YA Horror 'Girigo' Features Newcomers Jeon So-young and Kang Mi-na: Will This Be Their Breakthrough? [Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.

The YA horror series 'Girigo', which breaks conventional frameworks, has been unveiled. By adding elements of school life, action, and the occult atop the premise of a wish-granting application that brings curses, the series promises a unique and fresh experience.

A press conference for the Netflix series 'Girigo' was held on the 21st at Seoul CGV Yongsan i-Park Mall in Yongsan-gu. Director Park Yoon-seo and actors Jeon So-young, Kang Mi-na, Hyun Woo-seok, Lee Hyo-je, and Noh Jae-won attended the event.

The Netflix series 'Girigo' follows high school students who are warned of sudden death due to the curse of an application called 'Girigo' that grants wishes, as they struggle to escape the curse.

This is director Park Yoon-seo's first major directing project. He previously served as a B-director for Season 2 of the Netflix series 'Kingdom' and co-directed the drama 'Moving', accumulating solid experience.

Director Park Yoon-seo stated, "Given the nature of the horror genre, the story began as unrealistic, but we made efforts to ground it in reality. Although I wasn't involved from the planning stage, there were aspects we considered while developing it as a series."

He further explained, "Since this is a series rather than a film, we aimed to make the narrative as logical as possible and guide viewers to become fully immersed. In addition to traditional horror, we incorporated various genre elements such as the occult, action, and school life to ensure viewers would not find it boring."

With rising newcomers such as Jeon So-young, Kang Mi-na, Baek Seon-ho, Hyun Woo-seok, and Lee Hyo-je making a major appearance, the energetic performances showcased in 'Girigo' are also worth noting. Emotions such as friendship, first love, envy, and jealousy, which everyone has experienced at least once during their school days, are blended with themes of curses, death, and revenge in 'Girigo', amplifying the appeal of its hybrid genre.

Jeon So-young plays 'Se-ah', a promising track and field athlete at Seorin High School who investigates the secrets of 'Girigo'. She said, "As a promising national team athlete, I had to maintain proper posture like long jumpers. I trained daily for two months with senior Baek Seon-ho and athlete Kim Guk-young."

She added, "I also gained weight and got a tan. Since Se-ah's inner journey is a crucial part of the story, I worked hard to prepare and express it well."

Director Park Yoon-seo explained Jeon So-young's casting, saying, "Because this is a long-form work, I thought viewers would get tired if it were only dark. During auditions, we selected actors who naturally displayed brightness and energy."

Kang Mi-na portrays 'Nari', a realist who does not believe in the curse of the 'Girigo' app. She said, "I kept a short haircut for several years before filming this work, but I prepared for a long straight hairstyle. In fact, I am quite timid and don't watch horror movies well, so I prepared my mindset to remain completely calm on set without even blinking."

Baek Seon-ho plays 'Geon-woo', the boyfriend of 'Se-ah', who becomes entangled in the curse of 'Girigo'. Born in 2003, Baek Seon-ho enlisted for military service last year.

Director Park Yoon-je explained the casting of Baek Seon-ho, saying, "For the role of 'Geon-woo', we prioritized chemistry with 'Se-ah', and the two-shot scenes with actor Jeon So-young were excellent. Although he was a newcomer during auditions, his acting tone was very impressive."

Hyun Woo-seok plays 'Ha-jun', a brainy character who approaches the secrets of 'Girigo' systematically, while Lee Hyo-je takes on the role of 'Hyung-wook', a second-year, Class 4 class clown who makes wishes come true through 'Girigo', promising a new side of himself.

Hyun Woo-seok said, "Since I played a brainy role, I learned coding and practiced typing extensively. I also considered the relationship between Hyeol-sal (played by Jeon So-ni) and Bang-ul (played by Noh Jae-won), thinking about how to best portray their connection."

Lee Hyo-je revealed that he gained 20 kilograms to express his character. He said, "Of course, I'm not someone who gains weight easily, so eating was difficult, but as I ate more, my body changed. In fact, it seems harder to lose weight now. During filming, I experienced many blood sugar spikes and various challenges, but I worked hard to gain weight."

Additionally, Jeon So-ni, who plays 'Hyeol-sal', a shaman who reaches out to Seorin High School friends to lift the curse of 'Girigo', and Noh Jae-won, who plays 'Bang-ul', Hyeol-sal's assistant who protects children from the threats of 'Girigo', complete one pillar of the series.

Noh Jae-won said, "Although I play a shaman, my abilities are ambiguous. I also got a tan and practiced mind control to express toughness. I visited a shaman teacher several times for advice. I wanted to feel more closely connected to a field I had previously lived apart from, so after many conversations with the shaman teacher, I tried to find my own unique intuition and senses."

Director Park Yoon-je explained the casting of Jeon So-ni and Noh Jae-won, saying, "Since I worked with new actors, I kept in mind actors who could support each other through their performances. Nevertheless, rather than choosing overly familiar actors, I sought performers who could deliver stable acting while also showing fresh and new sides. I am grateful that they agreed to join us."

Finally, Noh Jae-won urged viewers to watch, saying, "It has fantasy elements, many comedic scenes, and I found it fun. It's a horror series I've never seen before, with many genres mixed together," showing confidence. Jeon So-young added, "This is a work that we all prepared with combined effort, sweat, and tears. We ask for your love and support."

Meanwhile, 'Girigo' will be released on Netflix at 5 p.m. on the 24th.

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*This content was translated by AI.