"The Butterfly's" Daniel Dae Kim revealed his feelings about Korea.
The production team of the Amazon Prime original series "Butterfly" held a press conference at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 21st. Attendees included American actor Daniel Dae Kim, ReiNa Hardesty, and Korean actors Kim Ji-hoon, Kim Tae-hee, and Shawn Richard, who discussed the drama with local journalists under the host Park Kyung-rim.
"Butterfly" depicts the chase between a clandestine former U.S. intelligence officer David Jung (played by Daniel Dae Kim) and an active agent Rebecca (played by ReiNa Hardesty) who is dispatched to kill him. Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim is not only the lead but also participated in the production, which is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Arash Amel.
Thanks to this, "Butterfly" was filmed completely on location in Korea for about six months. Additionally, Daniel changed his name to David "Jung" during the production, embodying the essence of Korea's "jeong" in his character.
Regarding "jeong," Daniel noted, "In my opinion, it's a word that expresses a very close, connected feeling. This sense of connection can exist in romantic relationships, family relationships, friendships, and sometimes even with people we've never met. I can't say how this feeling arises, but it does. There can also be a sense of it between a person and a place. I have a strong sense of belonging to Korea, even though I haven't lived here for a long time, and I still feel 'jeong.'"
He particularly mentioned, "As a child, I had a framed South Korean flag hanging on the headboard of my bed. When I had it there, my parents asked me why I put it there, and honestly, it's hard for me to answer why specifically. However, I believe that such an action was a way of expressing my feelings about the country of Korea. And these feelings and relationships are portrayed in the same manner in this work."
Daniel also stated, "David and Rebecca have feelings for each other even after not seeing each other for nine years, and Junho has a business relationship with David. Ultimately, they end up as adversaries, but because of their previous relationship, they still have 'jeong' for one another. It's a challenging word to explain, but I hope that my understanding of 'jeong' is conveyed through various examples."
'Butterfly,' produced as an original series by the U.S. OTT platform Amazon Prime, airs on the domestic cable channel tvN and streams on Tving. It is set to premiere on Friday, the 22nd, at 10:40 p.m. on tvN.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Ji Hyung-jun.
[OSEN]