‘Villain‘s Country’ side announced a sitcom without forced laughter and hoped for the revival of the genre.

KBS2’s new Wednesday-Thursday sitcom ‘Villain‘s Country’ (directed by Kim Young-jo, Choi Jung-eun / written by Chae Woo, Park Kwang-yeon) is a situation comedy drama that contains the rough yet warm daily lives of the K-ajumma sisters and their extraordinary family.

On the 12th, a production presentation to commemorate the first broadcast of ‘Villain’s Country’ was held. Director Kim Young-jo, as well as actors Oh Na-ra, So Yoo-jin, Seo Hyun-chul, Song Jin-woo, Park Young-gyu, and Choi Ye-na, attended the event that day.

Director Kim Young-jo said on that day, “This is a drama I‘ve been planning since 2023. It’s a drama I started because I wanted to make people who are having a hard time, buried in competition, laugh. There‘s no sitcom genre these days. “It’s a family sitcom in an era where families are falling apart,” he said. “When I studied sitcoms, I realized they should be childish and lovable. I made this work so that people would laugh while watching it,” he said, looking back on the beginning of “Villain‘s Country.”

Director Kim also expressed his affection by saying, “It’s the hardest to make people laugh in a childish and lovable way. I‘m going through the hardest time in my life. I thought the actors would be important, so I gathered the cast members carefully.”

Oh Na-ra and So Yoo-jin appear as sisters. Oh Na-ra plays the role of Oh Na-ra, a dictatorial housewife and Seo Hyun-chul’s wife. He is a character who does not dwell on the past that has passed and lives only in the present as if there is no tomorrow. Seo Hyun-chul, who plays Seo Hyun-chul, is Oh Na-ra‘s sensitive husband and vows to find the cause of the anxiety that torments him.

So Yu-jin plays Oh Na-ra’s younger sister and cooking researcher Oh Yu-jin. She bickers with her older sister Oh Na-ra, but when someone touches Oh Na-ra, she runs at them without thinking. Song Jin-woo plays Oh Yu-jin‘s husband Song Jin-woo. He is a father without authority, but has tireless passion.

Oh Na-ra said, “I met a sitcom like fate. I usually imagine sitcoms and act like sitcoms. There are many people who watch old sitcoms while eating. I received an offer to appear in a sitcom at a time when I was expecting a revival, so I’m having fun working on it and it‘s an honor. I’m happily filming it.”

So Yu-jin said, “My daughters asked me if I knew about ‘Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic: Soonpoong’ and ‘High Kick Without Hesitation’. I was surprised when my friends said they watched it on YouTube. I received an offer to appear in a sitcom as if it were magic. ”I happily participated because it‘s a family sitcom that the whole family can watch,“ she said, explaining the special meaning of the work, saying, ”I want to convey the enjoyment of the set as it is to the viewers.“

Regarding the criticism that the exaggerated atmosphere would cause forced laughter, Oh Na-ra said, ”I didn’t act with high tension. Even on set, I acted while talking a lot in case it was forced tension. The director‘s direction helped with the control of intensity,“ and So Yoo-jin replied, ”People were worried about exaggerated acting because it’s a sitcom, but we approached it with a serious tone. We‘re filming with the feeling of a family comedy.“

Seo Hyun-chul said, ”I hope you watch our drama without any preparation and in a defenseless state. If you watch it while laughing, you’ll sympathize. Lastly, you will feel the warmth of family,” he said of the point of viewing of the work, and Song Jin-woo said, “I think the writer melted some of my real self into the character. Actor Song Jin-woo is rational, but he let that part go a bit. Even on set, there were many times when I got excited like the character in the play, so the actors were calming me down,” about the process of creating the character.

Park Young-gyu plays Oh Young-gyu, the father of sisters Oh Na-ra and Oh Yu-jin. After going downhill since his first work, he decides to live a second life after divorcing Choi Kwang-ja (played by Shin Shin-ae), the mother of his two daughters, due to personality differences.

Park Young-gyu, who is also familiar to the MZ generation with ‘Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic’, has been in “‘Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic’ for 27 years. At that time, I would say, ‘Father-in-law, why are you like that?’ but now I‘m the father-in-law. I worry a lot about how my comedy code will mix with my life to make the viewers laugh. I hope the results are as good as the worries I put in. I want to deliver pure laughter,“ she said. ”Sitcoms are either all or nothing. I have a lot of worries, but fortunately, the production crew and cast are doing well,“ she said, expressing her determination.

Choi Ye-na plays the character of Gu Won-hee, who comes to live in Oh Na-ra’s house. She becomes terribly entangled with Na-ra‘s family due to her life that changes in an instant. Choi Ye-na said, ”This is my first debut work on a terrestrial network. It was difficult and scary, but I learned a lot by watching my senior actors on set. I’m immersed in it with my seniors through their reactions and immersion. I‘m looking forward to filming,“ she said. ”Plus, I usually like sitcoms. I’m happy to be able to debut in a sitcom,“ he said.

However, ‘Villain‘s Country’ is the sequel to the sitcom ‘Kikki Kikki. ‘Kikki Kikki’ has no presence with a 0% viewership rating. Regarding this, Director Kim Young-jo said, ”It’s personally heartbreaking. The day after the viewership ratings were released, we filmed, and the actors were beyond nervous, they were even scared.“ He began by saying, ”I‘m not the type to worry much about viewership ratings, but I’m paying a lot of attention while producing ‘Villain‘s Country’. It’s our revival after a long time, and if the results aren‘t good, we might not be able to revive for a while.“

He continued, ”Viewers have different points of laughter, so I can’t satisfy everyone. I‘m trying my best to find a point of laughter that they can relate to,“ and said, ”‘Villain’s Country’ is the story of two sisters in the present day when the patriarchal system has ended. Again, the acting skills of the cast were the top priority. They were filled with actors who are good at comedic acting. If this work does well, it can be a hit even without a lot of capital, and there will be a place for actors who are good at acting in South Korea who are not Hallyu stars,” he said, hinting at the direction of the production.
Lastly, Oh Na-ra said, “This is a work that makes for a fun meal buddy,” So Yoo-jin said, “This is a drama that people of all ages can watch. I hope we can film a second season if it receives a lot of love,” Seo Hyun-chul said, “This is a drama you can relate to, so please watch it and laugh together,” and Song Jin-woo said, “Aren‘t there moments like sitcoms in reality too? Sitcoms aren’t much different from our world. Please watch it and enjoy it,” Park Young-gyu said, “I hope sitcoms will be revived through ‘Villain’s Country’,” and Choi Ye-na said, “The characters are three-dimensional and attractive. Please enjoy it,” raising the expectations of potential viewers by summarizing the points to watch.

‘Villain’s Country’ will be first broadcast on Wednesday, March 19 at 9:50 PM.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com

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