[Interview] 'Steel Rain 2' Jung Woo-sung "Playing the President Made Me Feel Compassion for the Korean Peninsula"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] "The Korean Peninsula has experienced a history of liberation and division. Looking back, it has gone through sufficiently unfortunate times. But I was overwhelmed with emotion thinking, why are we still like this?"

Actor Jung Woo-sung said he felt compassion and loneliness while portraying the President of the Republic of Korea.

On the morning of the 27th, Jung Woo-sung shared various stories about the film during an interview held at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, ahead of the release of the movie Steel Rain 2: Summit (director Yang Woo-seok).

Steel Rain 2: Summit (hereafter ‘Steel Rain 2’) depicts a crisis on the brink of war after the three leaders are kidnapped aboard a North Korean nuclear submarine during a South-North-US summit, triggered by a coup in the North. It is a sequel to Steel Rain, which was released in 2017 and attracted 4.45 million viewers, with director Yang Woo-seok returning to the helm.

While Jung Woo-sung portrayed an elite North Korean agent full of conviction for his country in the previous film, in Steel Rain 2 he transforms into Han Kyung-jae, the President of the Republic of Korea, who strives to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula amid the threat of war. He plays a character who contemplates establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula, which has become an island of the Cold War amid rapidly changing international affairs. He expressed satisfaction with the sequel returning after three years, calling it a smartly planned series. He also nodded in agreement, saying he was satisfied with the final cut and that the director’s choices were justified.

Jung Woo-sung portrayed the predicament of being invited to the summit but having nowhere to sign, just as the tragedy of national division was something we did not want but had to face. Han Kyung-jae is a figure who, although a party to the division, does not have the authority to dismantle the division system as a mediator between the North and the US, yet carries a strong will and responsibility toward peace. “I watched videos of former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, who led summit talks. I referred to their speeches appealing to the public. I tried to find matching nuances in their speeches. I also guessed how much will they had for unification and with what mindset one should approach unification through their speeches.”

In particular, Jung Woo-sung said he tried to emphasize the will for peace. Even when trapped in a narrow submarine with the South-North-US leaders and having conversations, maintaining the right attitude was important. He pondered what kind of person President Han Kyung-jae should be in that context. “He is the most flexible and politically neutral character. The absolute will for peace is the strongest, and that alone had to be highlighted.”

While filming, Jung Woo-sung also thought that being the leader of the Republic of Korea is an extreme job. Facing the North Korean and US leaders, he felt frustrated and lonely. He revealed that many emotions crossed his mind during filming.

“As the leader of the Republic of Korea, I had a lot of concerns about how to approach the summit. How to overcome this situation. Frankly, you can’t just shout, ‘Stop it. Think about this situation.’ As a leader, you have to endure with extreme patience and overcome the situation. I felt it was a lonely job.”

At the press preview held on the 23rd, where the film was first shown to the media ahead of its release, Jung Woo-sung showed signs of being overwhelmed while talking about the work. “I had a great compassion for the Korean Peninsula. I approached it with a desperate heart trying to catch a starting signal toward a more positive future,” he recalled his feelings at the time.

“I might have immersed myself in President Han Kyung-jae’s emotions. Looking back at the liberation of the Korean Peninsula, I feel it has gone through sufficiently unfortunate times. But I was overwhelmed thinking, why are we still like this? I didn’t expect it. After the film ended, I sat for a long time without getting up. The emotions came all at once.”

Jung Woo-sung also pointed out problems in history education. While talking about history, including the geographical handicap between China and Japan and inter-Korean relations, he raised his voice saying, “Education is wrong.” “At some point, history was excluded from the people. I believe our education needs improvement.” He added, “The reason why we are here lies in history. Modern and contemporary history is our root. I have been deeply saddened that history has not been properly taught to us from the past. Of course, I think it has been improving a lot recently.”

Jung Woo-sung also showed a different, more human expression of a president in Korean cinema. Seeing the president as a husband and father before a national leader is also part of the film’s appeal. When mentioning this, he credited actress Yum Jung-ah, who played the first lady. “Having her with me was a great support. It is the point where Han Kyung-jae is expressed as a human before being a president. We tend to judge people by their jobs and positions. We are people and family members. The director cleverly intended to convey this message.”

Reuniting with director Yang Woo-seok, Jung Woo-sung joked, “The director studied so much that I wondered when he sleeps. At first, it was amazing, but later I stopped asking questions fearing the conversations would get too long.” He added, “Han Kyung-jae was a difficult character because he had to suppress his emotions due to his external convictions.”

Jung Woo-sung said, “I hoped Steel Rain 2 would be seen from a perspective without political interference.” He explained, “After reading the script, I asked the director questions. I have never made political statements, but I am an actor who could be seen as having such views, and that could be disadvantageous for this kind of film. I asked if it wouldn’t be better to be seen as an actor without that. The answer was that they specifically wanted me.”

Will there be a third installment following parts 1 and 2? Jung Woo-sung laughed, “I think director Yang planned the second film impulsively.” Then he replied wittily, “If a third film is made, I will decide whether to appear after reading the script.”

Photo = Lotte Entertainment

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.