Kim Tae-hee in Twenty-Five Twenty-One director’s thriller A House with a Yard; Rowoon, Jo Bo-ah eyed for Irresistible Love – K-drama casting latest

Twenty-Five Twenty-One creator Jung Ji-hyun returns to direct suspense thriller A House with a Yard, starring Kim Tae-hee, Lim Ji-yeon and Kim Sung-oh
Rowoon of K-pop band SF9 has been offered a leading role in Irresistible Love; Lee Sang-yeob and Kim So-hye have been cast as the main characters in Pure Boxer

K-drama news

Pierce Conran

Published: 7:15pm, 22 Oct, 2022

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A fantasy romance moves on with a new lead and a major K-drama star returns in a limited thriller series in our latest round-up of casting announcements for Korean dramas.

1. A House with a Yard

Kim Tae-hee, Lim Ji-yeon and Kim Sung-oh have all lined up for the limited series A House with a Yard. Based on a novel of the same name, this family-focused suspense thriller will be eight episodes long and will be directed by Jung Ji-hyun, who recently made Twenty-Five Twenty-One, one of the year’s biggest hits.

Kim, returning to screens three years after Hi Bye, Mama!, will portray a perfect housewife who lives a perfect life in a perfect house and is the envy of everyone around her – until something happens to threaten that illusion.

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Kim rose to stardom almost 20 years ago after appearing in K-drama series Stairway to Heaven and she has been a popular leading lady ever since.

Last seen in Rose Mansion, Lim will soon be seen opposite Song Hye-kyo in the Netflix series The Glory. Kim Sung-oh recently appeared in Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area and A Model Family.

2. Irresistible Love

A few months ago, reports surfaced that Cha Eun-woo had been offered a leading role in the coming fantasy drama Irresistible Love.

The busy star has now moved on and the production team has sent out an offer to Rowoon of boy band SF9 for the same part, and has been courting Jo Bo-ah to co-star opposite him.

Jo Bo-ah in a still from Military Prosecutor Doberman.

The JTBC series will focus on the love story between a man and a woman who gain possession of an ancient and forbidden book that has been sealed for three centuries.

Rowoon, who appeared in The King’s Affection, is being eyed for the role of Jang Shin-yoo, a well-liked and successful lawyer at Onju City Hall who is fated to become the victim of the mysterious book.

Jo, last seen in Military Prosecutor Doberman, is considering the part of Lee Jong-joo, an attractive and gregarious woman who works as a civil servant at the same city hall but is unpopular with men.

3. The Day of the Abduction

Astory, the production company behind hit shows such as Kingdom and Extraordinary Attorney Woo, confirmed this month that it will next be adapting Chung Hae-yeon’s book The Day of the Abduction into a series of the same name.

Kiss Sixth Sense actor Yoon Kye-sang has been confirmed as the lead of this black comedy-thriller.

Yoon Kye-sang in a still from Kiss Sixth Sense.

Yoon, who is also known for hit films such as The Outlaws, will play a desperate man who becomes an unlikely kidnapper to raise the necessary funds to pay for his sick daughter’s hospital bills.

His target is a genius young girl and, during their time together, the two start to form an unexpectedly close bond.

The Day of the Abduction is expected to air at some point next year.

4. Stealer: Seven Joseon Notices

Joo Won has signed on to the new detective comedy-action series Stealer: Seven Joseon Notices.

The show will follow a cultural asset thief known as “Skunk” who cooperates with “Karma”, an unofficial culture asset recovery team, to take down shadowy figures who cannot be dealt with in conventional ways.

Joo Won in a still from Carter. Photo: Son Ik-chung/Netflix

The actor will play Hwang Dae-myung, a member of the Special Investigation Division at the Cultural Heritage Administration who becomes involved in the case.

Dae-myung is an eccentric character who, on the surface, seems more interested in his annual leave and slacking off than the job at hand.

Joo was last seen this summer in the Netflix action film Carter. He is also known for major dramas such as Good Doctor and My Sassy Girl.

Stealer: Seven Joseon Notices will be broadcast in South Korean on tvN next year.

5. Pure Boxer

Lee Sang-yeob and Kim So-hye have been cast as the leads in the coming pugilist drama Pure Boxer, which will be based on Chu Jong-nam’s 2014 novel Pure Boxer Lee Kwon-sook.

Lee, who recently appeared in On the Verge of Insanity and Eve, will play Kim Tae-young, a cold-blooded sports agent who has no qualms about fixing matches for profit and building up his clients quickly before forcing them into early retirement once he has got his payday.

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Kim, a former member of K-pop girl group I.O.I. who starred in the hit indie film Moonlit Winter, will appear as Lee Kwon-sook, a former boxing prodigy. Kwon-sook disappeared from the scene just before completing a grand slam. Having returned, she becomes Tae-young’s next target.

Pure Boxer is aimed for a release in the first half of 2023.

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