Disney+ series ‘Race’ presents realistic office drama set at PR company

The poster of Disney+’s office drama series “Race” is seen in this photo provided by The Walt Disney Company Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Disney+’s new series “Race” is an office drama set at a PR company that realistically portrays the work, lives and struggles of ordinary workers with relatable characters, its director said Monday.

It revolves around Park Yoon-jo (Lee Yeon-hee), who lands a contract position on a major conglomerate’s PR team through a blind recruiting process. Having previously worked for a small PR agency, Park finds herself embroiled in a recruitment scandal and must prove her worth to the company.

Hong Jong-hyun plays Ryu Jae-min, Park’s longtime friend and a top performer at the company, while Moon So-ri portrays Goo Yi-jeong, a veteran PR specialist who joins the company as the chief operating officer. Singer-actor Jung Yun-ho, commonly known by his stage name U-Know Yunho of K-pop boy group TVXG, takes on the role of Seo Dong-hoon, the young CEO of an advertisement agency.

Director Lee Dong-yun, behind the TV dramas “Feast of the Gods” (2012) and “20th Century Boy and Girl” (2017), said the drama focused on portraying the reality of today’s workplaces with characters representing different positions, age groups and work ethics.

“The title is not about a competitive race but about the race that each character runs at their own pace,” Lee said during an online press conference.

Lee Yeon-hee said she read books about the personal lives of PR professionals to better grasp the industry and people related to it, and help her embody her character, who tries to overcome her underprivileged background in the competitive environment.

“The script well described the predicaments of office workers who are my age. I wanted to represent people who are living today,” Lee said.

“Race” will premier on Disney+ on Wednesday.