Korean stars Lee Junho (2PM) and Yoona (Girls’ Generation) have teamed up for the romantic comedy “King the Land,” which will premiere on Netflix on June 17.
The story centers between Gu Won (Junho), a chaebol (family-owned conglomerate) heir who hates fake smiles, and smile-girl c(Yoona), who both become attracted to each other.
Yoona and Junho in "King the Land" (Netflix)
This is Junho’s newest TV series after starring in the 2022 drama “The Red Sleeve.” It is also Yoona’s new drama after last year’s “Big Mouth.”
During a press conference for “King the Land” on June 15, Junho and Yoona, together with director Im Hyun-wook, talked about their roles and what viewers can expect from the drama.
Yoona said she chose the role as Cheon Sa-rang as “I wanted to try something cheerful, more fun and exciting.”
“But because my recent work was ‘Big Mouth,’ I wanted to go with something more bubbly this time and I think people really like when I play bubbly roles, that’s why I chose this show,” she said.
Junho, Yoona and director Im Hyun-wook at the "King the Land" press conference in Seoul (Netflix)
Junho thanked viewers for loving “The Red Sleeve” and for his next work, he chose “King the Land,” saying, “I wanted to go with a lighter sense, a lot of love, a lot of laughter, lots of smiles. I wanted to do something more fun and easygoing, and heartwarming. That is why I chose this project.”
He said his role in “King the Land” became “a big challenge for me. It was not an easy choice for me. If there’s a blooper or when ‘cut’ is done, I would burst out laughing. Not just me but everyone would burst out laughing together. And I thought about why he hates smiles.”
Because he is playing the role of a chaebol heir, Junho wears a lot of suits in “King the Land” and he said, “I worked together with a great stylist and we had a lot of fittings and I worked out a lot.”
“Even when he is covered with a suit, we wanted to make sure that people can know that he has this great body underneath. I tried to stay fit and I continued to work out on the set,” said Junho.
This is the first time that Junho and Yoona have worked together in a drama.
“I think this is the first time we’re meeting in a drama, acting together. Like Junho said, the chemistry between the lead female and lead male actors is most important in a rom-com. We talked a lot about the scenes and what we wanted to emphasize in the special scenes that really conveyed the relationship between the two,” said Yoona.
She added, “I think like eye contact, the eyes are really important when you are acting and of course, Junho has a great, deep voice. And I think his voice can be powerful.”
"King the Land" press conference (Netflix)
About “King the Land,” Junho said “you can watch it with ease.”
Regarding the visuals for the drama, Im Hyun-wook proudly said of Junho and Yoona, “It’s them. I don’t need to do anything more to create something beautiful. They are already so beautiful.”
Junho and Yoona talked about debuting as K-pop idols and working together in “King the Land.”
“On the set, we just don’t feel like ‘singer comrades’ but we just become Gu Won Cheon Sa-rang themselves. When I’m here with Yoona, it feels like she’s more of a friend of mine. We could like chat and have more fun on the set,” he said.
Yoona added, “It’s a very pleasant feeling. I feel very good about it because I’ve known him since I was quite young. We were in the music industry together. Now that we’re in a drama, I feel really good. It feels like I’m back in my earlier days. I feel like I’m younger when I’m talking with him since I knew him since I was young. On the set for this series, we would feel very friendly around each other.”
According to Junho, when he first learned that she would be working with Yoona, “I thought she was the perfect fit for Cheon Sa-rang.”
“I felt the same way,” said Yoona. “He is a very versatile actor himself. And I think only Junho can pull off this role.”
On how “King the Land” distinguished itself from other rom-coms, Junho said, “I think we are quite confident that our drama is quite special.”
“There are really some catchy lines and scenes. We had really great chemistry on the set. I think that could be something special about ‘King the Land,’” said Yoona.
“King the Land” will premiere on Netflix on June 17.