Actor Kang Yoo-seok (30) has made a mark on viewers this year with the global success of 'Poksak Sogassuda' and the success of 'Unslzun' (short for 'Unslzun's Medical Life').
The tvN weekend drama 'Unslzun', which ended on the 18th, is a story about the growth of residents dreaming of a wise medical life. It is a spin-off of 'Wise Doctor Life' (hereafter 'WDL'), with PD Shin Won-ho and writer Lee Woo-jung participating as creators.
Kang Yoo-seok, who plays the first-year obstetrics and gynecology resident Um Jae-il at Jongno Yulje Hospital, met with Maeil Business Star Today on the 27th to discuss the work.
First, Kang Yoo-seok shared, "I had a lot of fun filming with my first-year obstetrics and gynecology friends, the director, and the staff," expressing his feelings about the end of 'Unslzun'. He continued, "The process was so good. As the process was good, the results were good too. I am grateful to those who loved it. It was so happy that the ratings gradually increased over six weeks, making the last broadcast feel regretful."
'Unslzun' was filmed around the same time as the Netflix drama 'Poksak Sogassuda' (hereafter 'Poksak'). Kang Yoo-seok explained, "There was a period of about 3-4 months where the filming overlapped, so I had to stay focused and act. Jae-il from 'Unslzun' and Eun-myung from 'Poksak' are not similar, so I tried not to overlap."
He added, "I started filming in 2023 and 2024, but there were no works released in 2024. It feels good that the works I worked hard on are coming out all at once."
How did the filming environments of 'Poksak' and 'Unslzun' differ? Kang Yoo-seok said, "'Poksak' had a lot of interactions with my parents. They are respected seniors, and instead of giving me advice on acting, they helped me act comfortably."
He continued, "Since the seniors were intimidating, I could have felt nervous, but senior Park Hae-joon played a lot of jokes and even bought me drinks. Senior Moon So-ri invited Park Hae-joon, me, and (Lee) Ji-eun to her home, cooked for us, and we did readings together. We ate a lot as a family. Eventually, I became really comfortable, and the family chemistry came out, to the point where I would ask, 'Did mom come?'"
When the topic of Lee Ji-eun (IU), who played Eun-myung's older sister Geum-myung, came up, he said, "I only filmed with her for about five episodes. She asked, 'Can I do a gag reflex?' and I told her to go ahead. She has a younger brother, and I have an older sister, so it felt like a real sister, and my reactions were genuine. I was able to immerse myself well."
He added, "It's IU. Isn't she a star to me? But when acting, she felt like a very comfortable older sister. She told me to act comfortably and gave me a lot of advice. Thanks to that, we were able to be casual with each other."
On the set of 'Unslzun', he mentioned that he spent a lot of time with his peers, including Go Yoon-jung, Shin Sia, and Han Ye-ji. Kang Yoo-seok said, "I acted a lot with seniors, but being with friends brought a chemistry that felt playful. We often met and hung out during breaks."
He continued, "Go Yoon-jung takes good care of those around her and treats them sincerely. Just being good at acting doesn't make you a good actor. I learned a lot from watching her, realizing that you should also be someone who can take care of those around you."
Regarding Han Ye-ji, who played the love interest Sabi, he explained, "She is a junior from school and is making her debut with this work, so I wanted to take care of her, but at some point, I found myself being taken care of by her. Although she is younger, she is mature. We discussed the scenes together."
Kang Yoo-seok originally auditioned for the role of Koo Do-won, which was played by Jung Joon-won in 'Unslzun'. He said, "When I read the script, Koo Do-won seemed really cool. Even when scolding juniors, he doesn't get emotional but sticks to the facts, and when in crisis, he helps them. I thought it was a simple and cool character that I wanted to try."
He continued, "When I first went for the audition, I must have gone in like Jae-il. Director Shin Won-ho asked me to perform Jae-il's lines at our second meeting. In the end, I think Joon-won did well as Koo Do-won, and I think I did well as Um Jae-il. He is harmless and lovable," expressing his affection for the character.
Kang Yoo-seok's original personality is also similar to Um Jae-il. He analyzed, "I like people, which is similar. I often invite my peers to 'Let's eat' or 'Do you want to watch the last episode together?' I like older brothers and sisters, so even in college, I would cling to them to hang out. Koo Do-won is straightforward, but I tend to be a bit clingy."
Kang Yoo-seok joined Shin Won-ho's team with this work. He joined the project with both pressure and fan enthusiasm.
"It was both a burden and filled with passion. I have been a fan of the director's works until now, so my fan enthusiasm was great. I thought it would be happy to work together. In fact, I even auditioned for season 1 of 'Wise Doctor Life'. There are desires, worries, and burdens, but the excitement and anticipation of working with a director I like outweighed it. I felt honored," he said (to be continued in Interview ②).
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
