that this movie is based on a true story, i for one refuse to believe the Korean police are that inept
but it seems like these directors are trying to tell us exactly that, same exact thing happened in Memories of Murder
any Koreans here that can confirm the validity of these 2 movies, what was the reaction in Korea to these movies, reaction from the police etc.
i'm really interested to know
It's definitely a trend with this particular filmmaker. The cops are bumbling fools in all three of his films. I've noticed it in other Korean films, too, including the one you mentioned. So I wouldn't be shocked to learn Koreans in general view their police that way.
It might be similar to the situation in France, where different police forces have different degrees of authority. The less authoritative cops, les flics, are sometimes openly defied by citizens who know those cops don't have the power to do anything about it. There's a general disrespect for les flics and I've seen them portrayed in French films the same way the Korean cops are portrayed in this film.