JTBC drama-actors

▲ The promotional poster for JTBC drama series "King the Land" is seen in this photo provided by JTBC. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

JTBC drama-actors

Lee Jun-ho, Im Yoon-ah team up for JTBC rom-com series 'King the Land'

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- K-pop idols-turned-actors, Lee Jun-ho and Im Yoon-ah, star in new JTBC drama series "King the Land," which tells a love story between a man who despises smiling and a woman who always smiles.

Lee stars as Goo Won, the heir of a luxury hotel conglomerate who is thrown into an inheritance war, while Im plays Cheon Sa-rang, a hotelier who always has a smile on her face until she meets Goo.

Im Hyun-wook took helm of the Saturday-Sunday drama series.

Lee, a member of K-pop boy band 2PM, said he chose the romantic comedy drama after playing King Jeongjo (1752-1800) of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) in a historical drama series "The Red Sleeve" (2021), which earned him popularity.

"This time, I wanted to try some comfortable work filled with love and laughter," Lee said in a press conference Thursday.

One of the challenging parts of playing his character was holding back his laughter.

"I started thinking about why Goo Won hates smiling while acting his character. I kept reminding myself not to laugh throughout the filming and it was difficult to hold back my laughter," he said. "I worked hard on physical training to fit the suits."

Im, who also played a dark role in TV crime series "Big Mouth" last year, said she was attracted to the lovely character.

"It is almost my first time doing a classic romantic comedy. I wanted to play a bright and delightful character as 'Big Mouth' dealt with a heavy subject," said Im, a member of K-pop girl group Girls' Generation

The 16-part series is set to premier on Saturday.

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