Lee Young-ae’s return in TV series put off to next year

SEOUL Sept. 28 (Yonhap) — The airing of South Korean TV series, “Saimdang, Memoir of Colors” starring Lee Young-ae, has been postponed to early next year, according to TV sources.

The pre-produced SBS TV series was scheduled to simultaneously hit the air in South Korea and China in late October.

But the broadcasting has been put off to January as China delayed its screening procedures for the show in possible fallout from Seoul’s decision to deploy an anti-missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula, the sources said on Tuesday.

The drama is also set to be shown simultaneously in nine other Asian countries such as Japan and Thailand.

The delay made the producers push back the drama’s premiere to Jan. 18 and change the time slot of the series from weekend nights to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

“Consequences of the three-months-suspension will not be as bad, since the current time slot is more favorable to drawing media attention,” said an SBS official. “The Chinese will also most likely award a license by that time.”

A period drama set in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) and modern-day Korea, “Saimdang, Memoir of Colors” is a reinterpretation of a Korean historical figure, Shin Saimdang — a painter and a poet who lived in the 16th century.

Lee plays the double role of an art history lecturer and the historical artist in the series.

Actor Song Seung-heon plays Lee Gyeom, an upright noble, who harbors romantic feelings towards the female character ever since their fateful first encounter.

The series marks Lee’s return to acting after director Park Chan-wook’s 2005 film “Sympathy For Lady Vengeance.”

The recent development comes amid concerns that South Korea’s entertainment business might be the initial target of any Chinese backlash against the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. China is a key overseas market for popular South Korean entertainment content such as K-pop and dramas.

China has condemned the THAAD deployment as a move against its own national security interests and a threat to regional stability.

Poster images of Lee Young-ae (L) and Song Seung-heon (R) for the drama, “Saimdang, Memoir of Colors,” provided by its cooperative production companies, Creative Leaders Group8 Inc and Empere Entertainment.