Jang Dong-yoon reunites with mom Lee Na-young in Beautiful Days

16 September 4, 2017

Jang Dong-yoon reunites with mom Lee Na-young in Beautiful Days

by tipsymocha

I love this kid. Jang Dong-yoon has had a pretty busy and successful year since his 2016 debut, and he’s already lining up projects to follow School 2017, which ends its run tomorrow (sob). The rookie actor will be making his big screen debut as Lee Na-young’s (Runaway Plan B) son in her comeback project, indie film Beautiful Days.

The role sounds like a challenging one, so I look forward to seeing Jang Dong-yoon take it on: His character is Korean-Chinese and was abandoned by his North Korean refugee mother 16 years ago when she fled to South Korea alone. They will somehow reunite after all those years, and through their reunion, mother and son will consider and come to understand the meaning of family.

I’m always a sucker for stories that focus on relationships between parents and their children, but I’m really interested to see how the whole North Korean refugee aspect will affect the dynamic between the mother and son in Beautiful Days, which is bound to be fraught with a whole spectrum of emotions, from betrayal and anger to longing and relief. Having worked with North Korean refugees, I know these types of separations are heartbreakingly common because their journey to a safe country is a dangerous one—if caught, Chinese authorities will repatriate refugees where they face imprisonment and sometimes execution—so I look forward to a dramatization of one part of this experience, as harrowing as it is.

On a lighter note, I’m really happy to see Jang Dong-yoon building up a pretty solid list of credits. He debuted in 2016 with Female Employees at a Game Company, and followed that up with lead roles in high school dramas Solomon’s Perjury and, of course, School 2017. Not too shabby. Personally, I think he’s still a little green in the acting department, but he definitely has a charming, likable screen presence, and I can see him as a strong drama lead someday.

Jang Dong-yoon will go straight into filming for Beautiful Days once School 2017 wraps up tomorrow, which means we can probably expect the indie film to release sometime next year.

Via Osen

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Tags: Jang Dong-yoon, Lee Na-young

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1 WishfulToki

September 4, 2017 at 3:34 PM

Oh cool, plus he's also in the KBS drama special with Chae Soo Bin. I like this 'kid' and will be happy to see more of him soon (Yeah, he's like 25 years old but looks really young).

And wow, @tipsymocha I am super impressed that you worked with North Korean refugees!

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Oppyjcw

September 5, 2017 at 5:02 AM

25??!??? No I was thinking maybe 19-21

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kanzcech

September 5, 2017 at 6:00 AM

He's only 1 year older than me and I must say he does look really young compared to his real age. SK actors must have found fountain of youth.

Side note: my aunt who casually watched School 2017 with me commented that Kim Jung Hyun looks too old, while Jang Dong Yoon looks age-appropriate to be high-schooler. LOL

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KaniaDJ

September 5, 2017 at 8:08 AM

25? I was about to google his info to know his age after reading this post. I thought he would be at best 20 years old. He kinda reminded me of kim soo hyun with his face and his youth aura

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reglest

September 5, 2017 at 3:41 PM

Definetely, he has KSH aura...
I hope this boy could achieve and soar higher, I love his performance

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2 Sera The Ms Temper

September 4, 2017 at 4:11 PM

I'm more excited to see Lee Na-young back ❤ Now if only she can convince her husband to make a comeback as well...

Jang Dong-yoon has a potential to become a good actor in the future, although I don't think I can picture him in any adult role at the moment because he looks so young. lol. It's good anyway to gain experience by working with sunbae now.

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3 Aevah

September 4, 2017 at 5:30 PM

In North Korea if a member of your family runs away, doesn't that mean that three generations of the family is sentenced to death?? Then shouldn't the son already be dead? Or is it just a rumor to make people stay since I've heard a lot of stories of North Korean refugees sending money back home to their family when apparently they should all be dead. Can someone tell me because I really would like to know.

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kenpachi25

September 5, 2017 at 2:49 AM

I watched an interview of North Korean defectors. They said that NK not longer does that, because if they do, there are too many to sentence to death! In the early 90's though, they still does that.

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4 jaybird

September 4, 2017 at 5:47 PM

He's been doing so well lately! Already casting him in a show makes me want to watch it even more

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5 urnaa

September 4, 2017 at 6:56 PM

I have high hopes for this kid. He is actually much better actor than the lead guy in School 2017. Cant wait for Jang Dong Yoon to play in melos and rom-coms soon.

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giocare

September 4, 2017 at 9:11 PM

I somewhat agree that he might be a better actor than Kim Jung Hyun but Kim Jung Hyun has this charasmatic/leading man aura that shouldn't be overlooked. Back to Jang Dong Yoon he could definitely do melos!! In Solomon's Perjury and School 2017 there were moments where I felt like he was in a separate drama from the other leads. And this was due to the serious nature of his story lines and all the emotion packed scenes we were given. I will never forget that scene in School 2017 where his mother stole his hard earned money and he finally broke down. He has such a bright future ahead.

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martha

September 5, 2017 at 5:30 AM

yap his future is bright ...his acting in school 2017 is amazing no wonder he is getting offers left and right..cant wait to see him with chae soo bin

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Sera The Ms Temper

September 5, 2017 at 9:08 PM

I don't think he is much better than Kim Jung-hyun and Kim Jung-hyun is not much better than Jang Dong-yoon either. These two have different vibe, and both have certain parts that one is better than another.. They still need to work more on their acting, but certainly left us with good impression in their rookie days compared to some actors who are still left us with bad taste after years of acting.

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Binky

September 5, 2017 at 3:35 PM

Don't say he is better than the lead guy in school 2017. We re not talking about looks here we are talking about acting. Everyone is good looks doesn't mean he is better.

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6 wandergirl

September 4, 2017 at 8:16 PM

Nice! I hope he takes on more mature roles in the near future. Maybe a melo lead someday? He certainly feels like he outshines some of his School 2017 peers.

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7 Koala Cruz

September 5, 2017 at 3:57 AM

he's good. whenever i get to watch him in school 2017, he reminds me of a great character actor who usually plays bully boss or a stern unit team head whose name unfortunately escapes me at the time…

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