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The Korea Times

By Park Jin-hai
Monster horror is rarely attempted in Korean dramas, and the Netflix original series Sweet Home made history for doing so in 2020, melding creatures and monsters in a distinctly Korean context.
The drama, based on a webtoon of the same title, tells the story of residents in a residential building in a city beset by a mysterious infection.
The residents, cut off from the outside world, must fight monsters in their struggle to survive – including ones of their own making. The story is based on the premise that monsters are made from people’s deep-seated desires.


The first season dominated the streaming service’s charts and, in just four days, was in its top 10 most-watched list in 13 countries.
The success continued into the second season, which premiered last year on the platform. The season featured a broader cast of characters, such as a child with the ability to infect people through touch and manipulate those who are infected.

The highly anticipated third and final season was released earlier this month and brings together all the events that have unfolded.
The series’ director, Lee Eung-bok, described the daunting task of creating the first-ever K-creature series, noting that the process was far more challenging than he initially imagined.
“When I first read the webtoon, I was so hooked and thrilled about adapting it. As we developed the story, the staff and I were constantly worried about whether we were doing it justice. It was incredibly difficult and daunting,” Lee says of his five-year journey.

“In the first season, we focused more on interior scenes and didn’t use many action sequences. We hired a Hollywood visual effects team, but in the second and third seasons, when we expanded the story to outdoor settings, we used Korean technology to create scenes where the monsters attack humans.
“Unlike a Hollywood team with established know-how, since we had to create monsters from scratch, the whole process has been a challenge.”
The show’s apocalyptic environment was created using computer graphics and a large number of creatures were designed and animated by Korean staff.
While the series has been lauded for pioneering Korean-made creature content and visual effects, the final season has garnered mixed reactions from audiences and experts. Some have criticised the rushed ending, while others have pointed out that the story is not as tight as it was.

Within the monster horror genre, Lee says, it is often shown that our humanity is what keeps us from becoming monsters.
“I thought human compassion would emerge as people clashed, and I wanted to portray that,” the director explains.
“I heard that there are many plans for more K-creature films featuring monsters and possession, but I believe that the narrative is crucial. Creating monster characters that are supported by the narrative should be the top priority,” says Lee.

“However, because it is a time-consuming and expensive endeavour, I believe we must proceed gradually, step by step. In that sense, I hope that Sweet Home, while not the first of its kind, will serve as a valuable reference point and lead to significant advancements.”
Read the original story at The Korea Times.


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Making Netflix K-drama Sweet Home was ‘incredibly difficult and daunting’, says director

Song Kang as Cha Hyun-su in Sweet Home. The Korean drama series’ director, Lee Eung-bok loved the webtoon it is based on when he first came across it, but adapting it for TV was a bigger challenge than he had imagined. Photo: Netflix

A scene from Netflix’s Sweet Home. Photo: Netflix

Song Kang portrays Cha Hyun-su, who fights for survival against monsters in Sweet Home. Photo: Netflix

Lee Eung-bok directed the Netflix series Sweet Home. Creating the show was “incredibly difficult and daunting”. Photo: courtesy of Netflix

Netflix K-drama Sweet Home season 3 review:  Monster series finale is truly an abomination

Go Min-si as Lee Eun-yu (left) and Song Kang in a still from Sweet Home season 3. Photo: Netflix

Song Kang as Cha Hyun-su in a still from season 3 of Netflix K-drama Sweet Home. Lee Jin-wook, Go Min-si, Lee Do-hyun and Lee Si-young co-star. Photo: Kim Jeong Won/Netflix

Lee Do-hyun as Lee Eun-hyeok (left) and Go Min-si as Lee Eun-yu in a still from Sweet Home season 3. Photo: Kim Jeong Won/Netflix

Lee Jin-wook as Pyeon Sang-wook in a still from Sweet Home season 3. Photo: Kim Jeong Won/Netflix

Lee Do-hyun as Lee Eun-hyeok (left) and Song Kang as Cha Hyun-su in a still from Sweet Home season 3. Photo: Netflix

Lee Jin-wook as Pyeon Sang-wook (left) and Lee Si-young as Seo Yi-kyeong in a still from Sweet Home season 3. Photo: Kim Jeong Won/Netflix

Sweet Home 3’s Jung Jin-young set for Miss Granny remake and more, in K-drama casting news

Jung Jin-young in a still from Sweet Home season 3. In the latest K-drama casting news, the actor will feature in a TV remake of the hit Korean film Miss Granny. Photo: Netflix

Kim Hae-sook in a still from My Demon. She will play the older version of Oh Mal-soon in a Miss Granny TV remake.

Cha Joo-young in a still from The Glory. Photo: Netflix

Moon Ga-young in a still from Link: Eat, Love, Kill. She will star in tvN drama Black Salt Dragon.

Shin Se-kyung in a still from Run On.

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Korean actress Go Min-si rose to global fame with her role in Sweet Home on Netflix after playing a wide range of roles. She will be back on Netflix in season 3 of the series on July 19, and will be in another series for the streaming platform, The Frog, also in 2024. Photo: Instagram/@gominsi

Go as Lee Eun-yu in a still from Sweet Home season 1 (2020). Her part in the Netflix series has made her an international star. Photo: Netflix

Go in a still from Sweet Home season 3. Photo: Netflix

Lee Do-hyun and Go in a still from Sweet Home season 3. Photo: Netflix

Go in a still from The Witch: Part 1 – The Subversion (2018).

Go in a still from Love Alarm season 2 (2021). Photo: Netflix

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Lee (front) in a still from Victory. Photo: Mindmark & Annapurna Films

Lee in a still from reality series Agents of Mystery, currently on Netflix. Photo: Boram Park/Netflix

Lee after receiving the rising star Asia award at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival. Photo: Rom Choi

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Lee in a still from the 2022 K-drama May I Help You.

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Nam Ji-hyun as rookie lawyer Han Yu-ri in a still from Good Partner.

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Nam Ji-hyun as Han Yu-ri in a still from Good Partner.

Jang Na-ra as Cha Eun-kyung in a still from Good Partner.

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Lee Eung-bok, the director of K-drama Sweet Home, says making the show was far more challenging than he initially thought it would be


K-drama Sweet Home director Lee Eung-bok loved the webtoon the series is based on, but his team ‘constantly worried about whether we were doing it justice’ when it came to adapting it for television.


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Making Netflix K-drama Sweet Home was ‘incredibly difficult and daunting’, says director

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Lee Eung-bok, the director of K-drama Sweet Home, says making the show was far more challenging than he initially thought it would be

Lee Eung-bok, the director of K-drama Sweet Home, says making the show was far more challenging than he initially thought it would be