Here’s a collection of quotes from the Korean series, Hellbound (2021):
On distorted and fake news
“Wait. People believe this crap?” – Man
“Yeah. There are actually a lot of people who believe it.” – Woman
- “You shouldn’t let others control your thoughts.” – Novelist Kim Gwangjin
“Shouldn’t the press be correcting fake news? This is why people never respect reporters.” – Detective Jin Kyunghun
- “As the public’s trust in the government continues to decline, people are drawn to things like personal vendetta. Some people are trying to give meaning to mysterious events and say justice is being served. And many are conforming to the idea.” – Novelist Kim Gwangjin
On justice
- “Think about it. Anytime we track down evil bastards and manage to bring them in, the court always lets them go on stupid grounds.” – Police
- “My job is to catch them. Whether their victim is good or bad, doesn’t matter. Whether they killed to save the world or for fun. No matter what their reason might be, we catch murderers. That’s all we need to think about.” – Detective Jin Kyunghun
- “Do you honestly believe true justice can be served through man-made law? Do you think the murderer feels remorse?” – Chairman Jung
“Upholding righteousness and justice in fear of damnation. Is that truly righteous and just?” – Detective Kyunghun
- “It’s funny once you start investigating God’s deeds. In your eyes it’s still a murder.” – Chairman Jung
- “Rage is what drives us.” – Arrowhead
- “Doing nothing in fear of committing a sin cannot be the solution.” – Chairman Jung
On sin and fear
- “Do you really not see a problem in a world where a 10-year-old kid calls her father a sinner?” – Producer Bae Youngjae
- “Why do people sin? Those who claim they value humanity, and that each individual owns themselves make excuses for themselves. Because they had a tough childhood, because of structural inequality, because they have mental disorder, because they were under the influence of drugs and alcohol.” – Chairman Jung
“Making the world a better place through intimidation and condemnation? That reminds me of a place called hell.” – Producer Bae Youngjae
- “The concept of sin exists because humans choose to sin. As a result of denying that fact, humans have forgotten about guilt, remorse, repentance, and redemption.” – Chairman Jung
- “No matter how many times they see the truth, they won’t believe it until they have proof. They complain and say God punishes them when they are sinful. Like kids who blame their parents for life. It’s sad.” – Chairman Jung
“I have been living in constant agony since the day I received the decree. Do you have any idea what it feels like to live in fear for that long? It’s a relentless fear. The fear of possibly committing any sin, the fear that I might even keep quiet about other people’s sins, the fear of eternal pain and damnation. Those fears have haunted me for 20 years.” – Chairman Jung
- “A society that does not condone sins. We must not hide the sins of ouselves, our family members, and our friends.” – Chairman Kim Jeongchil
- “Do not try to hide your sins. Confess them. Do not try to silence Him. Do not get in the way of God’s message to us.” – Chairman Kim Jeongchil
- “But thanks to those fears. I was able to live more righteously myself. I don’t know why God is doing any of this to me, but I want every single person in this world to feel the same fear as mine. Eventually that fear will help make the world more righteous.” – Chairman Jung
- “It’s the fear alone that is going to set people free from sin.” – Chairman Jung
- “Even so, we are too ashamed to admit our sins and do our best to ignore God’s message. Some sinners try to face their judgment away from prying eyes. And some of the sinners who received the decree have foolishly tried to take their own lives before their day of judgment.” – Chairman Kim Jeongchil
- “What else would make humans repent other than fear?” – Chairman Jung
On religion, occultism, and manipulated truth
- “It’s better not to mess with religious groups.” – Chief Police
- “That was the moment I found meaning in life for the first time. From that day on, I traveled everywhere to find traces of God. After looking for 10 years, I got to understand God’s purpose a little. And that’s how I came to realize what I was meant to do.” – Chairman Jung
“They say it’s some kind of warning to everyone.” – Police 1
“So are they saying what we saw earlier is God’s work?” – Detective Kyunghun
- “Why would a newborn receive a decree? I’m so frightened. It has been haunting my mind. It just plays on repeat. And I can’t help but think I’m a horrible person.” – Sohyun
- “This is just like an earthquake or any other natural disaster. It can happen to anyone of us. It’s not about punishing or about being punished.” – Professor Gong Hyeongjun
“If this is truly an act of God, and His will is really what the New Truth says it is, then we have no choice but to deny God because that means He doesn’t care for us.” – Professor Gong Hyeongjun
- “The New Truth claims that only sinners are subjected but we know it’s a lie. It is more like a supernatural thing that can’t be explained. Jung Jinsu gave meaning to this, by calling it God’s will.” – Hyeongjun
- “So what exactly does God want from us?” – Jeongchil
- “He’s telling us to be more righteous.” – Chairman Jung
- “That’s right. That is God’s will.” – Jeongchil
“Their doctrine is full of holes but they attract people through the use of video evidence.” – Police
- “We no longer have the right to ignore evil. We are now obligated to pursue one thing, righteousness. And that’s what we humans must do in the new era.” – Chairman Jung
- “God has found a way to directly present to you a perfect demonstration of exactly what hell is like. Why would God do this for us? He’s telling us to be more righteous.” – Chairman Jung
- “Letting the world know of God’s wish for us to live more righteously. That’s the only goal that matters to me.” – Chairman Jung
“Better to be a hunter than some cult leader who uses God as an excuse to sin and persecute the innocent.” – Lawyer Min Hyejin
- “The demonstration is a form of divine intervention that shows the eternal pain to the subject. This is God’s will to teach humanity the weight of sin. All of you who are watching this must shed your arrogance and stubbornness and witness the divine intervention with penitence.” – The New Truth member
Synopsis: Unearthly beings deliver condemnations, sending individuals to hell and giving rise to a religious group founded on the idea of divine justice.
Based on: Hellbound by Yeon Sang-ho
Genre: Dark fantasy, Drama, Thriller
No. of episodes: 6
Starring: Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Won Jin-ah and Yang Ik-june
Written by: Choi Kyu-sok
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
Date: November 19, 2021
Network: Netflix
Subtitle translation: Netflix
KORB 