Actor Kwak Dong- yeon opened up about his feelings one month before enlistment.
On the morning of the 24th, at a cafe in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, an interview was held with lead actor Kwak Dong- yeon of the Netflix original series East Palace.
Released on the 17th, East Palace tells the story of Gucheon (Nam Joo-hyuk), who has the ability to travel between the world of ghosts (⻤) and the living, and palace maid Saenggang (Roh Yoon-seo), who keeps a secret, who answer the king's (Cho Seung-woo) summons and uncover the curse lodged in the East Palace. In the work Kwak Dong- yeon appears as the crown prince and delivered a passionate performance.
Earlier, shortly after East Palace was released, Kwak Dong- yeon drew attention by announcing his military enlistment scheduled for the 25th of next month. Asked about his feelings before enlistment, he said, "This is really hard to talk about. I don't want to whine about everyone going, but I debuted when I was very young and lived for more than a decade looking at a single goal, and now I'm going to leave the boundaries I built during that process and live a completely different life, which makes me half worried and half excited."
He said, "I may feel and learn something, but I'm worried about having to completely destroy the area and routine I had to build up to protect myself and live another life right away, but it's an unavoidable duty as a citizen of Korea, so I think I should go well," and when asked whether he was receiving a lot of advice or encouragement from those around him before enlistment, he said candidly, "They do a lot, but honestly I don't want to hear anything. Especially since there are many hyungs around me, they say things like 'when I was your age it was longer than yours' and various other comments, which (are) not helpful at all," drawing laughter.
Born in 1997 and currently 29 in international age, Kwak Dong- yeon was asked whether he had planned his enlistment in advance this year and said, "I had to join the military within this year no matter what, but I couldn't know when the draft notice would come out. I did hope that if I could go a little later I would leave one more project if possible, but the draft notice came out," adding, "Still, I have about two works left. Rather than regret about releases, I always think this: at this age and time there is something I can do best, and since the projects I want to do and those I have to do never perfectly match, it's a bit disappointing that something remains undone. I liked intense works like East Palace, but I also wanted to do something more reality-based, like a young man living next door," expressing a small regret.
Coincidentally, East Palace became the last work he releases before enlisting. Leaving a strong impression on the public and entering a period of absence from acting, Kwak Dong- yeon said with relief, "I'm still very thankful. One work was released and it settled well in the Netflix rankings. I was skeptical, but I feel relieved that it produced meaningful results, so I'm glad I can leave."
With exactly one month left before enlistment, he was asked about his plans before joining and said, "I have no plans. It's the monsoon season, so travel and personal time are restricted. If possible, I want to spend time visiting places I'm curious about and places I like in Korea, sorting out my thoughts," he said.
Asked what he would like to be like after discharge, he said, "My biggest worry is falling too far behind the times. The pace of the times is so fast now that I sometimes don't even know how to keep up. I hope things don't move too quickly. When I return I'll be 31 or 32, so I hope I haven't aged much. I don't know what environment I'll be placed in during military life. I still can't believe I'm thirty," and added, "I seem to wake up earlier since turning thirty. Losing morning sleep is a sign that life experiences are accumulating," expressing his concern and drawing laughter.
Having started as a child actor in 2012 and now marking 14 years since his debut, Kwak Dong- yeon reflected, "It feels a bit unreal that it's been 14 years. It's not that I have huge regrets, but I feel like I was in too much of a hurry. It feels like my memories are fragmented. Some moments are clear, but there are periods I hardly remember, so I thought I should live more attentively so I can remember moments going forward."
He said, "I think I did live diligently. I lived diligently, and when I reached a turning point I realized that by focusing only on working hard I haven't enjoyed life enough, which I regret. I hope to savor life well in my 30s," adding that military life would be "a time like that," which would be very welcome.
To fans who will be waiting for him, he said, "When I posted on the fan cafe to tell fans about my enlistment, I wrote, 'Please wait during the intermission.' During an intermission actors check what they will perform in the second act and calm their arising breaths to present better acting and scenes. In the same concept, I'll spend time in the military that will help me as you advised, become stronger, and return to show a better self, so I hope fans stay happy," he said. (Interview part 2 follows.)<
[Photo] The Black Label
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