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| A promotional poster for new Netflix's original series, "Narco-Saints," to be released on Sept. 9 / Courtesy of Netflix |
By Kim Rahn
A new Netflix original series, "Narco-Saints," created by top director Yoon Jong-bin, will be released on Sept. 9, the streaming service platform said, Monday.
The much-anticipated series is about a man who has no choice but to take on a secret mission for the National Intelligence Service (NIS) after being framed by a Korean drug lord operating in Suriname.
It has drawn attention since the production was announced last year, as it is helmed by Yoon, who has been recognized for excellence in storytelling and direction in previous films, including "Nameless Gangster: Rules of Time" (2011) and "The Spy Gone North" (2018).
Its star-studded cast also raises expectations, especially because some of the actors have already proven to be good partners with director Yoon.
Ha Jung-woo plays the role of Kang In-su, an entrepreneur who wished to make money in Suriname but gets involved in drug crime. Ha partnered with Yoon since the latter's directoral debut, "The Unforgiven" (2005), through which both Ha and Yoon received recognition in the nation's cinema scene. Ha also starred in Yoon's other works: "The Moonlight of Seoul" (2008), "Nameless Gangster: Rules of Time" and "KUNDO: Age of the Rampant" (2014).
Another A-lister in the new series is Hwang Jung-min, who also appeared in "A Violent Prosecutor," (2015) for which Yoon was a producer and "The Spy Gone North" for which Yoon was the director. In the new series, he plays the role of Jeon Yo-hwan, the top boss of a Suriname's drug cartel.
Park Hae-soo, who is nicknamed a "worker at Netflix" because his recent filmography centers on Netflix series such as "Squid Game" (2021) and "Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area" (2022), takes the role of Choi Chang-ho, an NIS agent who leads the mission to apprehend Jeon.
Yoo Yeon-seok plays David Park, a lawyer who helps protect Jeon's organization, while Jo Woo-jin is transformed into Byun Ki-tae, who is Jeon's right-hand man.
Taiwanese actor Chang Chen, who has strong international foothold with his appearance in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000), "The Grandmaster" (2013) and "Dune" (2021), will guest-star as the leader of a Chinese crime ring in Suriname.
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