 |
| From left, actors Kim Dong-wook, Chae Jung-an and Kim Sung-kyu pose during an online press conference for Tving's new original series "The King of Pigs," Tuesday. Courtesy of Tving |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Tak Jae-young, the writer of Tving's new original series "The King of Pigs," said that the series will send a message on the root of violence in society.
"Pigs are a symbolic representation of those who suffer the tragic fate of being controlled and dominated for the term of their life," the writer said during an online press conference for the series, Tuesday. "I hope this series can stir up questions and thoughts for viewers. The purpose of the series is to touch on why the world has the strong who commit violence against the weak, and where such violence came from."
Based on the animation of the same name by star filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho, the thriller series revolves around Hwang Kyung-min (Kim Dong-wook), who still suffers from school bullying he experienced 20 years ago. Hiding his trauma, he tries to appear to have a happy life with his wife. But an incident triggers him, leading him to seek revenge.
Jung Jong-suk (Kim Sung-kyu) is a homicide detective who used to be friends with Kyung-min 20 years ago. One day, he receives a message at the crime scene of a murder, with the message sender naming himself Kyung-min. With the help of his colleague Kang Jin-ah (Chae Jung-an), Jong-suk traces the evidence to stop the serial murder that pulls him back to the violence that took place two decades ago.
Tak noted that the live-adaptation will have the core message of the original animation, but will add more thrills and suspense to the story.
"While the original work is more about devastated adults remembering their past, the series focuses on how those with a traumatic pasts live and how it has affected their lives," he said.
 |
| A poster of the series "The King of Pigs" / Courtesy of Tving |
Expressing the pressure he had to remake the well-received work, he added that one of his main focuses was to not let down the fans of the animation.
"I, myself, am also a fan of 'The King of Pigs' (animation). Since it was highly acclaimed when it came out, my main thought was to not let the fans down as I adapted the script," he said. "But at the same time, I wanted it to also appeal to those who are not familiar with the animation."
Actor Kim Dong-wook explained that playing such a complex and dark character took him on an emotional journey.
"As I put myself into the character, it gave me a lot of thoughts and emotions. I felt that I needed to take a delicate and careful approach in portraying my character," he said. "He has a tragic past that made him become who he is now. And this figure plays the role of delivering the message about society, so I had to put in a lot of thought to how I should portray him."
"The King of Pigs" is set to hit the streaming platform on Friday.
![[SPECIAL REPORT] Korea should embrace cultural diversity in integrating immigrants](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/8f460cead8234afd809ed4cb650f1f61.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] ASTRO members aim to shine in musical theater](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/fe0fe5a4bbc740d9ba15f818be5c843c.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] INFINITE's Nam Woo-hyun returns after battling with rare cancer](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/a3c3440b8dc84bce8ca94394a170fef2.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
