Netflix period drama ‘Dear Hongrang’ to showcase beauty of Korean tradition

Actors Cho Bo-ah, left, and Lee Jae-wook pose during a press conference for Netflix mystery-romance period drama "Dear Hongrang" at Ramada by Wyndham Seoul Sindorim, Guro District, Tuseday. Yonhap

A new period drama set in the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty is coming to Netflix, giving fans around the world another glimpse into Korean historical stories, after the popular 2019 series "Kingdom."

Premiering Friday, "Dear Hongrang" is a mystery melodrama that follows Hongrang (Lee Jae-wook), the long-missing son of Joseon's most powerful merchant family, who returns after 12 years with no memory of his past. As only his half-sister Jae-yi (Cho Bo-ah) suspects his true identity, an inexplicable relationship begins to grow between them, weaving together love and suspicion in this period drama.

“The series is based on author Jang Da-hye’s novel ‘Tangeum: Swallowing Gold.’ I read the book first and finished it in one sitting. People often talk about fate, but the characters in this book are all people who have no intention of following their destinies, which made the intense story especially memorable to me," series director Kim Hong-sun said Tuesday during a press conference for the drama at Ramada by Wyndham Seoul Sindorim, in Seoul's Guro District.

For him, the biggest theme of the series is longing.

"When someone is overwhelmed by longing, it can turn into resentment, into a grudge or into love. Our work contains many of these complex emotions," he said.

The director explained that the title of the original novel, “Swallowing Gold,” refers to an ancient capital punishment in China from being forced to swallow gold, adding that he thought this punishment was a fitting metaphor for the lead roles.

A scene from Netflix series "Dear Hongrang" / Courtesy of Netflix

Actors Lee and Cho portray the subtle emotions of two characters who — while suspicious and wary of each other — gradually find themselves drawn together.

Lee explained, “Hongrang is a character who develops complex feelings of sympathy with Jae-yi, who is the only one to doubt his identity.”

Cho described her character by saying, “Jae-yi is someone who, after Hongrang’s return, becomes swept up in new emotions.”

This mystery historical drama promises to showcase the full beauty of Korean tradition. Not only will the characters’ distinctive traits be expressed through their hanbok (traditional Korean attire), but the series will also draw attention to the variety of props, based on items that would have been common to members of the largest merchant guild in Joseon, which serves as the backdrop.

Kim said the production was approached with a sense of responsibility to showcase the beauty of Korean culture to the world.

"I aimed for historical accuracy wherever possible and rather than making the hanbok look overly fashionable, I focused on faithfully representing the basics, paying close attention to the texture and materials of the fabrics,” he explained.

Lee, who wore hanbok in his previous fantasy historical series "Alchemy of Souls," noted, “The details of the outfits this time were completely different. Hongrang mostly wears white, but each piece is in a different shade. Working on this project made me realize just how beautiful hanbok truly is.”

Cho added, “I think the costumes really helped express each character. For Min Yeon-ui (Uhm Ji-won), Hongrang's mother and head of the Min family's guild, the look is all about maximum splendor, while for Jae-yi, who is a character suppressed and restrained, I tried to show the understated beauty of hanbok."

Min Yeon-ui (Uhm Ji-won) in a scene from Netflix series "Dear Hongrang" / Courtesy of Netflix