Jaehwa Bernardo

Jung Yunho during the press conference for 'Low Life.' in Seoul, South Korea, July 8, 2025. Photo courtesy of Disney+

Article (news)

Why TVXQ’s Jung Yunho felt pressure in playing ‘Low Life’ character

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:600px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1752311138204_MSA2663-27.jpg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Jung Yunho during the press conference for &#x27;Low Life.&#x27; in Seoul, South Korea, July 8, 2025. Photos courtesy of Disney+"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Jung Yunho during the press conference for &#x27;Low Life.&#x27; in Seoul, South Korea, July 8, 2025. <em>Photos courtesy of Disney+</em></span></span></span></div><p>Taking on the role of a troublemaker in his latest series, “Low Life,” came with pressure for South Korean singer-actor Jung Yunho, but complacency was never an option. Determined to deliver, he made sure to come on set prepared, especially with acting heavyweights as his co-stars.</p><p>In the period drama, Yunho, who rose to fame as a member of the iconic K-pop duo <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/12/13/22/k-pops-tvxq-surprised-in-first-ph-gig"><strong>TVXQ</strong></a>, takes on the role of Beol-gu, a thug from the coastal city of Mokpo in South Jeolla province.</p><p>“I am like the wild kid who’s very quick-tempered, who’s very grumpy sometimes. Then he learns of this treasure that’s buried deep in the ocean and he wants to get involved,” Yunho said through an interpreter at a recent online press conference.</p><p>“He’s a wild kid and grumpy but he also has a charming side to him. You will kind of warm up to him,” he said.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-2xqc3Ng5vM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>Set in South Korea in the 1970s, “Low Life” follows an ensemble of characters caught in a high-stakes chase for sunken treasure. The 11-episode series is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on July 16.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2025/7/9/disney-series-low-life-recreates-1970s-korea-with-colorful-characters-0849"><strong>READ: Disney+ series ‘Low Life’ recreates 1970s Korea with colorful characters<br/></strong></a></div><p>Speaking of his preparation for the project, the 39-year-old star admitted: “Beol-gu, in the show, is actually quite different from myself in real life so I did feel a bit of pressure preparing for this character.”</p><p>“But language-wise, I am from this area, too, I am from Jeolla province. So I was very good with the dialect and I talked with director Kang [Yun-seong] about the visual aspects of this character, like what he wears, his style,” he continued.</p><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1752311215683_MSA2930-15.jpg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><p>Being fluent in the Jeolla dialect, however, was not an excuse for Yunho to let his guard down.</p><p>“As I started this project, I went to Mokpo. This is set in the 70s so the accents from back then and the accents used now are slightly different,” he shared.</p><p>“So I met with some taxi drivers in Mokpo and I asked them some questions, got their advice on what I should be doing in terms of my Mokpo accent back in the 1970s,” he recounted.</p><p>Lee Dong-hwi, who shares many scenes with Yunho as their characters are cousins, had nothing but praise for the singer-actor, who even helped him refine his Jeolla dialect.</p><p>“For example, at the table read, he memorized all of his lines already so he was so prepared. I was mesmerized by his passion,” Dong-hwi said of Yunho.</p><p>Apart from Yunho and Dong-hwi, “Low Life” stars Ryu Seung-ryong, Yang Se-jong, and Im Soo-jung.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h21XLRzLucE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><strong></strong><br/></div>

<p>Taking on the role of a troublemaker in his latest series, 'Low Life,' came with pressure for South Korean singer-actor Jung Yunho, but complacency was never an option.</p>

Taking on the role of a troublemaker in his latest series, 'Low Life,' came with pressure for South Korean singer-actor Jung Yunho, but complacency was never an option.