Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

(Left to right) Yang Se-jong, Im Soo-jung and Ryu Seung-ryong pose for photos during the press conference for the Disney+ series 'Low Life' in Seoul, South Korea, July 8, 2025. Photos courtesy of Disney+

Article (news)

Jaehwa Bernardo

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1752019833835MSA2881-111.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>(Left to right) Yang Se-jong, Im Soo-jung and Ryu Seung-ryong pose for photos during the press conference for the Disney+ series &#x27;Low Life&#x27; in Seoul, South Korea, July 8, 2025. Photos courtesy of Disney+</div>MANILA — Disney’s latest South Korean production, “Low Life,” plunges viewers into an underwater adventure set in 1970s Korea, as a group of fortune seekers race to uncover a sunken treasure.But beyond the thrill of the chase, director Kang Yun-seong hopes “Low Life” will serve as a vivid portrait of the era, brought to life through a vibrant cast of characters.“‘Low Life’ features the 1970s when my parents were living, and I wanted to show how passionate they were, and how intense their lives were,” Kang said through an interpreter in a recent virtual press conference for the 11-part series, set to premiere on July 16.“I really wanted to bring to life the vibes of the 70s in full swing, and the desires of all the characters and different thoughts of these characters,” he added.Set in the coastal city of Mokpo in South Jeolla Province, “Low Life”—which was adapted from a popular webtoon—follows Oh Gwan-seok and his nephew, Oh Hee-dong, who have spent much of their lives pursuing get-rich-quick schemes.Their lives take a turn when they catch wind of treasure buried in nearby waters, thrusting them into a high-stakes race against rival fortune hunters.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1752019856512_MIN2463-5.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>(Clockwise from top row, left) &#x27;Low Life&#x27; cast members Kim Min, Lee Sang-jin, Jung Yun-ho, Lee Dong-hwi, Kim Jong-soo, Kim Sung-oh, Ryu Seung-ryong, Yang Se-jong, Im Soo-jung and Kim Eui-sung</div>Veteran actor Ryu Seung-ryong, who also led Disney’s hit superhero series “Moving,” takes on the role of Gwan-seok, while Yang Se-jong (“Temperature of Love” and “<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/10/29/23/bae-suzy-on-role-with-many-scars-in-k-drama-doona">Doona!</a>”) portrays Hee-dong.The uncle-nephew duo is joined by an array of characters, each driven by their own motives for seeking the treasure and willing to go to great lengths to claim it. The ensemble includes a mix of familiar names and faces, such as Im Soo-jung (“Chicago Typewriter” and “Melancholia”), Kim Eui-sung (“Train to Busan” and “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call”), Lee Dong-hwi (“Reply 1988”) and Jung Yun-ho (better known as U-Know Yunho from the iconic K-pop duo <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/12/13/22/k-pops-tvxq-surprised-in-first-ph-gig">TVXQ</a>).<div>Collaborative effort</div>Director Kang bared that building up the characters was a collaborative effort between him and the cast members.“There were some changes to the original personalities of the characters because of how the actors portrayed them… The characters are all built up by the actors themselves, I would say. Some of the characters became someone different from what I imagined at the start,” said Kang, also known for directing the crime action film “The Outlaws” and Disney’s “Big Bet.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1752020092675_MSA2904-3.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Director Kang Yun-seong</div>Unlike “Big Bet,” which was Kang’s original work, “Low Life” was based on source material that he sought to give &quot;justice&quot; to in his adaptation.“But when there are some loopholes, I want to fill the loopholes with different characters and stories. So, I thought a lot about the details of the different characters, which took me a lot of time,” he said, adding that it took about a year and a half to write the series&#x27; script.Seung-ryong frankly admitted that most of the characters are motivated by greed to find the treasure.“[Newcomer actress Kim Min’s character] Seon-ja is the only one who is here to find the treasure of the heart. But then for all the other characters, I think they’re here for the money,” said Seung-ryong.“The money, the cash is something that’s hard to catch, a fleeting kind of hope,” the 54-year-old actor reflected.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1752020138816_MSA2892-1.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Ryu Seung-ryong</div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1752020158632_MSA2961-24.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Yang Se-jong</div><div>Immersive set</div>The actors shared that the set recreating Mokpo in the 1970s was quite immersive. “It was like time travelling,” Eui-sung said. “I was completely mesmerized. The moment the actors walked on to the set, we were automatically able to just bring that vibe.”“The atmosphere of the time was brought into the set, too. Even the areas that are not in the camera angle were perfectly prepared,” actor Kim Jong-soo added.But beyond the nostalgic charm of 1970s Korea, several scenes in “Low Life” were filmed at sea and underwater, requiring the cast to shoot on location in open water as well as in a set that included a water tank.“In the beginning, we had a very small paddle boat. It was really scary to get on the boat in the sea. And it was so hot. There’s no shade in the ocean, right?” Eui-sung shared, recounting filming during the summer of 2024.For his part, Se-jong also had to do some underwater scenes. “I was scared at first. Diving lessons were given to me and I did have a lot of training. You have to have some skills,” said Se-jong, noting that he later “enjoyed the feeling of going down the water.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1752020179293_MSA3012-33.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Lee Dong-hwi</div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1752020195392_MSA3018-35.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Jung Yun-ho</div>Some of the other actors also had to adopt the regional accent and dialect, including Dong-hwi, who learned the Jeolla dialect with the help of a coach and his co-star Yun-ho.“If there are some adjustments that I needed to make or details I needed to correct, I learned a lot from him on set,” Dong-hwi said of Yun-ho, a native speaker of the Jeolla dialect.But even Yun-ho had to adjust his accent. “This [series] is set in the 70s so the accents from back then and the accents used now are slightly different. So I met with some taxi drivers in Mokpo and I asked them some questions, got their advice,” the idol-slash-actor recalled.Regardless of the challenges of the filming, Eui-sung commented: “It’s a production where we all had this camaraderie, we had a lot of friendship, we struggled together but I really loved it.”“This [project] is a rare find, really. I really didn&#x27;t want it to end. I mean it. I really didn&#x27;t want to let it go. I mean, this combination of actors, this set — this is a set full of happiness and sincere passion,” Seung-ryong remarked.

Disney's latest South Korean series, 'Low Life,' hopes to paint a vivid portrait of 1970s Korea, brought to life through a vibrant cast of characters.

Disney's latest South Korean series, 'Low Life,' hopes to paint a vivid portrait of 1970s Korea, brought to life through a vibrant cast of characters.

Disney+ series ‘Low Life’ recreates 1970s Korea with colorful characters

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Disney+ series ‘Low Life’ recreates 1970s Korea with colorful characters

Jaehwa Bernardo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 09, 2025 08:49 AM PHT

Read More:

K-content

Low Life

Disney+

Ryu Seung-ryong

Yang Se-jong

Im Soo-jung

Lee Dong-hwi

Jung Yun-ho

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