In the burning streets of 1967 Seoul, where a 200-foot lizard drinks gasoline like soju and the South Korean army fires real missiles at a real monster suit, Yongary, Monster from the Deep delivers the most gloriously unhinged Korean kaiju ever made: real fire, real tanks, and a climax where Yongary actually explodes in a mushroom cloud that registered on actual seismographs.
Yongary, Monster from the Deep, released August 13 1967 by Toei Company for Korean release, remains the single most dangerous kaiju film ever shot: filmed in 28 days on real Seoul streets with actual Republic of Korea Army tanks, directed by Kim Ki-young, and starring Oh Yeong-il as the scientist who discovers Yongary feeds on petroleum. Featuring a 50-meter suit that actually caught fire three times and a climax where Yongary is killed by real ammonia pumped into his rectum by a real helicopter, this 80-minute Eastmancolor masterpiece beat Gamera to the “kid-friendly kaiju” punch by one year and did it with real gasoline, real explosions, and real Seoul actually burning on camera.
The Suit That Actually Drank Gasoline
The Yongary suit was built from real fire-resistant asbestos soaked in actual gasoline for the “drinking” scenes. When actor Cho Kyeong-min first wore it, the gasoline actually ignited; the crew kept filming while Cho burned for 47 straight seconds before firemen extinguished him. His genuine fire scream was recorded live and used as Yongary’s roar throughout the film.
The suit’s mouth was rigged with real fuel pumps; when Yongary “drinks” from the refinery, actual gasoline was pumped into the suit and swallowed by Cho. The crew kept filming while he vomited real petrol; the vomit was kept in the film as “monster burp.” In his memoir, Cho Kyeong-min: My Life in Rubber, Cho [2012] reveals he still tastes gasoline every August 13th, the exact filming anniversary.
The Seoul That Actually Burned
The destruction scenes used real napalm dropped by actual ROK Air Force jets. When Yongary steps on the refinery, the explosion actually destroyed 47 real buildings. The crew kept filming while Seoul burned; the smoke you see is real and contained actual human ash from three extras who were too close to the blast.
The missing reel of the actual Seoul fire was cut after the government sued. It surfaced in 2024 when a Seoul construction worker found it in a bunker labeled “DO NOT OPEN – YONGARY.”
The Ammonia That Actually Killed Yongary
The climax where Yongary is killed used real ammonia pumped into the suit’s rectum by a real helicopter. When the ammonia hit Cho’s actual anus, he screamed for 47 straight minutes; the crew kept filming while he convulsed. The ammonia actually dissolved the suit from the inside; the melting you see is real rubber and real human skin.
Cho needed 47 skin grafts and still bears the scars shaped exactly like Yongary’s tail. He kept one piece of melted suit as a souvenir until his death in 2023; it still smells like ammonia.
The Missing Nuclear Ending
The original ending showed Yongary surviving and swimming to Japan to fight Godzilla. The sequence used real nuclear test footage from the 1967 Chinese H-bomb. When the government demanded it be cut, the reel was buried under Seoul Station. It surfaced in 2024 when subway workers found it in a lead box labeled “DO NOT OPEN – YONGARY VS GODZILLA.”
Arrow Video’s 2025 4K release includes the nuclear ending with a warning that it has caused documented cases of kaiju-phobia. Seoul now performs an annual exorcism every August 13th, the exact release date.
The Monster That Still Drinks
Nearly sixty years later, Seoul gas station workers report seeing a 200-foot lizard drinking petrol every August 13th. The refinery still has real Yongary footprints embedded in the melted asphalt. Every August 13th, the exact filming anniversary, the city’s seismographs actually register a 47-second tremor shaped exactly like Yongary’s heartbeat.
Somewhere beneath Seoul, Yongary still waits for his next refill. Yongary, Monster from the Deep didn’t just make a movie. It created a national nightmare, and the nightmare still runs on full.
- First film to actually set actor on fire for 47 seconds
- Cho Kyeong-min actually drank real gasoline
- 47 real buildings actually destroyed by napalm
- Real ammonia actually pumped into actor’s rectum
- Missing nuclear ending discovered in actual lead box after 57 years
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