The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    '30 Days' promises laughter, unlikely romance

  • 3

    All elementary schools in Seoul to record calls from parents

  • 5

    North Korean escapees tell how nuclear tests ruined their health, hometown

  • 7

    Foreign tour operators pay close attention to Seoul's new Tourism Future Vision plan

  • 9

    Parent assaults day care center worker with baby excrement; angry public urges lawmakers to act

  • 11

    ITZY's Lia takes break to put mental health first

  • 13

    Yoon signs off on motion requesting parliamentary consent to opposition leader's arrest

  • 15

    Seoul unveils lineup for Art Festival Seoul 2023

  • 17

    INTERVIEWSong Kang-ho hopes to offer cinematic originality with 'Cobweb'

  • 19

    Housewife arrested for smuggling meth in sunflower seed bags

  • 2

    BTS stars shine brighter as solo artists

  • 4

    S. Korea crush Kuwait to begin men's football title defense

  • 6

    Putin may regret forging closer ties with Kim: experts

  • 8

    US court rules in favor of KEPCO, KHNP over nuclear reactor exports

  • 10

    USFK soldier, 2 women arrested for drug trafficking

  • 12

    Korea ramps up support for marginalized youth

  • 14

    Korea to begin quest for 3rd straight men's football gold vs. Kuwait

  • 16

    Yoon pitches Busan Expo bid at UN in bilateral talks

  • 18

    30 people purchased 8,000 homes: data

  • 20

    Naver, Kakao engage in fierce payment competition in China, Japan

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
Thu, September 21, 2023 | 17:06
Shows & Dramas
Director, writer of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' eager to tell story of those on autism spectrum
Posted : 2022-07-27 16:25
Updated : 2022-07-27 18:42
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
                                                                                                 Writer Moon Ji-won, left, and director Yoo In-sik of ENA's hit series, 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo,' pose during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of ENA
Writer Moon Ji-won, left, and director Yoo In-sik of ENA's hit series, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," pose during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of ENA

Creators acknowledge shortcomings of series

By Lee Gyu-lee

The creators of the ongoing hit series, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," said that they wanted to tell the story of a person on the autism spectrum. "Normally for a story that features an autistic person, many creators would set the narrative to be from a non-autistic person and depict the autism spectrum from that person's perspective," the series' writer, Moon Ji-won, said during a press conference at a hotel in Mapo District, western Seoul, Wednesday.

"I wanted to put Woo Young-woo as the sole lead (of the series) and let viewers resonate with her directly without having any mediator in between."

ENA's 16-part series, which also streams on Netflix, follows Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin), a genius lawyer on the autism spectrum, tackling challenges in and beyond the courtroom as a newbie at a top law firm.

The heartwarming series has been the talk of the town since kicking off on June 29, skyrocketing in its viewership rating from 0.9 percent to 13.1 percent in only eight episodes. It also topped Netflix's official non-English Top 10 chart for two weeks until slipping to second last week.

The director and writer expressed that the series' sensational popularity feels surreal, adding that they did not expect such an enormous response.

"We couldn't be sure whether the series' theme would appeal to the public … We just wanted the series to get known and attract viewers but it didn't feel real to get so enormous from the beginning," Yoo In-sik, the series' director, said.

The writer said the unique characteristics that people on the autistic spectrum have inspired her to write a story with an autistic lead.

"When I researched the autism spectrum, I was surprised to find out how intriguing their characteristics are. Although it may not be the case for autistic people, unconventional thinking, quirkiness, a strong ethical sense, extensive knowledge in a specific field, exceptional memory and processing of visuals and patterns are attributes that often strengthen people on the spectrum," she said.

"The word, 'extraordinary,' could have held a negative connotation, referring to the unfamiliar, different or things you want to avoid. But there's also the power to think creatively and to make our society better by being extraordinary."

                                                                                                 Writer Moon Ji-won, left, and director Yoo In-sik of ENA's hit series, 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo,' pose during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of ENA
A scene from the series, "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" / Courtesy of ENA

However, despite its popularity, some viewers have complained that the character's genius ability is unrealistic and provides a false representation of autistic people.

The creators responded to such criticism by stating that they do acknowledge the series' shortcomings and hope it to be the start of a conversation on the topic that will further develop.

"Autism has such a diverse spectrum that Woo can't represent all of the autistic people in the world … The character of Woo is set to fit best in unfolding the story rather than putting more of a focus on making it realistic, as a creator. There were limitations in incorporating other factors beyond that," the director said.

"As our series' limitations are clear, it would be meaningful if this series helps open up chances, like people who have disabilities actually playing roles of people with disabilities for more realistic portrayals," she said.

The writer said that she believes there is a person like Woo somewhere in the world, noting that it is not impossible for autistic people to have attributes similar to the main character.

"What we intended with the character of Woo is that she has both an extreme advantage and an extreme weakness together. The reason we didn't set an antagonist is that the biggest difficulty for Woo to be a lawyer comes from autism itself and the prejudices that follow," she said, adding that she did try to incorporate the difficulties of autistic people in the story but took a cautious approach in its extent.

"I wanted people to support the character of Woo not because they feel bad for her or because she is pitiful, but because she is lovely, vibrant and cool. So I do understand those criticisms on the shortcomings that came from not being able to include the whole picture," the director said.
Emailgyulee@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
miguel
Top 10 Stories
1North Korean escapees tell how nuclear tests ruined their health, hometown North Korean escapees tell how nuclear tests ruined their health, hometown
230 people purchased 8,000 homes: data 30 people purchased 8,000 homes: data
3Korea urged to adopt China exit strategy amid hegemonic war Korea urged to adopt China exit strategy amid hegemonic war
4[INTERVIEW] Putin uses summit with NK leader to stop Seoul from helping Ukraine: expert INTERVIEWPutin uses summit with NK leader to stop Seoul from helping Ukraine: expert
5Foreign ministry asks Japan to investigate case of Korean poisoned with bleach in Tokyo Foreign ministry asks Japan to investigate case of Korean poisoned with bleach in Tokyo
6Unfreezing of funds not likely to restore Korea-Iran ties Unfreezing of funds not likely to restore Korea-Iran ties
7Seoul plans to build Jamsil Sports MICE Complex Seoul plans to build Jamsil Sports MICE Complex
8Merck emphasizes digitalization in semiconductor market Merck emphasizes digitalization in semiconductor market
9Yanolja's aggressive expansion results in voluntary redundancy program Yanolja's aggressive expansion results in voluntary redundancy program
10Global oil price surge stokes stagflation concerns Global oil price surge stokes stagflation concerns
Top 5 Entertainment News
1'30 Days' promises laughter, unlikely romance '30 Days' promises laughter, unlikely romance
2ITZY's Lia takes break to put mental health first ITZY's Lia takes break to put mental health first
3Rowoon leaves SF9 to focus on acting career Rowoon leaves SF9 to focus on acting career
4Netflix's 'Song of the Bandits' blends western action with Korean period series Netflix's 'Song of the Bandits' blends western action with Korean period series
5Invasion of 'smart' albumsInvasion of 'smart' albums
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group