Actor Nam Ji-hyun shared her feelings about presenting a historical drama after eight years with To My Beloved Thief.
On the afternoon of the 30th at Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, a press conference was held for KBS2's new Saturday-Sunday drama To My Beloved Thief (written by Lee Seon, directed by Ham Young-gul and Lee Ga-ram). Attending the event were the drama's leads Nam Ji-hyun and Moon Sang Min, along with Hong Min-gi and Han So Eun, who discussed the drama under the direction of producer Ham Young-gul and broadcaster Park Seul-gi.
To My Beloved Thief is a dangerous and great romance drama about a woman who by chance becomes the nation's greatest thief and the Joseon general who chased her, whose souls are swapped, leading them to save each other and ultimately protect the people. Nam Ji-hyun plays Hong Eun-jo, a woman who became the thief Gildong who raids yangban households' granaries to help the sick.
Producer Ham Young-gul joked about the reason for casting Nam Ji-hyun, saying, "To put it in one line, we cast her because she acts well, is pretty and handsome," and added with a laugh, "I want the drama to do well too."
He continued, "It is a somewhat daunting story, but when I first read the script I felt its scope was large and wondered how to pull it off. When actress Nam Ji-hyun decided to join, she is famously very good at reading scripts, so I thought if she does it I could add a little to it. It became an opportunity to gain confidence. She has extensive experience in historical dramas and acting. Eun-jo is both a medical officer and a righteous thief and, with the soul change, must cover a broad spectrum including masculinity, and there were not many actors who could do that by my standard. In that regard, I believed Nam Ji-hyun has a very wide and solid spectrum and would portray the diverse Eun-jo well."
In reality, Nam Ji-hyun has received praise for each of her works such as Suspicious Partner, Little Women, Hi Cookie, and Good Partner. She now returns to a historical drama eight years after 100 Days My Prince, which aired in 2018. Nam Ji-hyun said with a laugh, "I couldn't feel that there was about an eight-year gap. It has been eight years since a historical drama and 11 years since a KBS work. It is very meaningful. I'm proud to be able to show a historical drama after a long time on KBS after a long time."
She also said, "As the director said, there are very various stories. Each episode brings a new story and the characters' emotional changes continue, so they grow bit by bit and relationships change. Eun-jo faces truly various situations and a wide range of emotions, so I thought I could show many aspects. I could show the romance parts and, as a coming-of-age story, show how a person grows step by step, so I chose it. I tried my best to portray those various aspects, and I hope people watch it well."
To My Beloved Thief will premiere on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, at 9:20 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN photographer Lee Dae-seon.
[OSEN]