"East Palace" Director Choi Jeong-gyu: "Nam Joo Hyuk brings sincerity ... We also considered animal and plant forms for Kkeomeoksari"

[Financial News] Choi Jeong-gyu, the director of Netflix's series "East Palace," explained why he cast Nam Joo Hyuk, Jang Young-nam and Cho Seung-woo, and how the characters they created came together.
In an interview held on the 21st at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Choi said he saw in Nam Joo Hyuk, who plays Gucheon, the ability to convey sincerity through his eyes and actions rather than words.
He said, "Gucheon is not a character who speaks a lot. He is someone who carries the burden alone, goes into dangerous places and solves problems." He added, "I thought the sincerity I felt from the actor matched Gucheon very well."
Jang Young-nam, who plays the Queen Dowager, was the first actor he thought of when planning the cast. Choi judged that she was the right choice to convincingly portray the character's intense desire and her collapse from the peak of power.
Choi said, "Jang Young-nam is such a special actor." He added, "I thought that if this character were played by Jang Young-nam, the result would be excellent." He explained, "Her age did not exactly match the character, but she was the first person I thought of while preparing the casting."

Cho Seung-woo, who forms one side of the power struggle in the drama alongside Jang Young-nam, delivered a layered performance as a king whose inner life is too complex to be reduced to good or evil. The scenes in which the king and the Queen Dowager confront each other by exposing one another's past and desires are considered among the show's standout moments.
Choi explained, "The king is clearly a man who has committed evil acts, but I wanted him to carry a certain symbolism as a figure placed at the center of desire and evil." He added, "I wanted to leave room for interpretation, at least for the king. Some people may see him as the source of all evil, while others may view him as a man shaped by his era and environment."
Before filming, Choi and Cho spoke frequently on long phone calls to carefully fine-tune the king's inner world and the level of emotion to reveal. Their biggest question was how far to expose the king's true feelings.
Choi recalled, "The question Cho Seung-woo and I discussed most was, 'How much of the king's true feelings should be shown, and how much should be revealed to the audience?'" He added, "We disagreed at times, but we explored the character together without deciding on a single answer in advance."
He also said, "I wanted viewers to think about how deeply the king had been corrupted by power, and whether that was his own choice or the result of the people around him and the times he lived in."

The ghost creature Kkeomeoksari, which emerged as a scene-stealer after the series was released, was created after years of trial and error. Unlike other monsters or ghost creatures, there was no clear original source to reference for Kkeomeoksari.
Kkeomeoksari is also not simply a being that opposes the protagonist or engages in action scenes. It had to interact emotionally with Gucheon, while also transforming into a massive creature in moments of crisis to reveal overwhelming power. Because the character had to combine familiarity and eeriness, cuteness and fear, the design process was especially difficult.
Choi said, "It was the character with the most design variations, including animal and plant forms." He added, "We continued reviewing multiple versions until late in the production."
The production team drew inspiration from existing stone statues, earthenware figures used as ritual vessels, and clay faces to give Kkeomeoksari the texture of black soil and stone. Although it was a newly created ghost creature, the goal was to make it appear as the most primal and distinctly Korean being.
After the show was released, viewers began calling it the "Joseon Groot" and a "pet ghost creature," and requests for merchandise have continued to follow.
Choi laughed and said, "If more people watch the show, wouldn't it become a little easier for Kkeomeoksari merchandise to come out?"


[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter