India, March 3 -- On the surface, The Art of Sarah is a sleek murder mystery set against the glittering world of high fashion. Yet for Korean viewers, the show's tale of counterfeit prestige and fabricated European heritage feels less like fiction and more like deja vu. As the Netflix hit climbs global charts, it has reignited conversation around a real-life luxury fraud in the mid-2000s that once had Seoul's elite completely deceived. Here's what happened.

From the outset, Netflix's The Art of Sarah seemed tailored to impress, its script delving into murder, ambition and the intrigues of high society. At its centre is Sarah Kim (played by Shin Hye-sun), an enigmatic luxury brand director whose meteoric ascent through Seoul's most raref...