Lee Min Ho reacts to whether he’s dating someone during new K-drama promotion

Gong Hyo Jin and Lee Min Ho promote their upcoming drama When The Stars Gossip, highlighting its humorous take on space themes.

South Korean actor Lee Min Ho is making a comeback with tvN’s new show When the Stars Gossip. Gong Hyo Jin will star alongside the Heirs actor for a zero-gravity space station thrill. Ahead of the highly anticipated release, the two stars recently headlined a YouTube talk show, Salon Drip 2, where they spent a fun 30-minute session discussing their show. During the interview, the host asked some sassy personal questions about Lee’s dating life. See how he responded.

Lee Min Ho reacts to his dating life
For Lee Min Ho, Salon Drip 2′ marked his debut on the YouTube talk show. He confidently entered the stage, having already rehearsed with the scriptwriters backstage, and boldly declared his readiness to tackle even the most challenging questions. “I’m comfortable with uncomfortable questions,” he stated.

Also read: Song Joong Ki reveals his favourite OST as he emotionally remembers late Lee Sun Kyun: ‘Miss him so much’

Seated beside him, Gong Hyo Jin and Jang Do Yeon understood the task and wasted no time in making him ‘uncomfortable.’ The host asked, “Are you seeing anyone right now?” Lee Min Ho was visibly flustered, momentarily caught off guard by the direct question. Jang Do Yeon continued the teasing banter, playfully inquiring, “How many celebrities have you dated so far? Five? Or more than that?”

The actor’s reaction had everyone cracking up. He leaped to his feet, making a beeline for the door. When the host tried to stop him, he grinned and quipped, “I need a bathroom break.” When he returned to his seat, Gong Hyo Jin couldn’t resist weighing in: “What’s the point of asking for uncomfortable questions if you’re just going to freak out?”

‘I’m the pawn’: Lee Min Ho and Gong Hyo Jin’s banter on talk show
As the discussion turned to their upcoming drama, Gong Hyo Jin revealed that this was her second time working with the director and third time with the writer, but she’s always played the ‘supporting cast’ in previous projects. “This time, it’s Lee Min Ho,” she said with a grin. “I’m the star for once.”

Also read: Bang Si Hyuk credits himself and BTS for cultural impact, but fans aren’t happy: ‘It’s embarrassing…’

“Now… I’m the captain. The pawn is here,” she declared. Lee Min Ho chuckled, “I guess I’m the pawn this time.” Talking about the show, the actor said, “The storyline is really unique! Most space-themed dramas or movies tend to be serious… But our drama is different—it’s humorous enough to just have fun with!” “It’s more fun and laid back,” they added.

When The Stars Gossip is set to release on January 4, 2025. “Set against the breathtaking backdrop of outer space, the series delves into themes of love, trust, and human connection, in a world where every resource is precious and emotions run deep,” Netflix describes. This production is brought to life by writer Seo Sook Hyang (Jealousy Incarnate) and director Park Shin Woo (It’s Okay to Not Be Okay).

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Real-life violence that inspired Squid Game left countless dead, survivors were ‘frustrated’ by Netflix show

The Ssangyong strikes of 2009, which engulfed a car factory in Korea, were the inspiration behind Netflix’s Squid Game.

A factory turned into a battlefield, riot police armed with tasers and an activist who spent 100 days atop a chimney — the unrest that inspired Netflix’s most successful show ever has all the hallmarks of a TV drama.

This month sees the release of the second season of Squid Game, a dystopian vision of South Korea where desperate people compete in deadly versions of traditional children’s games for a massive cash prize. (Also read: Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk likens show’s violent game to US election, S2 will ask ‘is majority always right?’)

But while the show itself is a work of fiction, Hwang Dong-hyuk, its director and writer, has said the experiences of the main character Gi-hun, a laid-off worker, were inspired by the violent Ssangyong strikes in 2009.

“I wanted to show that any ordinary middle-class person in the world we live in today can fall to the bottom of the economic ladder overnight,” he has said.

In May 2009, Ssangyong, a struggling car giant taken over by a consortium of banks and private investors, announced it was laying off more than 2,600 people, or nearly 40 percent of its workforce.

That was the beginning of an occupation of the factory and a 77-day strike that ended in clashes between strikers armed with slingshots and steel pipes and riot police wielding rubber bullets and tasers. Many union members were severely beaten, and some were jailed.

‘Many lost their lives’
The conflict did not end there. Five years later, union leader Lee Chang-kun held a sit-in for 100 days on top of one of the factory’s chimneys to protest a sentence in favour of Ssangyong against the strikers.

He was supplied with food from a basket attached to a rope by supporters and endured hallucinations of a tent rope transformed into a writhing snake.

Some who experienced the unrest struggled to discuss Squid Game because of the trauma they endured, Lee told AFP.

The repercussions of the strike, compounded by protracted legal battles, caused significant financial and mental strain for workers and their families, resulting in around 30 deaths by suicide and stress-related issues, Lee said. “Many have lost their lives. People had to suffer for too long,” he said.

He vividly remembers the police helicopters circling overhead, creating intense winds that ripped away workers’ raincoats. Lee said he felt he could not give up.

“We were seen as incompetent breadwinners and outdated labour activists who had lost their minds,” he said. “Police kept beating us even after we fell unconscious — this happened at our workplace, and it was broadcast for so many to see.”

Lee said he had been moved by scenes in the first season of Squid Game where Gi-hun struggles not to betray his fellow competitors.

But he wished the show had spurred real-life change for workers in a country marked by economic inequality, tense industrial relations and deeply polarised politics. “Despite being widely discussed and consumed, it is disappointing that we have not channelled these conversations into more beneficial outcomes,” he said.

‘Shadow of state violence’
The success of Squid Game in 2021 left him feeling “empty and frustrated”. “At the time, it felt like the story of the Ssangyong workers had been reduced to a commodity in the series,” Lee told AFP.

Squid Game, the streaming platform’s most-watched series of all time, is seen as embodying the country’s rise to a global cultural powerhouse, part of the Korean wave alongside the Oscar-winning Parasite and K-pop stars such as BTS.

But its second season comes as the Asian democracy finds itself embroiled in some of its worst political turmoil in decades, triggered by conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed bid to impose martial law this month.

Yoon has since been impeached and suspended from duties pending a ruling by the Constitutional Court.

That declaration of martial law risked sending the Korean wave “into the abyss”, around 3,000 people in the film industry, including “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho, said in a letter following Yoon’s shocking decision.

Vladimir Tikhonov, a Korean studies professor at the University of Oslo, told AFP that some of South Korea’s most successful cultural products highlight state and capitalist violence.

“It is a noteworthy and interesting phenomenon — we still live in the shadow of state violence, and this state violence is a recurrent theme in highly successful cultural products.”

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Paatal Lok season 2 also stars Tillotama Shome, Nagesh Kukunoor, and Jahnu Barua in pivotal roles. The crime drama will premiere on Prime Video.

The blood-soaked world of Paatal Lok will be back next year. The second season of the crime thriller will be released on January 17, with actors Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh and Gul Panag set to reprise their roles. Also read: Paatal Lok makers tease season two with new poster featuring Jaideep Ahlawat, fans say: ‘Don’t disappoint like Mirzapur’

Paatal Lok 2 gets a release date
On Monday, the makers of the show announced the release date of the show. The eight-episode series is created and executive-produced by Sudip Sharma. It is backed by Clean Slate Filmz Production in association with Eunoia Films LLP.

The new season will focus on the character of ‘Hathi Ram Chaudhary’ (Jaideep) and his team navigating an uncharted territory – “a perilous ‘fresh hell’ that will test them like never before”. The plot of the show remains under wraps.

Directed by Avinash Arun Dhaware, Paatal Lok season 2 will also star Tillotama Shome, Nagesh Kukunoor, and Jahnu Barua in pivotal roles. The crime drama will premiere on Prime Video.

Sudip Sharma is elated to finally open the second chapter in front of the fans.

“The overwhelming response to the first season filled me with immense gratitude and inspired me to craft stories that are raw, relatable, and intensely gripping. The streaming service also acted as a perfect medium to bring out unique storytelling to life, offering our team a platform to expose and expand our horizons in terms of visual representation. Collaborating with an exceptional team has been a privilege, and together we’ve elevated this drama to new heights, amplifying the themes of crime, mystery, and suspense,” said the creator and showrunner of the series.

About Pataal Lok
The first season of the crime thriller was released in May 2020, and became popular for its intense storyline. It was directed by Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy. The show featured Jaideep Ahlawat, Gul Panag, Neeraj Kabi, Swastika Mukherjee, Ishwak Singh, Abhishek Banerjee, Niharika Lyra Dutt, and Richa Chaturvedi.

The first chapter of the show delved deep into the underbelly of Indian society, with the spotlight on how the news industry works. It was the storytelling, unexpected twists, adrenaline-pumping thrills, and a thought-provoking climax which left a lasting impression on the viewers.

Now, the makers have stressed that the stakes are high in the second season. “This upcoming season promises to propel the drama barometer to new heights drawing viewers into an even darker, immersive and more treacherous world,” read the press note.

Talking about the upcoming season, Nikhil Madhok, Head of Originals, Prime Video India, said, “Paatal Lok made a huge impact with its gripping narrative, layered characters and raw portrayal of societal realities, earning critical acclaim and a massive fanbase. At Prime Video, we always prioritise two essential aspects across our shows —the unique and compelling nature of the stories we tell, and identifying the right time to bring those narratives to our audience. The phenomenal response to the first season of the neo-noir crime drama inspired us to delve even deeper into its immersive world with the second installment. While collaborating once again with Sudip, Avinash and the talented cast behind this groundbreaking series, we are excited to unveil a new chapter that pushes creative boundaries.”

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