Director Lim Soon-rye “Kang Ki-young was cast long before ‘Woo Young-woo’”

Director Im Soon-rye, who directed the movie 'Negotiation', said about Kang Ki-young, who caused the drama 'Weird Lawyer Woo Young-woo' syndrome, "What a blessing."

On the morning of the 16th, director Lim Soon-rye told various stories about the upcoming movie 'Negotiation' at a cafe located in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

'Negotiation' is a movie depicting the negotiation operation between a diplomat and a local National Intelligence Service agent who went to Afghanistan to rescue Koreans who were taken hostage by the Taliban in the worst kidnapping incident.

Through 'negotiation', director Soon-rye Lim focuses on the sense of duty as a professional of 'those who went to rescue' and the life-threatening struggle to save their lives, rather than the provocative nature of the incident. In addition, the world of director Lim Soon-rye's work, which is about humanity and respect for life, is presented with a higher and broader thematic awareness and scale. In particular, 'Negotiation' was based on the 'Saemmul Church missionary kidnapping incident in Afghanistan' that took place in 2007.

Hwang Jung-min played the role of Jeong Jae-ho, a diplomat specializing in negotiations, Hyun Bin played Park Dae-sik, a National Intelligence Service agent specializing in the Middle East and Central Asia, and Kang Ki-young played Kassim, a weed-like Korean who survived in the back alleys of Afghanistan.

On this day, director Lim Soon-rye mentioned the casting of Kang Ki-young. He said, "Actor Kang Ki-young was cast much before 'Weird Lawyer Woo Young-woo.' If you listen to the subject matter or plot of this movie, aren't actors Hwang Jung-min and Hyun Bin basically actors that you can feel heavy about?"

He said, "I needed an actor who could give me some light relief. My actor, Kang Ki-young, played the role of the male protagonist's friend in the movie and played a role that made him stand out from the front. Even while watching those movies, I thought, 'That friend has potential other than that.' “I thought about it,” he said.

He continued, "I was paying close attention. The role of Kasim may be simply funny to the audience, but I thought it could be shown differently from the image previously consumed in comic movies. Actor Kang Ki-young also has to memorize Pashto like that. “Even though it was difficult, he did it well,” he added.

Director Lim Soon-rye made everyone laugh by saying, "What a blessing" about the syndrome of the drama 'Weird Lawyer Woo Young-woo' starring Kang Ki-young.

Meanwhile, 'Negotiation' will be released on the 18th.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr