Lee Yeon-hee and Hong Jong-hyun Portray Relatable Work Struggles in New K-drama, 'RACE'
The new office 'dramedy' also stars Moon So-ri and TVXQ's Chung Yun-ho
Sometimes we watch Korean dramas for escape, other times we watch them to relate. Director Lee Dong-yoon's newest "dramedy" series titled RACE is one that is sure to strike a chord in many people.
Many of us know the feeling of running a neverending corporate race. Starring Welcome to Wedding Hell's Lee Yeon-hee and My Absolute Boyfriend's Hong Jong-hyun along with fellow cast members Moon So-ri and Chung Yun-ho of TVXQ, the show tells the story of Park Yoon-jo (played by Lee Yeon-hee) — a spunky go-getter without formal education but with a lot passion and heart. After successfully securing a job at a large Korean conglomerate, she later found out that she was only offered the job as a "diversity hire". Her childhood friend, Ryu Jae-min (played by Hong Jong-hyun) also works in the same company and is a star employee though he is the complete opposite of her — just and slightly jaded. Opposites attract as Yoon-jo begins this new chapter determined to prove her company wrong and make a name for herself.
Here are some highlights about Disney+'s newest office drama, 'RACE' and takeaways from the press conference held with Lee Yeon-hee, Hong Jong-hyun, Moon So-ri, Chung Yun-ho and Director Lee Dong-yoon.
Lee Yeon-hee embodies effervescent Yoon-jo
The actress chopped off her locks, sporting a sleek bob for the role, noting that for most working professionals, they prefer to have one less thing to stress about. "Appearance-wise, I think the only major change would be the short haircut. I thought that would also help shape my character. I observed people in this field closely, and most of them didn’t want to invest their energy into their hairstyles. They already have too much to think about. That was part of the reason why I decided to try a short haircut," Lee explained.
She also talked about the prep that went in after agreeing to the role. "At first, the writer of the series gave me quite a lot of books on what this profession is about and on what people in this field are like," Lee explained, "I learned about their challenges and how hard-working people in this field were. And a lot of them were very confident and happy about what they do. Reading and learning about how these people complete a project, I realized that they must love what they do to dedicate themselves the way they do. I tried to portray that while playing my character."
Scintilating chemistry and Office Romance
When the cast was asked if there would be romance blooming in this Office drama, Lee sheepishly looked at Director Lee Dong-yoon asking, "What should I say?" in which he responded, "You don't think there would be?". Hong dispelled any doubt with a resounding, "There is!" much to the delight of fans. The cast promised impeccable chemistry with Lee being the heart of the cast and resident moodmaker. "Yes. I think she helped from the very beginning to build the chemistry among us." Hong said.
Veteran actress Moon So-ri (who plays her oh-so-cool mentor Yi-jung) chimed in, "Whenever I look Yeonhee in the eye, I always feel like I’m staring into the eyes of a puppy. She makes me feel like I have to listen to everything she has to say. Earlier, you asked what sets RACE apart from other workplace series, and when I heard that question, I thought, 'Well, other companies don’t have Park Yoon-jo.' Yoon-jo brings such positive energy to her team because she is so passionate about what she does. And I think Yeonhee did a great job creating that energy for the entire series."
A realistic look at the PR industry in South Korea
What sets RACE apart from other slice-of-life office dramas is its focus on shining a light on the PR industry and its realistic portrayal of it. "PR and marketing ultimately targets the general public. And it deals with a lot of current affairs. So, I knew that if I didn’t get the details right we would get heavily criticized. So, I paid great attention to the details.," Director Lee Dong-yoon explained, "PR with the traditional newspapers or other outlets in the media is important, but PR that targets ordinary people, general consumers, or employees of a company also matters very much because digital marketing and PR has become a norm. I tried to stay true to the details of how that works."
He went on to say, "And another aspect was how PR as a profession can look different depending on what kind of organization you are in. In the series, you have the PR team of a conglomerate like Seyong, but at the same time, you also see a small agency with only a handful employees like the one that Yoonjo used to work for and slightly more established agencies like Earth Communication. We didn’t get to interview a lot of people, but based on a few interviews we did with people from this field, we learned that your job can look very different depending on where you work. So, I wanted to bring out that detail in the series, thinking that each organization should have their distinct character."
Relatable themes of aspiration, struggle and overall corporate ennui
The cast also shared that they spent so much time on the set they made to look like their office, so much so that it felt as if they truly were commuting to a corporate job. "Going to the same set every day, I got used to the environment in about two weeks," Hong said, "We worked there for about six to seven months. At one point, though, I wondered what it would be like to go to the same place for work because as actors, we are exposed to different environments all the time. It was my first time thinking about what it would be like to go to work at the same place for years." Lee felt like she related to the feeling of wanting to get off work and "I found myself constantly wondering about what to eat for lunch," she said.
RACE is currently available to stream on Disney+
