Jung Jae-young, Song Yoon-ah, Ji Jin-hee for political drama Assembly

by girlfriday

Ooh, will we see Jung Jae-young’s television debut this summer? It’s hard to believe that the 25-year veteran film actor has never stepped foot in dramaland, but he’s the kind of lead actor who regularly has two films released a year (Fatal Encounter, Wandering Blade, Moss), so I guess it’s safe to say he’s been a little busy. Jung is currently being courted to headline the new KBS political drama Assembly, about the inner workings of the Korean National Assembly.

The new drama comes from writer Jung Hyun-min, of last year’s hit KBS sageuk Jung Do-jeon. He was actually a political aide in the National Assembly for ten years prior to becoming a drama writer, so we can expect an accurate portrayal of the politics in play. Surely there’s enough real-life drama in high-powered government to fuel a show or ten.

Assembly will be about a working-class man who gets newly elected to the National Assembly and a political aide who’s good enough to be a member of the assembly herself. Jung Jae-young has been cast as the lead character, a former welder who goes into politics sort of incidentally while fighting a layoff. He’s wide-eyed and full of idealistic notions, and the drama is his success story as he learns the hard way how to achieve anything in government.

Song Yoon-ah (Mama) has been offered the role of a whip-smart political aide who’s as good as any member of the assembly. She’s known as the Yeouido Don Quixote, though perhaps less literally a knight with flights of fancy, because she’s known as a hero. Ji Jin-hee (Blood) is also considering the role of Jung Jae-young’s greatest political enemy. He’s a reelected member of the assembly and the leader of the majority party in power.

It sounds like a hard-hitting drama and they’re certainly casting for gravitas, which is no surprise given Jung Do-jeon’s track record. Directing is PD Hwang In-hyuk of Myung-wol the Spy, which frankly doesn’t inspire a lot of excitement, but I also fully expect the writer and cast to carry this show. Let’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington the hell out of that assembly, Mr. Welder, Man of the People. *fist pump*

Assembly follows Masked Prosecutor on Wednesdays and Thursdays beginning in July.

Via Star News, TV Report, SBS funE

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