General's Son

The first chapter of the the General's Son trilogy follows Kim Du-Han's childhood, from the loss of his mother at age 8, to his rise as a gang leader who protects local vendors from expanding Yakuza forces in Japanese occupied Korea.
In Japanese-occupied South Korea, a young man, newly-released from prison, is accepted into a gang for his fighting skills and quickly rises to the top. Based on the life of South Korean mobster and politician Kim Du-han.