Lee Se-young set for Korea-Japan K-drama What Comes After Love while Jung So-min, Jung Hae-in consider romcom: Korean drama casting latest

Alchemy of Souls’ Jung So-min and Jung Hae-in from Snowdrop are considering roles in romcom The Son of Mother’s Friend
Meanwhile, Lee Se-young will be joined by Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi in Korea-Japan co-production What Comes After Love, streaming on Coupang Play

K-drama news

Pierce Conran

Published: 4:15am, 9 Dec 2023

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A popular streaming series is set to return after finding a new home, and several romantic stories, including a Korea-Japan co-production, are starting to take shape in the latest round of casting news from South Korea.

1. What Comes After Love

Coupang Play, the Korean streaming service responsible for One Ordinary Day and Anna, is continuing to build its portfolio, this time with a new pan-Asian romantic drama.

Korean actress Lee Se-young (The Law Cafe) will be joined by Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi in the series What Comes After Love, which is based on a 2005 novel jointly written by Korean author Gong Ji-young and Japanese writer Tsuji Hitonari.

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Lee will play Hong, a Korean student who meets and starts dating a Japanese man, Jungo (Sakaguchi), while studying in Japan. Owing to practical issues and their different views on love, the pair break up before crossing paths once more in Korea five years later.

Lee appears in the drama The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract, currently showing, while Sakaguchi, a prolific film and TV actor, recently featured in the films The Last 10 Years and Hell Dogs.

The show will mark the drama debut of director Moon Hyun-sung, who previously made As One and the Netflix film Seoul Vibe.

A still from “Weak Hero Class” season 1. Photo: Wavve

2. Weak Hero Class 2

The popular bullying-themed high-school drama Weak Hero Class is set to return with a new batch of episodes. It will do so via a new channel – the series, originally a Wavve Original, will now be presented by Netflix.

Park Ji-hoon will return to lead the series as Yeon Si-eun, who uses his quick wits to make up for his physical weakness when confronted by bullies. However, since Si-eun has now transferred to a new high school, the rest of the cast will include new faces.

Si-eun’s classmates will include characters portrayed by Ryeoun (Twinkling Watermelon), Choi Min-young (Twenty-Five Twenty-One), Lee Min-jae (Crash Course in Romance), Yoo Soo-bin (The Deal), Bae Na-ra (Evillive) and Lee Jun-young (May I Help You).

Some of these characters will be the new friends Si-eun makes, who will join him as he faces off with an even more violent group of bullies at Eunjang High School.

3. The Son of Mother’s Friend

Actress Jung So-min (Alchemy of Souls) is mulling an offer to appear in the romcom drama The Son of Mother’s Friend. Already courted to take on the male leading role is Jung Hae-in (Snowdrop), who still hasn’t confirmed his participation.

Jung So-min in a still from “Alchemy of Souls”. Photo: tvN

Jung So-min has been approached to play the part of Bae Seok-ryu, who is the kind of person who always used to rank first when taking a test, but whose life takes a turn when, after acing school and landing a position at a top company, she suddenly loses her job.

Jung Hae-in is considering playing the part of Choi Seung-hyo. Although the actor has never appeared in a romantic comedy before, this is one of two he has recently been linked to, the other being Some and Shopping.

The series will see director Yoo Je-won and writer Shin Ha-eun, the team behind the hit romantic drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, reunite behind the scenes. Yoo also directed last year’s Crash Course in Romance.

4. DNA Lover

Choi Si-won of the K-pop act Super Junior and Jung In-sun (My Secret, Terrius) have been approached to star in the upcoming romantic comedy DNA Lover.

Choi Si-won in a still from “Love Is for Suckers”. Photo: ENA

Choi is considering playing the part of Shim Yeon-woo, a dapper gynaecologist who isn’t interested in marriage and is quick to cut the cord with women who grow too attached to him.

Jung is eyeing the role of Han So-jin, a genetic researcher who, after numerous failed relationships, decides to seek out her perfect partner by looking at the genes of her potential suitors to find the right match.

K-drama casting latest: Lee Jong-suk mulls I’m Against My Romance role

Recently seen in Bloodhounds, Work Later, Drink Now and Love Is for Suckers, Choi will soon return to screens through a special appearance in this month’s Death’s Game. Jung was last seen in the 2021 series Not Yet 30 and Let Me Be Your Knight.

DNA Lover is scheduled to be broadcast on TV Chosun in 2024.

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