KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Upcoming Korean series Jirisan is a must-watch with its focus on as the mysterious lives of park rangers against the backdrop of South Korea’s Mount Jiri.
The 16-episode drama series is set to be released on October 23 at 8pm on the iQiyi International app and iQ.com, with new episodes airing every Saturday and Sunday.
Created by Descendants Of The Sun director Lee Eung-bok and written by Kim Eun-hee, the series features My Sassy Girl actress Gianna Jun (Jun Ji-Hyun) and Kingdom actor Ju Ji-hoon responsible for search and rescue missions.
Gianna takes on the role of a top ranger and experienced navigator who partners with Ju, a military graduate and ex-lieutenant who becomes a ranger after experiencing a horrific incident on Jirisan.
The cast also include Sung Dong-il, Oh Jung-se and Cho Han-cheul.
In a virtual press conference, Kim said that she had previously written a story with a police officer as the main character focused on investigating a murder.
For Jirisan however, the park rangers will be working together to prevent such incidents.
“I’ve read a lot about the mountain in school where everyone goes to pray to fulfill their wishes and over the years.
“When I researched about the mountain, I found out that whenever accidents happened it was the mountain rangers who went to rescue the people instead of police officers.”
Gianna and Ju who play the series’ on-screen couolr have both worked with Kim in Kingdom and she said that the duo are perfect for the roles due to their charming personalities.
“Like in My Sassy Girl, Gianna’s role was more of a courageous woman armed with a sense of justice and I felt like she is now a grown-up version of My Sassy Girl in this upcoming series.
“And I wanted to capture that charm of hers in Jirisan.
“Ju, on the other hand, plays a rookie ranger Kang Hyun-jo, who adds an element of mystery into the series,” Kim said.
On playing the role of a mountain ranger, Gianna added that it was a whole new experience for her as she has never played such a role before.
“During the filming process where we had to shoot in the mountains, I didn’t feel tired or cold and was very happy throughout the filming process.
“Not just that, the beauty in her (Kim’s) script is in the details that might seem unimportant in the start, but turn out to be crucial at the end.”
Ju said that he enjoyed climbing since young and for many of the filming sessions, he had to climb to the peak.
“The filming process was demanding for me as it took a lot of energy from me coupled with in-between emotions that I had to portray, so it can be quite hard.
“That is why I run to keep myself fit. “
Okay To Not Be Okay actor Oh said that many viewers are anticipating the series from its name, especially since its written by Kim and directed by Lee Eung-bok.
Cho, who has played numerous comedic roles shared that he had climbed the mountain twice and jokingly quipped that in the series, he gets to play a much ‘younger role’ alongside the other cast members.
“At my age, it’s not easy to shoot on the mountains as it can be physically challenging but I have to say that the mountain enabled me to feel and embrace nature’s charm.
“It definitely has a mysterious appeal — but one would somehow feel reassured and comforted in the mountain.”
