"BTS music video was the trigger... casting Youn Yuh-jung and Song Kang-ho as a married couple"... 'BEEF Season 2' is coming back

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[The Financial News] Director Lee Sung Jin of the Netflix original drama "BEEF Season 2" has revealed how he came to cast actors Youn Yuh-jung and Song Kang-ho as a married couple.
"BEEF Season 2" is set at a country club frequented by the privileged. The story begins when a Generation Z couple and junior staffers, Austin (Charles Melton) and Ashley (Cailee Spaeny), witness a shocking fight between their Millennial generation bosses, the married couple Josh (Oscar Isaac) and Lindsey (Carey Mulligan). From there, an intense psychological battle and war of nerves unfolds among the two couples and a Korean billionaire who owns the club, as persuasion and pressure are traded back and forth. Youn Yuh-jung plays this Korean billionaire, while Song Kang-ho appears as her second husband.
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At an online press conference on the 7th, director Lee Sung Jin first explained how the Korean billionaire character came to be in Season 2. He said, "After Season 1, I started traveling to South Korea more often, and especially after shooting a music video for RM of BTS, I had many chances to visit." He continued, "Through that process, I was able to glimpse the lives of the upper class in South Korea and even spend time with them, and I found that world incredibly fascinating."
He added, "Based on those experiences, I wanted to infuse Season 2 with more distinctly Korean elements and embody them in specific characters." Representative examples, he noted, are the characters played by Youn Yuh-jung and Song Kang-ho, as well as Austin, played by Charles Melton, who also joined the press conference that day. Melton is an American actor with a Korean mother.
Lee recalled, "Once things had come this far, I decided to set my casting goal as the greatest actors on the planet." However, Song Kang-ho initially turned down the role. He politely declined, saying he was not sure the part suited him. That changed after Youn Yuh-jung heard about it and stepped in to persuade him.
The director said, "Ms. Youn Yuh-jung personally called actor Song Kang-ho and told him, 'You are Song Kang-ho. You can pull off any role,' and persuaded him." He went on, "Thanks to her, the casting came together. It was almost impossible to imagine anyone else playing this role, so I felt deeply grateful," he said, expressing particular thanks to Youn Yuh-jung.
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The scenes where the two actors appear together were filmed at the Amorepacific Seoul Headquarters in Yongsan District in Seoul.
Lee said, "This scene in Episode 3 is the highlight of my career." He recalled, "During the shoot, director Bong Joon Ho made a surprise visit. He tapped me on the side as I was watching the monitor and joked, 'Are you really going to shoot it with this frame?'" Remembering that day, he said he was moved to be working alongside Korean filmmakers he deeply admires.
Actor Melton also described acting opposite Youn Yuh-jung and Song Kang-ho as "the greatest moment" of his career, expressing profound respect. "I owe an enormous debt to director Lee Sung Jin," he said. "He made my dream come true by allowing me to work with some of the greatest actors of all time." He added, "Just sitting across from them and acting, simply witnessing their performances right in front of my eyes, was an incredible experience."
He happily shared how his family reacted as well. "When they heard I would be working with legendary Korean actors, my entire family was overjoyed," he said. "My grandmother, uncles, and cousins were all thrilled."
Speaking about Song Kang-ho, he said, "Even without saying much, his presence was overwhelming." He continued, "Throughout preparation and the entire shoot, I felt how incredibly humble he is." He recalled, "There was a moment when he broke into laughter because of my acting and we had to cut, but for me personally, that was the greatest moment of my career." He also remembered, "Youn Yuh-jung is an actor with a profound aura that cannot be put into words."
Meanwhile, "BEEF Season 2" begins with the conflict between the two couples and gradually expands into a story that spans multiple stages of life. Four couples appear in the series, each symbolizing one of the four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Lee added, "Through the changes they undergo, viewers will be able to see stages of life that mirror the passage of the seasons."
He also spoke about the core themes of Season 2. "In 2026, in today's world, whatever story you try to tell, you cannot leave out the issues right in front of us, such as capitalism or inter-class conflict," Lee said. "These are themes that must be explored, and in Season 2 they served as a kind of 'big umbrella' that encompasses the entire work," he emphasized.
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jashin@fnnews.com Shin Jin-ah Reporter