‘Gyeongseong Creature’ actor Park Seo-jun unfazed by mixed reviews

“Gyeongseong Creature” was one of Netflix’s most-anticipated Korean language originals of 2023 for its huge budget and star-studded cast.

However, since the release of the first seven episodes last month, the show has garnered mixed reviews, with some criticizing its improbable plot.

But its lead actor, Park Seo-jun, remains unfazed as he believes mixed reactions indicate viewers’ intense interest in the series.

“I’ve never experienced a lack of mixed reviews. It happens with every project,” he said during a group media interview at a Seoul cafe on Thursday. “So, I was not emotionally affected. I rather felt the level of people’s interest was quite high.”

He emphasized he is “satisfied” with the project as an actor.

“It’s the first time I’ve worked on a project for two years,” he said, adding that he also eagerly awaited its release, trying to imagine what the final version will be like.

Park stars as Jang Tae-sang, a wealthy and self-involved Korean pawn-shop owner in the history-action thriller set in today’s Seoul during the spring of 1945, with Korea still under Japanese colonial rule.

Jang infiltrates a hospital together with Yoon Chae-ok (Han So-hee), an amateur sleuth from China he hired, to locate a missing Korean mistress of a Japanese police director. The search leads them to a dark truth lurking within the hospital, where the Japanese military conducts gruesome experiments on Korean prisoners.

Asked about his reasons for choosing to join the cast, Park said appearing in a Japanese colonial period drama has been his long-held desire.

“For over 10 years in my career, I’ve always wanted to act in a drama set during the period.”

He said the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. “When I was looking for a project in that period, ‘Gyeongseong Creature’ came up. The combination of historical and creature elements also felt fresh and exciting to me,” the 35-year-old actor said, best known for his roles in the hit South Korean TV series “Itaewon Class” and the Hollywood superhero film “The Marvels” internationally.

Addressing criticisms that his character was too comical and lighthearted for a drama set against the backdrop of the dark Japanese colonial era, Park said he intentionally chose to portray the character that way.

“I understand that some people may see it that way,” Park said. “But for me, the overall story was more important. So I wanted to make the beginning more lighthearted. I thought if I acted that way the audience would be able to feel his transformation more clearly when they see it later.”

The actor also hinted at the show’s Season 2, which is scheduled to be released within this year.

The series filmed its two seasons simultaneously, and the upcoming season will extend its narrative to Seoul in 2024, where a character called Ho-jae, who resembles Jang Tae-sang, and Yoon Chae-ok uncover enigmatic events and connections, according to Netflix.

“There are a lot of speculations going around based on the teaser video. People around me are asking me to tell them a little about the new season, but I never told them anything,” he said, laughing.

“What I can tell you right now is the keyword ‘memory.’ In Season 2, the things that were built up in the previous season will unfold at a faster pace,” he added.