In The General's Son, the oppression of Korea by Japanese imperialism is escalating in the streets of Seoul.  Many Koreans agree that the Chongro District is the heart of Seoul.  Chongro cannot be run over by the Japanese yakuza since all else, including commerce, politics and culture have been saturated with Japanese interests.  Doo-Han is a teenaged orphan simply looking for a steady job in a movie theater when he is discovered by the student gang leader, Sin Ma-Ch’ok.  After learning that Doo-Han is actually the son of the legendary independence leader, Kim Jwa-Jin, Sin places Doo-Han under his tutelage, eventually allowing Doo-Han to replace him as the official leader of Chongro's street gang.  Fast paced action scenes are juxtaposed against the detailed mise-en-scène of colonial Korea and the heroic depiction of Kim Doo-Han.