Lee Young Ae returns to television with espionage drama in Japan colonial era

The period mystery thriller will set in Seoul and Shanghai against the Japanese colonial rule. Young Ae will play the role of a Korean surgeon Lee Young Jin.

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Lee Young-ae and Song Seung-heon
Lee Young-ae (left) and Song Seung-heon in Saimdang Group 8

Pretty actress Lee Young Ae has confirmed that she is making a comeback to television with a new espionage thriller 'Lee Mong' (roughly translated as 'Different Dream'). News1 Korea confirmed the news in a report.

The period mystery thriller will set in Seoul and Shanghai against the Japanese colonial rule. Young Ae will play the role of a Korean surgeon Lee Young Jin—raised by a Japanese couple and later becomes an intelligence spy for the Provisional Government of Korea in Shanghai during the Pacific War. The filming will begin in 2018.

Director Yoon Sang Ho (of 'The Legend' and 'Saimdang, Light's Diary' fame) is calling the shots while producer Go Dae Hwa ('Jumong,' 'Hwang Jin Yi,' and 'Doctor Strange' fame) is bankrolling the project.

Young Ae's last drama was 'Saimdang, Light's Diary' for SBS. She played the title role as Shin Saimdang, a famous Joseon artist and calligrapher who lived in the early 16th century. This was her comeback to televisions 14 years after her pan-Asia hit drama 'Dae Jang Geum.' Young Ae is best known for her role as a revenge-seeking single mother in Park Chan-wook's crime thriller film 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.'

As for Japanese colonial era, both Seoul and Shanghai were major cities under the Japanese military occupation during World War Two.

This article was first published on October 4, 2017