The story follows Ae Soon, a free-spirited young woman who dreams of becoming a poet, and Gwan-sik, a quiet yet steadfast man devoted to her. Through their journey, When Life Gives You Tangerines pays tribute to past generations, weaving together tales of youthful dreams, love, and cherished memories.
Led by IU and Park Bo-gum, When Life Gives You Tangerines was penned by Lim Sang-choon and directed by Kim Won-seok. It premiered on Netflix on March 7, 2025, releasing in 4 parts weekly, with its final installment set to air on March 28, 2025.
