The movie ‘Match’, whose release was uncertain due to Yoo Ah-in‘s drug use allegations, is finally being released in theaters. Yoo Ah-in was not seen in the official trailer, but he will appear in the main film without editing.

Separately, ‘Match’ is a work that is highly anticipated as it allows us to look forward to another acting transformation from actor Lee Byung-hun. Will ‘Match’ be a work that gives great enjoyment to the audience, free from the risks of actor Yoo Ah-in?

On the morning of the 7th, the production conference for the movie ‘Match’ was held at CGV Yongsan I-Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. On this day, actors Lee Byung-hun, Ko Chang-seok, Hyun Bong-sik, Moon Jung-hee, Jo Woo-jin, and director Kim Hyung-joo attended the production conference.



Director Kim Hyung-joo said about the reason for casting actor Lee Byung-hun, “Even before I wrote the first line, I thought that senior Lee Byung-hun should do it. I’ve been a long-time fan, so I wanted to try it once. I‘ve been a fan for a long time. Also, since the character has a wide range of emotions and many restrictions, I thought that senior Lee Byung-hun, who has a different acting style, should do it. It was a casting that the production company had no objections to.”

Lee Byung-hun then said about the reason he chose ‘Gungbu’, “To be honest, I didn’t know anything about Baduk and wasn‘t very interested. After receiving the script for ‘Gungbu’, reading it, and looking up the documentary, I thought it was a story that even people who are not a Go fanatic would find enjoyable enough to make a decision right away. I was surprised at how something so dramatic could actually happen. I was really excited to play this character,” he said, drawing attention.



When asked why he appeared in ‘Gungbu’, Jo Woo-jin said, “I can say that it was the reason I appeared, but it was because of my respect for Lee Byung-hun and the fact that I could work with director Yoon Jong-bin, the producer. I also had high expectations that I could immerse myself in the world of Go. I thought it was a really good piece of work, so of course I had to participate.”

Also, about reuniting with Lee Byung-hun after ‘Insiders’, Jo Woo-jin said, “Just looking into his eyes makes me feel immersed in something I never felt before. He guided me well. In fact, more than any other scene we’ve seen together recently, he put all the emotions into his minimal acting. I was amazed to witness it once again.”



Regarding this, Lee Byung-hun said, “Due to my role, I had to treat Jo Woo-jin easily and ignore him as an opponent. But strangely, whenever Jo Woo-jin is in front of me, I find myself looking at my wrists and ankles. I feel small. Maybe it‘s because our first meeting in ‘Insiders’ was so intense, but it’s not comfortable,” making people laugh.

Lee Byung-hun talked about the era that ‘Match’ was set in and said, “Even though I‘ve made many movies since I got married, there’s never been a movie where my father-in-law asked me when it was going to be released. People who knew that era felt that the anticipation for this movie was greater than any other movie,” he said, drawing attention.

Lee Byung-hun said about the part he focused on while acting in ‘Match’, “At first, I didn’t know anything about Baduk, so I received lessons from a player. I thought a lot about how to play Baduk and the momentum that the experts have when they make their first move and say, ‘I lost’. I thought that the hand movements when playing Baduk weren’t that special, but it was really hard.” He added, “However, in ‘Match’, I had to pay attention to the hand movements and technical aspects, but my homework was to express the players’ psychology at the beginning and end of a Baduk match in a static manner.”

Lee Byung-hun explained about his preparation process for playing the role of Cho Hun-hyun, “After choosing the movie, I looked up a lot of information. There was also a documentary called ‘The Match’, and while watching related documentaries, I kept imitating their facial expressions, eye contact, and gestures, and developed a habit that way. I tried to hear their speech, thoughts, and stories from the game by meeting them in person. From then on, I gradually gained confidence,” he said.



‘The Match’ was filmed from 2020 to 2021 and was scheduled to be released worldwide through Netflix. However, in February 2023, ‘The Match’‘s actor Yoo Ah-in was accused of drug use, and its release was temporarily put on hold.

‘The Match’, which was later moved from a Netflix release to a theatrical release in 2025, has confirmed its release on March 26. In the previously released trailer, only Yoo Ah-in’s back could be seen, and it was also reported that Yoo Ah-in would not be participating in various promotional activities related to ‘Match’.



On this day, Director Kim Hyung-joo said about Yoo Ah-in‘s screentime in ‘Match’, ”In the case of trailers or promotional materials, they are exposed to an unspecified number of people, so we took that into consideration. In the case of the main part, considering the story structure and the original planning intention, I didn’t think it would make sense to re-edit a movie that was already completed. It‘s a story about two people, and I think there were structural problems in progressing the story without mentioning each other.“

He added, ”I want to believe that people will be able to fully accept that part once the movie is released. As a director, I didn’t want to bring up the wounds before the movie was released. He emphasized, “I think it’s right to present the movie as intended from the beginning,” drawing attention.

Regarding the fact that “Match” will be released in theaters and not on Netflix, Director Kim Hyung-joo said, “As you know, the director can’t play a big role in deciding on a platform. I think there must have been differences in our positions. Since we prepared everything with the goal of releasing it in theaters from the beginning, I think it’s great to meet the audience in theaters, which makes the movie even more like a movie.” “I want to express my gratitude to the actors and staff who worked hard and sweated with me for a long time.”

Meanwhile, “Match” depicts the story of Korea’s greatest Go legend Cho Hun-hyun (played by Lee Byung-hun) who, after losing to his student, challenges the top once again with his natural competitive spirit. It will be released on the 26th.

Reporter Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com yyynnn@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.