On the 10th, KBS2 held a press conference for its new daily drama A Trap Called Desire (written by Koo Ji-won, directed by Lee Dae-kyung and Jung Kwang-soo, produced by Studio Bom and Bambunetwork). Director Lee Dae-kyung and actors Jang Seo-hee, Jeon Hye-won, Seol Junghwan, Joo Saebyeok, Yoon Hae-young and Yoo Tae-woong attended the event.
A Trap Called Desire is a revenge drama about a woman whose life is stolen by a murder accusation and who fights back against immense greed to restore her fate. Director Lee Dae-kyung, who directed Youth of May and Drama Special 2023: Shadow Confession, took the helm, and writer Koo Ji-won, who wrote Cheer Up, My Life and Summer, Please, joined forces.
Jang Seo-hee plays Joo Mi-ran, the former wet nurse who became head of public relations at the Cheongma Scholarship Foundation and the ultimate villain who will stop at nothing to steal other people's lives and satisfy her own desires. Known as the queen of daily dramas after hits such as The Mermaid and Temptation of Wife, Jang Seo-hee returned to KBS after 12 years with a different image that raised expectations.
Returning to the small screen after about three years and to KBS after 12 years, Jang Seo-hee said, "There are many people like Joo Mi-ran in real life, and they often appear in the news. I have played many victims seeking revenge, but this time I felt I could show the complete opposite. As a villain, I am prepared to be criticized. In the second half of 2026 I will gladly take the heat."
Jeon Hye-won, starring in her first lead role since debut, plays Go Eun-seol. Raised as a beloved daughter by adoptive parents after being an orphan, Go Eun-seol falls into ruin at once after being falsely accused. Calm but resolute, she struggles to clear her name, and while tracking hidden truths to reclaim her life she faces secrets she never imagined.
Jeon Hye-won said, "The weight of being the lead in a terrestrial daily drama is heavy, but that makes my passion to show my best self even greater. It is a great honor just to work with senior actress Jang Seo-hee, and I am moved every moment just by looking into her eyes. Please empathize with Eun-seol's injustice and pain, and watch to the end how she confronts great evil and pays it back in a satisfying reversal."
Seol Junghwan plays Cha Seok-jin, the only love of Go Eun-seol (Jeon Hye-won) and the key brain of the Cheongma Group. With outstanding ability and ambition, Cha Seok-jin solidified his position within the group and becomes embroiled in a whirlpool of complex emotions between Go Eun-seol and Kang Hae-ra (played by Joo Saebyeok), delivering much of the drama's intrigue.
Seol Junghwan said, "I was captivated by the solid and fast-paced development. I am doing my best to provide viewers with an immersion they cannot take their eyes off." He added regarding his chemistry with Jeon Hye-won, "We consider each other on set and create synergy. There are many emotionally deep scenes, and we support each other during filming."
Joo Saebyeok plays Kang Hae-ra, the sole heiress of the Cheongma Group. Kang Hae-ra has a strong possessiveness that compels her to obtain what she wants by any means. She transforms into a character consumed by desire as she grows up drinking the poison of greed in the fake paradise engineered by Joo Mi-ran, injecting tension into the drama.
Joo Saebyeok said, "I am trying not to remain a typical villain or supporting character, and to give three-dimensional persuasiveness to why she had no choice but to make those choices. Working with the senior actors is a great learning experience. Just by looking into their eyes on set, the emotions come through."
Yoon Hae-young appears as Kim Jung-sun, a former actress who becomes chair of the Cheongma Scholarship Foundation, and Yoo Tae-woong meets viewers as Kang Young-hoon, Kim Jung-sun's husband and CEO of Cheongma Holdings.
Yoon Hae-young said, "I was attracted to this work because it can delicately portray the tense momentum unique to daily dramas and the desires of a gallery of human characters. Jang Seo-hee and I are veterans, so our on-set chemistry is excellent. The conflict between the two is another viewing point of the drama."
Yoo Tae-woong said, "On the outside he seems perfect, but inside he carries human ugly desires and weaknesses, so I thought a lot about how to portray a three-dimensional axis of evil. As the tangled relationships among the characters unravel and the truth is revealed, viewers will feel tremendous catharsis."
In addition, Jang Se-hyun and Son Seong-yoon play siblings Seo Hyun-jae and Seo Mi-rae respectively, and Seo Kwon-soon and Choi Jae-won play Go Eun-seol's grandmother Wang Geum-ja and father Go Ki-han respectively, which is expected to enrich the drama.
Following the dependable revenge-genre star Jang Seo-hee, the KBS2 new daily drama A Trap Called Desire, starring Jeon Hye-won, Seol Junghwan, Joo Saebyeok, Yoon Hae-young, Yoo Tae-woong, Jang Se-hyun, Son Seong-yoon, Seo Kwon-soon and Choi Jae-won, premieres at 7:50 p.m. on the 10th.