Netflix upcoming Korean drama 'Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha' featuring Shin Min-A, Kim Seon Ho and Lee Sang-yi is set to delight us with a heart-fluttering romance. 'Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha' talks about the story of Seoul-city girl Yoon Hye-jin (starring Shin Min-A) who arrives at the seaside village of Gongjin. There she meets Du-sik, an oddjob expert that the whole village counts on. 

Early this afternoon, the director Yu Je-won and the main cast of 'Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha' sat down with the press and talked about their characters and chemistry working with the co-stars. Check out the Q&A during the online press conference:

Q: What about the story were you drawn to?

Kim Seon-ho: This is a truly heartwarming story and I felt it was really human. I play the role of someone who is unemployed but capable of everything. I wondered what I could bring to the character, and I felt like it was really fun. When I read the script I felt like it was heartwarming and I was drawn to it, I really wanted to be a part of it.

Q: Your character has many licenses. Which one would you be interested in having yourself?

Kim Seon-ho: I was really interested in his realtor license. A lot of people are interested in real estate these days. Du-sik is literally capable of everything and he has a realtor license. One of his licenses certifies him as a professional fruit plater, so he lays out fruit on a plate.

Q: Director, this is the second time you’re working with Shin Min-a. How was it working with her for the second time?

Yu Je-won:  She’s always very lovely and very talented. You could say she was born to be lovely. I think she was able to maintain that charm. I also think that her acting has become more mature and she has deepened as a person and as an actor. At the same time, acting depends on who you act with. I think all of them complement each other and make each other comfortable.

Q: Chemistry between Shin Min-a and Kim Seon-ho on set.

Kim Seon-ho: I totally agree with Shin Min-a. I was talking about this with Lee Sang-yi as well. Shin Min-a has good character and she’s really nice. She accepts playful words and actions we say or do. She’s a comfortable person to be around.

Q: What efforts did you make to play your character?

Kim Seon-ho: Because Chief Hong does so many different things, I had to set apart some time to learn all of his abilities. I had to learn how to surf and how to make coffee as a barista. I had to maintain a certain balance since he’s unemployed but he has a lot of handy talents.

Q: What was it like working with Lee Sang-yi?

Kim Seon-ho: I say this to Sang-yi, but I am often amazed by him on set. I think he is really gifted in acting and I always learn a lot from him actually. He’s really talented and I think the director feels the same way. He’s an actor with great potential and is recognized by everyone on set. He has a lot of ideas and we have a lot of fun filming the drama on set.

Q: What was it like working with Shin Min-a and Kim Seon-ho?

Lee Sang-yi: I think this series will have a lasting impression on me. This is a huge experience for me. I’ve been in a couple of dramas and movies and I think the people you work with are always really important. This experience was really special. I learned a lot from working with Kim Seon-ho, he’s much more experienced than me. I learned a lot from Shin Min-a as well.

Shin Min-a is really considerate and thinks about the people around her. I haven’t had a very long experience in the industry yet, but these more experienced actors as well as the director helped me a lot.

We’ve become quite close now like friends. We can play jokes on each other. Even if it’s silent, it doesn’t feel awkward. If I say something funny, they’ll enjoy it. I feel that they really know me and I know them. I feel like I’ve been accepted by these great people, so it was a really special experience.

tvN's ongoing drama series 'The Devil Judge' has created buzz on social media for the past few weeks - with interesting storyline, pairing with the casts' brilliant acting! 

'The Devil Judge' set in a dystopian version of present-day Korea where daily life is one of chaos and society has collapsed to the point people openly voice their distrust and hatred for their leaders. The entire nations can participates in trial through a live broadcast courtroom show lead by the head judge, Kang Yo Han (starring Jisung). His mysterious intentions brings the assumption to the public on whether he is a true hero or just a devil wearing the mask of law. 

Check out our exclusive interview with the cast - GOT7's Jinyoung, Kim Min Jung and Park Gyu Young where they talked about their characters and shared their favourite scenes of the show. 

Jin-young: The writer was a former judge, so I talked to him a lot. Other than that, I thought that the answer would lie within the script, so I read the script diligently and made the character. 

Kim Min Jung: Both of us grew, matured and became more considerate of each other. It certainly led to good teamwork.

Park Gyu-Young: The actor I worked with the most is Jinyoung. As I worked with actor Jinyoung for a long time and built up emotions, (my) feelings for protecting Gaon naturally deepened and became more sincere. Actor Jinyoung is really good at remaining focused, worries a lot and gives good energy, so I'm still thankful for his help. During the second half of the drama shooting, I was able to empathize just by looking at actor jinyoung’s eyes. There are many memorable scenes. I really appreciate it.

Kim Min Jung: I really love this scene in episode 7 where Seo Jung-hak was killed to gain power. I could feel Sunah's heartbreaking past through her lines and I filmed it while feeling the instinctive animal act to survive.

Park Gyu-Young: I remember going on a field trip to the police station during the preparation period, checking the atmosphere, meeting detectives, and asking questions and interviewing them. Yoon Soo-hyun is an ace detective who graduated from a police university. I think I asked them a lot of questions, such as learning and training at a police university, the reason they dreamt of becoming a police officer and their mindset in the field etc. From practical questions to questions close to the heart. Although appearance and actions shown are very important, it seems that the way the mind deals with the event, the object, and the situation is also largely important. Thankfully, I think I learned a lot of points from the long interview. I didn't refer to the characters of other dramas or movies because I wanted to express myself as much as I could. I think I focused mostly on the character’s story and the script.

Q: Could you tell us the reason why ‘The Devil Judge’ is a must to watch? 

Kim Min Jung: I think the rather sharp senses of "coexistence between good and evil" and "evil against evil" live in the world. (The drama) can share a pleasant and bitter message, like the present world we live in.

(Left to Right) Director Kim Seong-hun | Kim Roi-ha | Kim Si-a | Gianna Jun | Park Byung-eun | Kim Eun-hee | Koo Kyo-hwan

Korea zombie series, Kingdom returns with a 92-minute special episode - 'Kingdom: Ashin of the North' featuring Jun Ji-hyun, Park Byung-eon, Kim Si-a, Kim Roi-ha and Koo Kyo-hwan. The series talks about the story of Ashin and the origins of the resurrection plant that gave rise to the spread of the infected throughout Joseon.

Kingdom Season 1 began with the uncontrollable spread of the infected, who were neither alive nor dead, in the southern end of Dongnae (present-day known as Busan). In Season 2, the story moved up north to the royal palace in the capital city of Hanyang. 'Kingdom: Ashin of the North' continues their journey to northern regions to unveil the mysterious behind Ashin (starring Jun Ji-hyun).

Actor Kim Roi-ha, Kim Si-a, Jun Ji-hyun, Park Byung-eun & Koo Kyo-hwan at Kingdom: North Of Ashin Press Conference this morning

Earlier this afternoon, director Kim Seong-hun, writer Kim Eun-hee and the main cast Jun Ji-hyun and Park Byung-eun sat down with the APAC press and talked about their characters and their reunion in this special episode.

Q: What led to the creation of this special episode?

Q: What's the strong point about your character, Royal Commandery Min in this special episode?

Q: Previously both of you starred in 'Assassination' so how do you feel being able to work together again? 

Park Byung-eun: That was my first time meeting Jun Ji-hyun at 'Assassination'. We were not that close and it was kinda awkward between us. But when I heard of we'll be working together for this special episode, I really look forward to the chemistry that we could create for this. I think she's an amazing actor and is such an honour for me to work with her. 

When Park Byung-eun trying to explain about his fishing skills, Jun Ji-hyun then started to ask Park Byung-eun to send more fish or squid that he caught. "I should be focusing on my acting but these people out here have driven me to go out for fishing. And I remember they really enjoyed the meal when we were shooting at Jeju Island," said Park Byung-eun. 

Q: Were you scared of the zombies on set?

Q. What conversations have you shared with Jun Ji-hyun about Ashin?

Director Kim Seong-hun: I considered Ashin to be a character harboring unspeakable pain and suffering deep inside. Before filming began, Jun Ji-hyun and I talked a great deal in sharing our thoughts about the role. On set, she performed and portrayed emotions so efficiently and expertly that I could just stand by and watch.

'Kingdom: Ashin of the North' is a story about the beginning of Kingdom and story about Ashin who accidentally and fatefully comes across the resurrection plant has viewers awaiting in great anticipation. Don't forget to watch the special episode on Netflix on 23 July. 

photo credit to Netflix