Lead actors on wrapping up crime-comedy series 'Police University'

By Lee Gyu-lee

The cast members of KBS's crime-comedy series, “Police University,” have shared behind-the-scenes stories and thanked the viewers as they bid goodbye to the series, Wednesday.

The series, starring actors Cha Tae-hyun, Jung Jin-young, and Jung Soo-jung, better known as Krystal, ended its 16-part run Tuesday with a 6.3 percent viewership rating.

Directed by Yoo Gwan-mo, who led the suspenseful series, "Woman of 9.9 Billion,” the series revolves around former hacker Kang Seon-ho (Jung Jin-young) who joins the National Police University with his crush, Oh Kang-hui (Jung Soo-jung). There, he encounters detective-turned-professor Yoo Dong-man (Cha) who holds a grudge toward Seon-ho after the latter accidentally jeopardized Dong-man's investigation.

Dong-man gets a tip that the crime ring he was investigating infiltrated the university and teams up with Seon-ho to solve the case.

Cha, who played a rowdy detective eager to catch criminals, recalled the time he was first offered the role. “I remember instantly falling for the story the first time I read the script. I was drawn to the dedication Dong-man had and his effort to protect his loved ones even under turbulent circumstances,” he said.

Thanking viewers and the production staff, he added, “There were so many heart-warming memories, as well as fun and exciting moments. I'm thankful that we could wrap up safely without any mishaps.”

Jung Jin-young explained that he is pleased with the outcome of the series, which is his first appearance after his career hiatus due to undertaking mandatory military service.

“I was so happy to work with people I love. I was nervous since this was my first small-screen return, but I'm thankful that everyone helped me through it to end the series successfully,” he said.

Jung Soo-jung noted that this series allowed her to explore experiences she never had before.

“Being a freshman at the police university was not something I was familiar with so I found the character refreshing… I wanted to portray both layers of the character who is bold and determined to accomplish her dream, but also an innocent and spirited freshman,” she said. “I got to do things that I've never experienced before, like wearing a police uniform and learning Judo.”

Adding that working with the series' co-stars could not have gone better, she said it was as if she was actually attending a school.

“The actors who played the classmates were about the same age, so going to the set actually felt like I was going to school. We would have fun and chat as we were working on the set,” she said. “And with professors and Kang-hui's mom, I got a lot of help with my acting, since they were veteran actors. When I followed along with their acting in the scenes, I was able to get into my role much better.”