Korea JoongAng Daily - Daily News from Korea

Senior prosecutors who objected to the decision to abandon an appeal in the first trial of the Daejang-dong development corruption case have been pushed aside in what critics call retaliatory personnel moves by the Justice Ministry.

In a reshuffle that took effect on Dec. 15, the ministry reassigned three prosecutor general-level officials - Park Hyuk-soo of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, Kim Chang-jin of the Busan District Prosecutors' Office and Park Hyun-cheol of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office - to research posts at the Judicial Research and Training Institute. Jung Yu-mi, also a prosecutors general serving as a research fellow there, was effectively demoted to a line prosecutor position at the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office.

Within prosecutorial circles, the moves were seen as highly unusual and punitive. All of the affected prosecutors had previously voiced strong objections to the leadership's decision last month to forgo an appeal and demanded a clear explanation from then-acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok.

The Justice Ministry said the reshuffle was intended to prevent misunderstandings about the prosecution's political neutrality and fairness. It is true that the appeal withdrawal intensified controversy over those issues. The question, however, is who bears responsibility for creating that controversy.

Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho had called for a cautious review after being briefed on the appeal plan, and Noh ultimately decided to drop the appeal. Noh later stepped down, while Jung has insisted there was no external pressure or directive, an explanation that has failed to persuade critics. If accountability is to be assigned, they argue, it should rest with those who ordered and approved the appeal withdrawal rather than with prosecutors who challenged it.

The fallout is unlikely to fade quickly. On Dec. 12, prosecutor Jung Yu-mi filed a lawsuit seeking to nullify the personnel order, calling it a de facto severe disciplinary action disguised as routine management. Park Hyun-cheol and Kim Chang-jin posted messages on the internal prosecution network stating that prosecutors must never yield to or be used by improper pressure before submitting their resignations.

The timing has raised further questions. The government is pursuing legal revisions that would abolish the duty of obedience for civil servants and explicitly allow officials to refuse unlawful orders. The latest reshuffle appears to run counter to that stated direction, fueling concern that the real message being sent is one of silence and unconditional compliance.

If the government expects the backlash to fade, it may be mistaken. The appeal withdrawal has already damaged public trust and deepened suspicion about the decision.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

This article is by Shin Ha-nee and read by an artificial voice.

Bianca Censori has been in the blurred space of architect, muse and tabloid sensation. Thrust into global attention after her marriage to the controversial rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, the Australian architect-turned-celebrity has just stepped into a new artistic realm: performance art.

And for her debut, Censori chose Seoul.

Why the Korean capital? While Ye had a couple of high-profile visits to Korea for a surprise performance last year and a concert this year, Censori's decision to premiere her first act in the birthplace of K-pop may strike some as unexpected. The 30-year-old, however, cites Seoul as a natural home for the launch of the inaugural piece to her ambitious seven-part performance series.

On a cold Thursday night in eastern Seoul's trendy Seongsu neighborhood, Censori, the head of architecture at Ye's Yeezy fashion brand, unveiled "Bio Pop (The Origin)," an introspective study in domesticity, before an invitation-only crowd of about 300 guests from the art and fashion industries.

The 20-minute performance unfolded in deliberate fragments. A minimalistic kitchen setup sat in one half of the stage against a curtained, unseen space.

For several minutes beforehand, guests mingled until Ye, flanked by bodyguards, slipped into one of the four chairs deliberately arranged in what appeared to be the front row center, while the rest of the audience, standing in the packed crowd, busily pulled out their phones to take a photo of the rapper.

Then Censori appeared. Clad in a red, skin-tight latex bodysuit that made her look like a mannequin eerily devoid of any personality, she began a ritualistic series of tasks. She weighed the ingredients, stirring them while staring blankly into the crowd, her face impassive, giving off neither complete submission nor challenge.

Such an expression was faintly reminiscent of her notorious appearance at the 2025 Grammy Awards earlier this year, where Censori stood beside Ye in a sheer, near-nude dress, meeting the cameras with the same blank gaze, neither recoiling from the attention nor visibly reveling in it.

After several repetitions of walking, weighing, carrying and mixing, the mixture became a cake. She then placed it onto a tray and rolled it toward the curtained half of the stage.

What followed broke the domestic spell. A siren-like sound cracked through the space as the curtain drew back, revealing masked, dark-haired women embedded in pieces of furniture - bent, restrained and arranged in unsettingly objectified poses.

Their slight tremors, the darting eyes visible through the masks, and the booming audio created a chilling and hypnotic tableau.

It was a startling beginning to an ambitious project, which is planned as a seven-year series, running through 2032, with upcoming installments including "Confessional (The Witness)," "Bianca Is My Doll Baby (The Idol)," "Starbaby (Worship)," "Bone Of My Bone (The Sacrifice)," "Genesis (The Rebirth)" and "Bubble (The Ascension)."

The inaugural piece, which explores how home and domesticity shape the self, landed in an ambiguous space - neither fully subversive of the constraint nor boldly affirming it. Some in the audience were left somewhat underwhelmed, citing the absence of a sharper subversion or a stronger critique of Censori's existing public persona, others said they were impressed by the ambition and scale of the long-term project.

Censori described Seoul as "a cultural engine of the 21st century," an amalgam of long-standing tradition, restless experimentation and hybrid identities.

"'Bio Pop' belongs here because Korea already understands the body as something performative, architectural, and symbolic," wrote Censori in a written statement. "There's an instinctive openness to experimentation and a sensitivity to form and ritual. That makes Korea the ideal place to introduce a work that blurs the boundaries between body, object, and domestic space."

...

This article is by Jang Won-seok and read by an artificial voice.

The U.S.-China power struggle is reshaping the economic landscape of the East Asian "JaKoTa" triangle - Japan, Korea and Taiwan - with Taiwan rising rapidly on the back of its overwhelming strength in the semiconductor foundry sector.

Japan, meanwhile, appears to be emerging from its "lost three decades" - a period of economic stagnation - while some argue Korea is now facing a crisis of its own.

Taiwan's exports in November increased by 56 percent year-on-year to $64.05 billion, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Finance on Wednesday. It was the largest increase in 15 and a half years.

This figure easily surpassed the previous record set in October, when Taiwan surpassed $60 billion in monthly exports for the first time with $61.8 billion. Cumulative exports through November stood at $578.49 billion.

The annual export forecast is around $640 billion, an increase of roughly 35 percent from the previous year - a historic feat, breaking both the $500 billion and $600 billion thresholds.

The key driver behind Taiwan's export surge was semiconductors. Demand exploded around TSMC, which has cutting-edge chip production capabilities, fueled by the rapid growth of the AI market.

With most global tech giants like Apple, Nvidia, Broadcom and AMD relying on TSMC, virtually everything the company produces is sold abroad.

"The speed at which infrastructure such as data centers is being built is accelerating, and governments around the world are actively pushing for sovereign AI, so hardware demand will remain strong," said a Taiwanese Ministry of Finance official.

The term "JaKoTa" was first used in 1997 to refer to this East Asian triad. Recently, global investment banks have adopted the term to describe a new economic bloc, noting that the three countries share democratic systems, advanced technologies and robust manufacturing sectors.

The three JaKoTa nations have much in common. They are geographically island nations, culturally connected through Chinese character traditions and are all ethnically homogeneous. Their economies are export-driven and based on manufacturing, with proximity to China - the world's largest market - giving them an edge in accelerating growth and ushering in the "JaKoTa era."

However, as the U.S.-China rivalry intensified and global supply chains were restructured, changes began. While Korea and Japan lost their manufacturing competitiveness in China, which was traditionally their key export target, Taiwan forged a new path into the U.S. market by leveraging its strength in semiconductor foundries.

Taiwan's success in creating a semiconductor powerhouse like TSMC is due to its early, government-led, single-minded strategy focused on foundries.

Starting in 2016, the Taiwanese government shifted its economic structure - which had been centered on small- and medium-sized enterprises producing small batches of many products - through strong industrial policies. This was possible because of TSMC, which enabled a trickle-down effect throughout back-end processing, server assembly, packaging and the broader hardware sector.

"Even during a drought, Taiwan prioritized water for semiconductor plants over agriculture. That kind of full-scale government support is now bearing fruit," said Jeon Byeong-seo, director of research at the China Economic and Financial Research Institute.

Japan, which led the semiconductor industry in the 1990s, fell behind Korea in the 2000s. Now Korea finds itself nervously watching Taiwan's rise.

Taiwan's changing status is backed by hard numbers. Earlier this month, the Taiwanese government revised its 2025 economic growth forecast upward to 7.4 percent - 2.9 percentage points higher than its August forecast and the highest since 2010, when it hit 10.3 percent.

The Asian Development Bank also revised its forecast for Taiwan's growth on Wednesday to 7.3 percent, up 2.2 percentage points from its September estimate. This ...

This article is by Michael Lee and read by an artificial voice.

Just before sunrise on Aug. 16 last year, Kim Kyo-hee felt a nudge on her shoulder.

Kim, who was due to fly to Hong Kong that morning, assumed it was her boyfriend of two years waking her to make sure she wouldn't miss her flight. But as she turned around in bed, she saw him on one knee beside her, holding up a ring.

"The way he proposed felt so sweet and intimate," she recalled. "We took a photograph while we were still in our pajamas to mark the moment, and then he helped carry my bags downstairs and load them into the taxi to the airport."

However, this was no ordinary trip for Kim - she was heading to Hong Kong with close friends for her bachelorette party. Her wedding in Manila, where her soon-to-be-husband grew up, was less than three months away.

While a proposal so close to the nuptials may seem startling to Western observers, it is the norm in Korea, where formal proposals often happen well after wedding planning has begun.

Why, then, do Korean proposals take place so late in the process - or sometimes not at all?

The answer lies in a fundamentally different Korean understanding of what it means to be engaged, and who usually calls the shots in planning a wedding.

Logistics over suspense

In many Western countries, couples may float the idea of marriage as a relationship becomes serious, but it's the actual question - and the "yes" in response - that marks the beginning of an engagement.

In Korea, however, the moment an engagement becomes official isn't the proposal - it's when both families approve the match and agree to invest in the couple's future together.

"Usually, Korean couples don't simply announce their intent to marry," explained Kim Ji-yun, CEO of the upscale wedding planning company LACIEL, who has worked in the industry for 24 years. "They might agree that they're on the same page about getting married, but they usually seek permission from their parents before making the commitment."

In Korea, such approval is also contingent on agreement on how to fulfill a wide range of conditions, such as wedding budgets, venues, guest lists, gifts and where the newlyweds will live. As a result, the engagement is confirmed only once both families are on board with the marriage, and the proposal becomes more of a celebration than a turning point.

"In the West, people start living independently at 18. But here, young adults continue living within close family structures, so it's hard for marriage to be a totally independent decision by two individuals," she added.

The engagement ring itself reflects that dependence, according to Kim.

"Unlike Western grooms, who typically save money themselves to buy a diamond ring for their girlfriends, Korean grooms usually purchase the ring with help from their parents," she observed, adding that the ring "is often even considered a gift from the groom's parents to the bride."

People interviewed by the Korea JoongAng Daily also remarked that discussions of marriage that took place relatively early in their relationships somewhat diminished the importance of making a formal proposal to kick-start wedding plans.

Park Ji-hyung, who married in March 2022 after a year and a half of dating his wife, said the pair spent "almost every evening" together during their first six months as a couple, leading them to realize marriage was the next logical step.

"We'd hang out late, go our separate ways to head home at 2 or 3 a.m., then wake up early for work," he recalled of their early courtship. "At some point, we thought it would be more efficient to live together, and marriage was the simplest way to do that. So I just suggested we get married, and she agreed."

Kim Kyo-hee similarly said that she and her husband "were certain about marrying each other early on."

While noting that she may have regarded their relationship "with more intention and seriousness" than if she had been younger, she said that her husband was the one who ...

This article is by Park Eun-jee and read by an artificial voice.

Newmark, a New York-based real estate advisory firm known for its previous ties with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, has officially launched operations in Korea, placing the firm in direct competition with existing players including CBRE, JLL and Cushman & Wakefield.

Operating more than 170 offices globally, Newmark is widely considered a leading real estate advisory and brokerage firm.

Lutnick formerly served as chairman of Newmark from 2011, when the firm was acquired by BGC Group, a financial services company he founded, until his appointment as commerce secretary in February. Lutnick has since divested his stakes in both companies, though his son, Kyle Lutnick, remains a director at Newmark.

The Nasdaq-listed brokerage firm also advised the sale of the Trump Organization's rights to its Washington hotel in 2021.

John Pritchard, a former Head of Tenant Representation at Cushman & Wakefield Korea and the new managing director and country head for Newmark Korea, told the Korea JoongAng Daily that the firm aims to offer end-to-end services - with an initial focus on advisory and transaction services.

"From the start, the Korea office will focus on core advisory and transaction services - across retail, multinational occupier representation, logistics and industrial leasing - [as well as] sales, capital markets and strategic consulting, supported by specialized teams covering core [...] assets and data centers," he said, adding that additional service lines such as project management and property management would be incorporated later.

Newmark has also recently opened offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Bangalore, India. According to Pritchard, the recent rise in interest and investment in Seoul's commercial real estate caught the firm's eye and made it consider opening a branch as part of its expansion plan.

"Strategically, Seoul strengthens Newmark's Asia-Pacific platform by connecting multinational clients [...] and supporting Korean companies and capital in their outbound expansion, positioning Korea as a core growth market within Newmark's international strategy," he said.

Pritchard continued that he has set his sights on data center facilities.

"Over the past 5 years, data center investment in Korea has transformed from a historically viewed infrastructure, domestic lead market to an international core investment asset type that has attracted operators, hyperscalers and investment funds that have entered the market in a bullish fashion," he said.

Seoul continues to see a high demand for business offices in areas including Magok and Sangam-dong, according to the country head. Neighborhoods such as Seongsu-dong and Seoul Forest see a demand for both offices and multipurpose spaces encompassing residential, commercial and cultural facilities.

"The Seongsu-Seoul Forest area has emerged as a new investment destination for office and mixed-use assets, supported by the convergence of content- and design-driven industries with lifestyle-oriented demand," Pritchard said.

"Taken together, these trends reflect a structural shift in investor preferences, moving beyond traditional location-driven premiums toward noncore markets characterized by strong industry clustering and long-term demand stability."

This article is by Ahn Hyo-seong and read by an artificial voice.

Half of couples in Korea who have been married for one to five years do not have children, and dual-income spouses who do not own a home are especially less likely to have kids, according to new data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Friday.

The figures also showed eight out of 10 married couples are in debt, and their liabilities exceed twice their income.

As of last year, there were 952,000 couples in Korea who had been married for five years or less, a decline of 2.3 percent, or 22,000 couples, compared to the previous year.

When statistics on married couples were first compiled in 2015, the total number stood at 1.47 million, but that figure has declined each year since, falling below the 1 million mark for the first time in 2023.

However, the pace of decline has been slowing, from 7 percent in 2021 to 6.3 percent in 2022 and 2.3 percent in 2023.

Last year, the number of first-year newlywed couples reached 210,000, an increase of 9.8 percent, or 19,000 couples. This trend is attributed in part to the so-called echo boomers - those born between 1991 and 1995 as children of Korea's baby boomers - entering their early 30s, the typical age of marriage.

The number of married couples having children continues to decline. Among first-time married couples, the proportion with children fell by 1.3 percentage points from the previous year to 51.2 percent.

That figure has steadily dropped from 64.5 percent in 2015.

As of last year, 27.4 percent of couples married five years or less did not have children. The average number of children per couple also decreased to 0.61.

Whether a couple owns a home and whether both spouses work were found to be correlated to childbearing. Among dual-income couples, 49.1 percent had children, compared to 55.2 percent of single-income couples - a gap of 6.1 percentage points.

Among couples who owned their homes, 56.6 percent had children, 9.4 percentage points higher than the 47.2 percent among renters. The average number of children was 0.67 for homeowners and 0.56 for renters - a difference of 0.11 percentage points.

Seoul, where dual-income households are common and homeownership is difficult, had the lowest average number of children nationwide at 0.51. The gap between homeowners and renters in Seoul, which was 0.6 versus 0.47, was wider than the gap between dual-income and single-income couples at 0.51 versus 0.53.

"Many housing and other support policies for married couples often benefit only those with high incomes and stable jobs," said Lee Chul-hee, a professor of economics at Seoul National University. "We also need to consider ways to increase support for low-income married couples, such as expanding the supply of rental housing."

Still, the proportion of married couples who own homes rose to 42.7 percent, up 1.9 percentage points from the previous year. That figure peaked at 42.9 percent in 2019 but fell to 40.5 percent in 2022 during the Moon Jae-in administration due to surging housing prices.

"The increase in homeownership was due in part to policy loans, such as the newborn special loan introduced last year," a Data Ministry official said.

The newborn special loan offers mortgage financing at lower-than-market rates to families without a home that have given birth to or adopted a child within two years of the loan application date.

Apartments remained the most common type of housing among married couples, accounting for 77 percent - a 2.5 percentage point increase from the previous year. That proportion has been climbing steadily since 2019, when it was 69.8 percent.

The average annual income of married couples was 76.29 million won ($51,800), up 5 percent, or 3.64 million won, from the previous year.

The proportion of married couples earning more than 100 million won a year rose by 3.2 percentage points to 23.9 percent. This was partly driven by an increase in dual-income couples, who made up 59.7 ...

This article is by Kim Hyo-seong and read by an artificial voice.

Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Chang Jae-hoon sought to steady staff on Friday after the abrupt resignation of Song Chang-hyeon, a senior executive who oversaw the group's software and autonomous driving strategy, telling employees the automaker would press ahead with key projects without disruption.

"The transition to a software-driven mobility company is a nonnegotiable goal tied to the group's survival and future," Chang said in an email sent early on Friday to employees at Hyundai Motor and Kia's Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) division and software research arm 42dot, both previously headed by Song.

Song stepped down on Dec. 5 after meeting Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, a move that has fueled speculation over the circumstances of his departure and added to uncertainty within the organization.

In Friday's email, Chang also thanked Song and the staff for their work on software-defined vehicles, writing, "I extend my deep gratitude to former CEO Song and our team members for their dedication and passion as they have worked on the front lines of an uncharted area."

He said the progress made so far "forms the foundation for realizing the future we are pursuing."

The vice chairman said 42dot would continue to function as the group's main software center and further develop major projects launched under Song, including the XP2 autonomous driving roadmap and the XV1 small EV scheduled for release in 2027.

He said the projects would proceed under the leadership of Choi Jin-hee, a vice president at 42dot. He added that the AVP division would continue to work closely with the research arm.

Seeming to address the internal unease surrounding Song's departure, Chang urged employees "not to be swayed by unfounded rumors or speculation from outside," and said building "a true one-team structure that brings together capabilities across the group" was a priority.

Chang said he plans to meet key development leaders in the near term "to listen to their views and discuss response measures," adding that candid communication and cooperation could turn the leadership change into an opportunity for renewed momentum.

Song, a former chief technology officer at Naver, founded mobility startup 42dot in 2019 and joined Hyundai Motor Group in 2021 at Chung's recommendation to lead its transportation services business.

Hyundai Motor acquired 42dot in 2022 for 427.7 billion won ($290 million) and has invested about 2 trillion won in the company since then, according to industry estimates.

Despite the investment, Hyundai Motor Group has yet to deliver autonomous driving results that meet internal expectations, according to analysts and industry sources.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

This article is by Kim Ji-ye and read by an artificial voice.

Netflix's recently released series "The Price of Confession" stars Cannes-winning actor Jeon Do-yeon as An Yun-su, a woman falsely accused of murdering her husband. Yun-su's fight to prove her innocence came with a price, not just in the story but for the actor herself, Jeon said - a steep one she never expected when accepting the role.

"When I decided to take the role, I hadn't seen the full script, so I didn't realize it would be such a demanding project," she said during a roundtable interview with reporters at a cafe in central Seoul on Friday, adding that the show was one of the most physically demanding projects she has embarked on.

"I thought to myself of how high the price was for Yun-su to get a confession."

Despite the hardships, she said that it was all worth it when she saw the positive response. The show sat at No. 2 on Netflix's global chart for non-English shows on Wednesday.

"Of course, every project has its challenges, but receiving so much love from the audience felt rewarding in a way," she said. "It felt like a form of compensation or repayment for my effort."

Released on Dec. 5, the thriller follows Yun-su, who is imprisoned after being falsely accused of murdering her husband. In prison, she meets a mysterious stranger, Mo-eun, who offers her a way out: Yun-su must commit a murder while Mo-eun takes her place.

Throughout the series, Jeon's character conveys a deep sense of desperation, vividly expressed through her facial expressions. Reflecting on this, she admitted the role required extensive use of her facial muscles.

"It wasn't like I consciously tried to make such expressions," she said.

"I think that sense of desperation really came through in my facial expressions," Jeon added. "It wasn't something I was consciously aware of, but during filming, the director even asked me, 'Aren't you making too serious a face?' I feel like this might be the project where I used my face the most."

Yun-su displays a rather colorful wardrobe and style, with eye-catching patterns - standing in stark contrast to her grim circumstances. Although the script initially outlined Yun-su's style concept, Jeon mentioned that she also added her own ideas.

"I wanted the colors to really stand out a bit more, and I also thought Yun-su being a carefree person who others will think of as a free spirit, not concerned with what others think," she said. "That's why I imagined a slightly hippie-like vibe for her look."

Jeon added that she often draws inspiration from her characters' clothing in other projects as well.

"By working on the costume and hair concepts, I feel like I get to know the character more deeply," she said. "For me, this seems to be the first step [in building a character]."

While the show features various characters, the main narrative is driven by two female leads, Mo-eun, portrayed by Kim Go-eun, and Jeon's Yun-su. This dynamic was a key factor in Jeon's decision to join the project.

"What intrigued me most was how the narratives of these two women would shape a thriller," she said. "But even if it weren't a thriller, or if it had been another genre, I think I would still have been drawn to it and decided to take the role."

One factor that also affected her decision was Kim. The two had previously met in the film "Memories of the Sword" (2015).

"I was both happy and curious [to meet her]," Jeon said. "When we first met on 'Memories of the Sword' 10 years ago, Kim was just starting out as a rookie actor. Over the past decade, through numerous projects, she has grown tremendously and become an impressive performer."

She added, "Although I've seen her a few times privately over the years, meeting her on a project this time, as a fellow actor, I was particularly curious about how our acting chemistry would play out."

She praised Kim for delivering a steady performance while staying focused and not being swept up in emotion.

Jeon has been active in th...

This article is by Kim Ji-ye and read by an artificial voice.

Netflix's recently released series "The Price of Confession" stars Cannes-winning actor Jeon Do-yeon as An Yun-su, a woman falsely accused of murdering her husband. Yun-su's fight to prove her innocence came with a price, not just in the story but for the actor herself, Jeon said - a steep one she never expected when accepting the role.

"When I decided to take the role, I hadn't seen the full script, so I didn't realize it would be such a demanding project," she said during a roundtable interview with reporters at a cafe in central Seoul on Friday, adding that the show was one of the most physically demanding projects she has embarked on.

"I thought to myself of how high the price was for Yun-su to get a confession."

Despite the hardships, she said that it was all worth it when she saw the positive response. The show sat at No. 2 on Netflix's global chart for non-English shows on Wednesday.

"Of course, every project has its challenges, but receiving so much love from the audience felt rewarding in a way," she said. "It felt like a form of compensation or repayment for my effort."

Released on Dec. 5, the thriller follows Yun-su, who is imprisoned after being falsely accused of murdering her husband. In prison, she meets a mysterious stranger, Mo-eun, who offers her a way out: Yun-su must commit a murder while Mo-eun takes her place.

Throughout the series, Jeon's character conveys a deep sense of desperation, vividly expressed through her facial expressions. Reflecting on this, she admitted the role required extensive use of her facial muscles.

"It wasn't like I consciously tried to make such expressions," she said.

"I think that sense of desperation really came through in my facial expressions," Jeon added. "It wasn't something I was consciously aware of, but during filming, the director even asked me, 'Aren't you making too serious a face?' I feel like this might be the project where I used my face the most."

Yun-su displays a rather colorful wardrobe and style, with eye-catching patterns - standing in stark contrast to her grim circumstances. Although the script initially outlined Yun-su's style concept, Jeon mentioned that she also added her own ideas.

"I wanted the colors to really stand out a bit more, and I also thought Yun-su being a carefree person who others will think of as a free spirit, not concerned with what others think," she said. "That's why I imagined a slightly hippie-like vibe for her look."

Jeon added that she often draws inspiration from her characters' clothing in other projects as well.

"By working on the costume and hair concepts, I feel like I get to know the character more deeply," she said. "For me, this seems to be the first step [in building a character]."

While the show features various characters, the main narrative is driven by two female leads, Mo-eun, portrayed by Kim Go-eun, and Jeon's Yun-su. This dynamic was a key factor in Jeon's decision to join the project.

"What intrigued me most was how the narratives of these two women would shape a thriller," she said. "But even if it weren't a thriller, or if it had been another genre, I think I would still have been drawn to it and decided to take the role."

One factor that also affected her decision was Kim. The two had previously met in the film "Memories of the Sword" (2015).

"I was both happy and curious [to meet her]," Jeon said. "When we first met on 'Memories of the Sword' 10 years ago, Kim was just starting out as a rookie actor. Over the past decade, through numerous projects, she has grown tremendously and become an impressive performer."

She added, "Although I've seen her a few times privately over the years, meeting her on a project this time, as a fellow actor, I was particularly curious about how our acting chemistry would play out."

She praised Kim for delivering a steady performance while staying focused and not being swept up in emotion.

Jeon has been active in th...