Squid Game star Lee Yoo-mi to play professional skater, Jeon Do-yeon in romcom – K-drama casting latest
- The latest Korean drama castings include K-pop stars Lee Hye-ri from the band Girl’s Day and Yoon Doo-joon from Highlight, who will star in Ildangbaek Butler
- Meanwhile, Hospital Playlist ’s Yoo Yeon-seok and Moon Chae-won of Flower of Evil are in talks to star in Understanding of Love
As cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 spread across South Korea, all areas of life were affected, including K-drama casting announcements.
But after a quiet few weeks, the trickle of news has once again been replaced by a flood of tantalising new show announcements, a few of which we highlight below.
It Might Be a Little Spicy Today
Dr Romantic’s Han Suk-kyu is heading back to the small screen as the lead of It Might Be a Little Spicy Today (translated title), a drama based on the book of the same name by Kang Chang-rae.
The novel takes the form of a kitchen diary of a man who prepares meals for his wife after she is diagnosed with colon cancer.
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The series will be an original programme from the Koream streaming service Watcha, which has steadily been moving into original programming. It will be directed by Lee Ho-jae, known for the heartwarming sci-fi drama film Sori: Voice from the Heart.
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Production is expected to begin this summer. Plot details for the project have yet to be revealed, but the combination of major on- and off-screen talent is already raising expectations.
Mental Coach Jae Gal-gil
Jegal Gil is a disgraced taekwondo athlete who returns as a mental coach. One of his first charges is Lee’s Cha Ga-eul, a world-class short-track speed skating gold medallist who has fallen into a professional rut.
Also appearing in the show will be Kwon Yul (Voice 2) as Gil’s rival Ku Tae-man, the director of the human rights centre at the athletics association, while Park Se-Young (Special Labor Inspector Mr Jo) is slated to appear as Park Seung-ha, a counsellor who works alongside Gil.
Ildangbaek Butler
Lee Hye-ri from the band Girl’s Day and Yoon Doo-joon from Highlight are being courted to star in the upcoming fantasy drama Ildangbaek Butler (translated title) on MBC.
Yoon will play Butler Kim, who runs a one-man business doing errands for people for just 100 won (eight US cents) a pop. Lee is being offered the part of funeral director Baek Dong-joo, who can speak to the dead. The pair begin working together to carry out the final wishes of the dead.
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Understanding of Love
Hospital Playlist’s Yoo Yeon-seok and Moon Chae-won of Flower of Evil are reportedly in talks to appear in the JTBC drama Understanding of Love (translated title), which will be based on the novel of the same name by Lee Hyuk-jin.
The story will take place in the Yeongo branch of the Nara Bank, which is about to celebrate the 99th anniversary of its foundation.
Yoo, who will soon be seen in the Netflix series Suriname, will play Ha Sang-soo, a third year manager of the counselling team at the bank branch, while Moon will play Ahn Soo-young, a long-time teller at the same location. The series is being directed by Jo Young-min (Do You Like Brahms?).