Ha Jung-woo ′Unrealistic character only available in the movies ..hoping to be invited to Emmys 2023′

▲This photo, provided by Netflix, Inc. on Sept. 15, 2022, shows South Korean actor Ha Jung-woo, who starred in the six-episode Korean-language Netflix original "Narco-Saints." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, September 15 (Yonhap) -- Kang In-gu (played by Ha Jung-woo), a business man, is a very common and unrealistic character at the same time, who somehow ends up working with the NIS in an operation to capture a Korean drug dealer acting like a pastor in Suriname, a South American country.

In an interview on September 13 at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, actor Ha Jung-woo, who played Kang In-gu in the new Netflix Original series "Narco-Saints," said that the character he played is unrealistic but is someone who brings out the tension in the show.

Kang In-gu is a father who worries about his children's studies and their housing lease, but he perfectly deceives Jeon Yo-hwan (played by Hwang Jung-min), the drug dealer, right in front of his eyes, and wins over fights with Jeon Yo-hwan's side members with his Judo skills he learned during school.

However, there are opinions saying that the unrealistic character who traveled across to Suriname to export skates to Korea and shows outstanding skills as much as the professional agent lacks reality and immersion.

Ha Jung-woo said, "I also had disagreements about Kang In-gu's impressive abilities," he said, adding, "and I wondered how a normal fisherman could have such skills just by learning Judo."

He continued, "I personally think it's a character only allowed in the movies" and said, "It was chosen to follow the rhythm of the show rather than persuade the character to the audience."

Ha Jung-woo is wrongfully imprisoned in South America after falling for Jeon Yo-hwan's ruse, and he joins the NIS operation in the desperate hope that he will be able to return to his children. There are also opinions from the audience saying that they were heartbroken when Ha Jung-woo pretended to be fine while he was on the phone with his family.

He said, "The part when Kang In-gu was on the phone, telling his wife that she should never take out the house rent and worrying about his children's homework even when he was imprisoned in a faraway land, gained sympathy from the audience."

The show "Narco-Saints" added dramatic elements such as fictional characters and incidents based on the true story of a criminal who ran a large-scale drug trafficking organization in Suriname, South America, from the 1990s to the early 2000s.

Ha Jung-woo chose the unique characters of this show as the fun point of the show, which he had never seen in famous non-Korean series dealing with drugs.

He mentioned Jeon Yo-hwan, who made his own kingdom as a pastor of a pseudo-religion, and said, "The interesting setting of the story was how these outdated Koreans traveled to South America and were doing drug business and evil deeds.

He continued, "The fact that Asians became the masters in the Latin American drug market, which is a kind of a "family business," and Korean settings such as a Korean pastor and a skate business, seemed to be a unique viewing point for viewers all around the world."

He laughed while mentioning the Emmy Awards, which was held on the day of the interview and said, "I wonder what it would feel like if we could get an award for "Narco-Saints" next year."

Ha Jung-woo said that the shooting scene of the show "Narco-Saints," which deals with drug organizations, was different from other shows. In particular, the prison scene was filmed in an actual prison in the Dominican Republic, and 200 exemplary prisoners, actually imprisoned, participated in the scene.

He said, "When Kang In-gu was being imprisoned, there was a scene where the prisoners over the barbed wire on both sides shouted and cheered, and it was really tense." He added, "it was hard to walk for more than 10m near, and even to look to the sides."

Ha Jung-woo finally came back with the show "Narco-Saints" after going through a hard time from the illegal use of propofol. He was sentenced to a fine in September of last year for this incident.

Ha Jung-woo said, "I apologize to everyone who felt disappointment" and added, "I spent time regretting and looking back as a person, Kim Seong-hoon (Ha Jung-woo's real name), not an actor, as Ha Jung-woo, the first time after my debut. I caused harm to many people. "

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Dowon Kim.)

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Ha Jung-woo 'Unrealistic character only available in the movies ..hoping to be invited to Emmys 2023'