"The Scarecrow" production team spoke out about criticism of Sun-young's character narrative in the drama.
On the morning of the 27th, at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, a joint interview was held with Park Jun-woo, director of the ENA Monday-Tuesday drama "The Scarecrow," and writer Lee Ji-hyun.
"The Scarecrow" is a crime investigation thriller about a detective who was investigating the true culprit of a series of murders and unexpectedly forms a cooperative relationship with the man he had despised, and it is a work inspired by the Lee Chun-jae serial murder case. "The Scarecrow," which concluded the previous day, ended on a high note after setting its own highest ratings with 8.1% nationwide and 8.3% in the metropolitan area.
On that day, writer Lee Ji-hyun expressed regret about the cuts made to scenes about Sun-young, saying, "All the characters were organized around Tae-ju. I wanted a character like Sun-young to have no one by Tae-ju's side in the present. A lot of Sun-young's scenes were cut in the later episodes..."
In the case of Kang Sun-young (Cha Sun-young), played by Seo Ji-hye and Do Ji-won, she is the girlfriend of the innocent torture victim Lee Ki-beom (played by Song Geon-hee) and the sister of Kang Tae-Ju (Park Hae-soo). However, she is a character who lost her lover to state-sponsored torture and lives with her stepsister's older brother Cha Si-young (played by Lee Heejun), who caused her lover's death for the sake of their child, and among viewers there was heated debate about the character's narrative.
Director Park Jun-woo said, "When the writer and I watched the final episode yesterday, there was a lot of resentment. A lot was cut because of physical limitations."
Writer Lee Ji-hyun explained, "Rather than saying Sun-young abandoned Tae-ju, the setting—though not shown on the broadcast—was that Tae-ju went to the United States to save Sun-young. By the time Sun-young woke up, Tae-ju was already gone, and she had to spend six months in the hospital and raise the child alone, and with only her father as family she had no choice but to put the child in foster care. I hope she is not seen too harshly."
When asked what kind of work they would like "The Scarecrow" to be remembered as, director Park Jun-woo said, "What I want to persuade writer Lee Ji-hyun about in interviews like this is that if 'The Scarecrow' is a work that sheds light on crimes of the 1980s, I proposed works set in the 1990s and 2000s, but she refused. I hope this work becomes an opportunity for such dramas to be made. I hope works that allow a reflection on Korean society will emerge."
He added, "I suggested a three-part series and I hope she writes it. Park Hae-soo and Lee Heejun said they would like to appear again," and writer Lee Ji-hyun laughed and said, "I'll think about it."
Writer Lee Ji-hyun said, "I did not dream that 'The Scarecrow' would be remembered for a long time. I hope that when people watch until the final episode, it will be a drama that leaves at least a little lingering impression," and director Park Jun-woo concluded the interview by saying, "In addition to teacher Yoon Seong-yeo and teacher Kim Yong-bok, there are many victims. We said we tried hard, but I don't know whether those people will be satisfied with the work. We hoped the work would offer comfort to those who suffered because of the serial killer Lee Chun-jae."
[photo] Studio Anzillen, KT Studio Genie
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