Kim Ki-hwan was manager and protector of this lucrative theatre. There was a famous theatre in the Umikan hall called the “Umikan Theatre”. His turf was the Jongno district of Seoul, where Japanese merchants opened pubs and the adult entertainment near theater districts. He was a former boxer and known to be a vicious street fighter. Kim Ki-hwan was one of the most powerful Korean gangsters at this time. In the early 1930s, there were Korean hoodlums like Kim Ki-hwan, Goo Ma-juk, and Shin Ma-juk, who were all known for being great fighters. Korean gangs at this time were disunified, lacked funds and were frequent targets of law enforcement, so they resorted to robbery and extortion. Hayashi’s Korean rivals were tough but unorganized. He was involved in many illegal smugglings, beatings and robberies to expand Hayashi’s empire. Kim was Hayashis main enforcer and was known for his standout judo skills. Most of his henchmen were Japanese but many Koreans, such as Kim Dong-hwe (김동회), worked for him as well. He took bribes from the adult entertainment industry and also opened legitimate stores for the sub-bosses to operate. He dominated the entire area of Myeong-dong, Eulji-ro, and Chungmuro. READ: Yakuza boss charged with ordering hit - Victim slashed with katana swordīy the 1930s most of Korea’s crime fell under the control of Hayashi.Hayashi was sent by Mitsuru to run the colonial branch of the yakuza in Seoul. Hayashi moved up quickly and was under the leadership of the famous Toyama Mitsuru (頭山満). During this time many ethnic Koreans in Japan joined the yakuza to avoid discrimination. Hayashi (right) was born in Taedong, Korea in 1909, but his family moved to Japan when he was 5. The first prominent gangster of this time that we can point to was a man named Hayashi (하야시). The yakuza were rivaled by some disorganized Korean gangs, but many other Koreans worked for the Japanese. They were also running many legitimate businesses such as bars and markets. They were primarily involved in smuggling of goods, drugs, extortion, prostitution and adult entertainment. There were some Japanese gangs in the North of the peninsula, but they were mostly centered in the South. READ: Asia’s Most Wanted Drug Lord - Profile of Triad boss Tse Chi Lop, nicknamed “Brother Number Three”ĭuring the occupation the Japanese yakuza dominated most of the Korean underworld from Seoul.Even today most Korean gangsters are trained in wrestling, boxing or martial arts. During these times only the best skilled fighters joined gangs because Koreans and Japanese gangsters rarely used weapons. This new urbanization of Seoul created poverty and homeless, and the streets of Seoul became breeding grounds for criminals. The Japanese occupation pushed many Korean farmers off their land and many were forced to leave the country side and move into the poor crowded streets of Seoul. Japan also has a long history of organized crime with the yakuza and they introduced this element into Korean society. Korea was under Japanese rule for over 30 years starting in 1910. Gangsters probably have always existed in Korea, but they first became more organized and recognized during the days of Japanese occupation. Korean gangsters, also known as kkangpae (깡패) actually have a long history dating back to the early 1900s.

Movies like the General's Son (장군의 아들) and shows like the Rustic Period (야인시대) are big hits in Korea. Despite the lack of recognition, gangsterism is a frequent theme in Korean films. Everyone knows about Lucky Luciano and Pablo Escobar and men from their part of the world, but no one knows about men like Kim Du-han or Cho Yang-eun. The history of Korean organized crime is mostly unknown to the public outside of Korea.

Real gangsters move in silence