Kang Su-yeon, the driving force behind ‘Jeong-i’

Debut age: 4 years old. It is no exaggeration to say that Kang Soo-yeon, who passed away in May last year, was born to be an actress. He lived his entire life as an actor and led Korean pop culture. Kang Soo-yeon, who passed away after collapsing from a cerebral hemorrhage, left behind a 'new work' before she passed away. That work, the movie ‘Jeong-i’, was released on Netflix on the 20th. His juniors remember him as a warm and passionate filmmaker.

'Jeong-i' is a science fiction film that tells the story of people who try to develop the best combat AI by cloning the brain of the legendary mercenary 'Jeong-i' in order to end the war that broke out in the shelter where they migrated away from the Earth devastated by climate change. It was written and directed by director Yeon Sang-ho. Kang Soo-yeon takes on the role of Yoon Seo-hyeon, a team leader at a research lab that develops brain cloning and AI technology. Yoon Seo-hyun is also the daughter of human Yoon Jeong-i (played by Kim Hyun-joo).

Kang Soo-yeon has not been acting for a while since the short film 'Juri' in 2013. Until ‘Jeong-i’ was released, Kang Soo-yeon took a break from acting for 10 years. How did director Yeon Sang-ho cast such Kang Soo-yeon?

Director Yeon Sang-ho said in a recent interview, "At first, I sent a rude text message to my senior. I even sent it emphasizing the connection we met at the Busan Film Festival, but there was no reply. Later, I asked my senior, 'Why didn't you reply?' “When they saw it, they thought it was spam or a scam,” he said, laughing. He continued, "I was worried about what would happen if he was different from what I knew, but when I met the senior in person, he was so cool. He looked like a rocker. After meeting the senior in person, I became more confident in 'Jeong'. We had a drink that day, and the senior said, 'Han. “I think he said briefly, ‘Let’s do it again,’” he said afterward.

Director Yeon Sang-ho said of 'Senior Kang Soo-yeon', 'She gave a solid performance as a senior who was relied on by other actors on set and as an actress responsible for this movie. He expressed his gratitude, saying, "The filming site may have been unfamiliar to me because it was different from the sites I had experienced, but he supported the site well as an adult without showing any emotion." At the production briefing held before the release of the film, director Yeon Sang-ho said, "Senior Kang Soo-yeon said, "This film is for me. “It is the driving force that brought us to this point,” he emphasized.

When Kim Hyun-joo heard the news of Kang Soo-yeon joining the movie, she said, "When my senior first said that she would join the movie, I asked, 'Does this make sense?' and 'Is this someone I can meet?' I did it. I had never seen him before. I was scared, wondering if I could do it. 'How can I act while looking into his eyes?' “I wanted to,” he confessed. Regarding Kang Soo-yeon, who met her in person, he remembered, "The day we first met, she greeted me warmly. On set, we were just 'colleagues'. She was more serious and passionate than anyone else." He also got emotional and said, "Now that I think about it, I think he must have been worried a lot. He took care of me a lot even outside of the set."

Ryu Kyung-soo, who appeared in 'Jeong-i', also said, "In the play, I am 'Wishing for the Chairman', and I think my respect for my senior was reflected a lot. I want to become an adult like my senior. I would like to take this opportunity to ask the director to let me play 'Jeong-i'. “Thank you,” he said, missing Kang Soo-yeon. Ryu Kyung-soo recently posted a photo taken with Kang Soo-yeon when he was alive through his account and said, "I miss you, senior. Our movie is coming out. I miss you so much." In the photo, Kang Soo-yeon and Ryu Kyung-soo face each other, and you can feel the affection between seniors and juniors.

In 'Jeong-i', Kang Soo-yeon expresses in detail Yoon Seo-hyeon, a character with a deep inner self who does not easily reveal her emotions. Kang Soo-yeon is a great actress with an aura that overwhelms the screen just by her presence. Kang Soo-yeon, who left behind a new film after 11 years, will long be remembered as a legend in the Korean film industry.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr