'Gangnam B-Side' Actor Jo Woo-jin Expresses Surprise at Global Success

Actor Jo Woo-jin shared his excitement over the positive reception of 'Gangnam B-Side' during an interview on November 25 at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. He expressed, "I am thrilled to receive such a good response from global viewers. It has become a great source of motivation for me."

The Disney+ original series, which premiered on November 6, follows a detective and a prosecutor as they search for the missing club Ace's Jae-hee in Gangnam, alongside a mysterious broker. The three characters become intertwined in a thrilling crime drama directed by Park Nu-ri, known for the film 'Money.'

According to FlixPatrol, an OTT service ranking site, 'Gangnam B-Side' achieved remarkable success by ranking in the top 10 of Disney+ TV shows in seven countries, including South Korea, and reaching the second spot worldwide. Jo remarked, "I had no expectations at all. While movies have clear audience numbers, I thought it would be difficult to gauge the exact figures for a series. As I communicated with the production company and the director about the results, I realized how astonishing these numbers are. Currently, I am filming the Netflix movie 'Mantis,' and this success has provided me with great motivation."

In the series, Jo portrays the action-oriented detective Kang Dong-woo, who possesses a strong sense of justice and sharp judgment. He emphasized the importance of showcasing a side of himself that he had not previously revealed, stating, "I believe it is crucial to present something new to the audience. I wanted viewers to find it refreshing. Since Dong-woo is the most righteous character, I felt that if I didn’t portray him sincerely, the story wouldn’t flow well. I aimed to stay true to the character's authenticity."

Interestingly, 'Gangnam B-Side' has drawn comparisons to the Burning Sun scandal even before its release. Jo explained, "When I first received the script, I didn’t think of the Burning Sun scandal at all. The director aimed to express the content based on thorough research during the production process."

The series 'Gangnam B-Side' is released on Disney+ with two episodes every Wednesday, totaling eight episodes.