'Fly, Gaechun-yong' Bae Sung-woo as a Reporter, New and Special

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] Bae Sung-woo has become a reporter. Somehow, it feels different. Fresh.

Until now, reporters portrayed in the media have often been generalized as either blindly righteous or malicious without reason. Persuasion was omitted, and the portrayal was full of fantasy, making it far from reality.

Perhaps because of this, even the actors playing reporters had to be passive. There were limits to expressing the role of a reporter, who was depicted as either black or white in the story. This was true in both movies and dramas.

SBS’s Friday-Saturday drama "Fly, Gaechonyong" is different. Strictly speaking, Bae Sung-woo’s acting as a reporter in it is different. It first aired on October 30 and captivated viewers in just four episodes.

"Fly, Gaechonyong" was born based on "Delayed Justice," a true story written by lawyer Park Jun-young and reporter Park Sang-gyu, who experienced it together. "Delayed Justice" dealt with the ‘Retrial Trilogy’ project, which raised issues about South Korea’s judicial system and is said to have rewritten judicial history. It covered the entire process from investigation and reporting to winning the trial.

This was brought to the world as a drama. Writer Park Sang-gyu took charge of writing "Fly, Gaechonyong" after the novel. The ‘Samjeongsi Trio Case’ and the ‘Jeong Myeong-hee Biological Father Assault and Death Case,’ based on the experience of the Samrye Nara Super trio robbery and manslaughter case fiercely fought by lawyer Park Jun-young and writer Park, were adapted into the drama. The adaptation by the parties involved brought the flavor of the story to life.

Kwon Sang-woo plays Park Tae-yong, a public defender who fights on the side of the socially weak, and Bae Sung-woo plays Park Sam-soo, a livelihood reporter. The drama features many people who were ignored and marginalized, and the two stand on their side.

Since when and why did people start calling those who stand for justice reckless? In a world where even justice becomes a luxury for those without backing, a reporter and a lawyer who are ‘dragons born from a small stream’ fight to the end for the truth. The reality where no one listens to unfair stories. It empathizes with the pain of victims living with past wounds. This is both fantasy and reality, making it very compelling.

Bae Sung-woo’s acting is special. It is so everyday and raw. He honestly accepts various emotions such as his own feelings of inadequacy, poverty, deprivation, shame, anger, sense of justice, and humiliation. He does not embellish, and this is conveyed intact to the viewers at home.

He did not impose the frame of being a reporter on himself. Bae Sung-woo stood tall as Park Sam-soo the reporter and as the human Park Sam-soo. What makes Park Sam-soo special is that, while standing beside a lawyer burning with blind sense of justice, he is portrayed in a balanced way as he is stirred by human primal emotions yet keeps his convictions.

The experience accumulated over a long time on stage also shines. He boasts amazing acting chemistry with Kwon Sang-woo. Watching the freely exchanged emotions is also a point of interest. "Fly, Gaechonyong," where acting spirits have flown into the living room.

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