The new Korean political drama, "The Mayor," which showcases conspiracy, greed, and electoral fights, could not have been released at a better time, considering the fact that the new drama will premiere just two weeks before the South Korean presidential election scheduled for May 9.
However, it is believed that director Park In-Jae faces an uphill battle as his new work will have to compete with Korea's real politics, which have unfolded dramatically over the past five months of disorder fueled by the impeachment of the president.
"I have mixed feelings of anticipation and anxiety about how this film will be received," director Park revealed on Wednesday during a press conference. the director also stated that he never expected "The Mayor," which is his second film to have such a timely release. it is reported that the director started writing the script three years ago.
Director park continued to state that "Movies are not something that can be planned today for release tomorrow. I planned and began writing the script three years ago, so I completely had no idea about this situation at that time."
South Korea was faced with political disorder when a huge corruption scandal that involved the former President, Park Geun-Hye ensued back in October 2016. The president was impeached by the Constitutional Court on March 10, which has now triggered an early presidential election.
It is reported by Yonhap News that the new political drama is based on the ambitious Seoul Mayor Byeon Jong-gu, - a character played by Choi Min-Sik - who had to turn to an intense election campaign in order to win his third term in office.
Mayor Byeon Jong-gu will be ready to do anything to fulfill his ultimate desire to become president. it is also reported that "Mayor" will feature stars from popular international films, but the lead actor of the new political drama would be Choi Min-sik who starred in the award-winning drama titled "Old Boy."
Choi Min-Sik stated that he especially decided to star in "Mayor" because there is only a few Korean drama, which focuses on elections or politics. He added that he wants to share his perspective about elections and politics with viewers through the new drama.
He went on to describe the main character of "Mayor" Jong-gu as a greedy politician who cannot control his thirst for more power and fame. "Jong-gu is someone who is full of desire to the marrow and loves power. That's why I was drawn to the character," Choi Min-sik said.
Meanwhile, director Park stated that he wanted to portray the desire for power, the most deep-rooted desire of mankind with the drama's lead character, Jong-gu. "Mayor" will be director Park's second feature drama after political thriller titled "Moby Dick" in 2011.
According to Hancinema, other cast members of "Mayor" would include Kwak Do-won (The Wailing), Shim Eun-kyung, (Miss Granny), and Moon So-ri (Oasis). the new political drama will also star Ra Mi-ran (Replay 1988) and Ki Hong Lee, who is the Korean-American star of the Hollywood sci-fi adventure film (The Maze Runner).
According to the storyline of the drama, Kwak Do-won portrays the role of a character named Sim Hyeok-su, who is the chief of Byeon's election camp, while Ra Mi-ran plays the role of Jong-gu's rival in the Seoul mayoral race - a character named Yang Jin-Joo.
Shim Eun-kyung plays an advertising expert named Park Kyung, who newly joined Jong-gu's election camp, and Ki Hong Lee portrays the role of Yang Jin-Joo's son who is a graduate of Harvard Law School. However, it is believed that viewers will find out a lot more when "Mayor" premieres on April 26.
