Who is Jeong Jin-soo in Hellbound? Character arc explored in detail

HellBound is among the notable South Korean thrillers on Netflix, based on a well-known webtoon. After its release in 2021, it quickly became a worldwide sensation, and like all good dystopian media, it did so by being darkly executed.

The plot involves supernatural events, in which an "angel" encounters people and delivers a "decree." The decree informs the individual exactly when they will die and their fate of going to Hell.

The time can be seconds away or years into the future, which heightens the tension for the characters. The series has several interesting figures, one of which is Jeong Jin-soo. He appears as the enigmatic leader of the New Truth Society, the new cult in Hellbound.

Jin-soo believes executing angels (the executors of death) is divine justice and teaches that these supernatural executions are messages from God. He charms followers into willing participants in punishing sinners, only to create chaos.

Keep reading to learn more about Jeong Jin-soo.

Who is Jeong Jin-soo in South Korean thriller series Hellbound: Character epxlored

As mentioned above, Jeong Jin-soo is one of the most fascinating and unsettling characters in Netflix’s Korean thriller Hellbound. He starts as the mysterious chairman of the New Truth Society, a fast-growing religious group that claims the supernatural "decrees" and brutal executions happening in Seoul are God’s way of punishing sinners.

Calm, soft-spoken, and deeply persuasive, Jin-soo becomes the public face of this belief system, using fear to bring people under his control. His followers see him as a prophet, but underneath, he is manipulative and selective with the truth.

In Hellbound Season 1, Jin-soo’s influence grows as he convinces society that the victims deserve their fate. However, it’s revealed that even he once received a decree and was destined for Hell.

Instead of sharing this, he hides it to protect his authority. Eventually, his own execution by the monstrous beings is broadcast, shocking his followers but leaving the New Truth’s ideology intact.

Then Hellbound Season 2 delivers a huge twist: Jin-soo comes back from the dead. But unlike his composed self in Season 1, the resurrected version is fractured and unstable.

Haunted by what he experienced in Hell, he suffers terrifying visions and loses his grip on reality. His return sparks fresh conflict between the New Truth, extremist factions like the Arrowhead, and the resistance group Sodo.

By the end of Season 2, his torment takes a surreal turn when he transforms into one of the very executors he once preached about, suggesting a chilling connection between humans and these supernatural beings.

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Was Jeong Jin-soo an important character in Hellbound?

Yes, Jeong Jin-soo is indeed a key figure in the thriller series. Jin-soo’s story isn’t just about him falling from power. It’s also about showing how dangerous it can be when people follow a leader blindly and never question them.

In Season 1, Jin-soo is an example of how a leader can use religion or belief to control people, making them turn on each other while pretending it’s for a good reason. In Season 2, everything changes. Jin-soo comes back from the dead, but instead of being stronger, he’s deeply damaged.

What he went through in Hell didn’t make him pure. it broke him. He starts seeing disturbing visions and slowly loses his mind. By the end, he even turns into one of the terrifying monsters (executors) he once used to scare others.

His journey in Hellbound shows that people who use fear to control others can end up being destroyed by that same fear themselves.

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