Re-focus on the real-life drug lord who became the motif of Netflix's popular Korean TV series "Narco-Saints"

Interest in Jo Bong-haeng, the drug lord who became the motif of the Netflix TV series 'Narco-Saints', is increasing.

The TV series 'Narco-Saints' is a story about a Korean man who was stigmatized by an invincible drug lord in Suriname, a South American country, and accepts a secret mission from the National Intelligence Service.

Jo Bonghaeng, who became the motif of this work, was a person who ran a large-scale drug trafficking organization in Suriname from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. He was arrested in 2009 in a coordinated operation by the Brazilian police.

After that, in 2011, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a fine of 100 million won (about US$85,000 at today's rate) on suspicion of fraud and drug trafficking.

At the time of the crime, Cho Bonghaeng was involved in the drug distribution business in partnership with South America's largest drug cartel, the Cali Cartel. He formed close ties with his family, bureaucrats, and military personnel.

At that time, Jo Bong-haeng's business was booming, and he lured in Koreans to work as haulers. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the prosecution planned to arrest Jo Bong-haeng, but in the process, they met K, who had been victimized by Cho Bong-haeng, and asked for his cooperation. Mr. K accepted that he would risk his life to cooperate with the investigation.

The National Intelligence Service and Mr. K succeeded in arresting Jo Bonghaeng in Brazil by trapping the deal.

Cho Bonghaeng is reportedly released from prison and is now living in Suriname.