'Hak! Ssi' Era Torn Acting Deeply Captivated

All the Dazzling Actors Who Moved the Audience: Everyone Is a Protagonist

Actors Cha Mi-kyung, Lee Soo-mi, and Baek Ji-won, who played the three haenyeo women of Dodong-ri in the Netflix drama "Poksak Soksassuda." Photo by Netflix

The Netflix drama "Poksak Soksassuda" is a grand production with a budget of 60 billion KRW. The main setting, the seaside village of Dodong-ri in Jeju Island, was recreated on a set in Andong, Gyeongbuk, and the sea was completed using computer graphics (CG). The village that was born this way looked vividly real. Although it was praised for its high level of completion by sparing no technology or capital, what breathed life into it were the actors.

With delicate acting spanning from the 1960s to the 1990s, viewers responded that it "tore through the era."

"She really looks like someone who lived next door." A viewer who lived in Eonma Apartment in Gangnam in the early 1990s said this after seeing 'Jenny's Mom' in the drama. The shoulder-padded blue jacket, seagull-shaped eyebrows, and red bean porridge-colored over-lip makeup. Pretending to be elegant but speaking bluntly, and the sudden change into a 'nouveau riche' when alone with her daughter seemed to perfectly capture that era.

Kim Geum-soon, who played Jenny's Mom, won the Best Actress award at the Bu-il Film Awards last year for the movie "Jeongsoon." She left a strong impression in the dramas "Hero-neun Anibnida" and "Mom's Friend's Son" (2024), and in the film "Svaha" (2019), even a short curse she uttered while collapsing after a knife dance was so realistic it reminded viewers of an actual shaman. In "Jam" (2023), she played Haegung Halmae, wearing a short haircut and leather jacket, and in "Broker," she portrayed a madam, building realistic characters.

Nam Mi-jung, who played the housekeeper helping Geum-myeong (IU) when she was almost accused of theft at Jenny's Mom's house, should not be overlooked. Debuting in the play "Ogu" (1989), she is a well-known theater actress who has taken lead roles and directed numerous plays. She also showed her presence in dramas like "Reply 1988" (2015), "Happiness" (2021), and the film "Apgujeong" (2022).

Actress Kim Geum-soon, who played Jenny's mother in the Netflix drama "Poksak Soksassuda." Photo by Netflix

The top contributor to "Poksak Soksassuda" is undoubtedly actress Yeom Hye-ran. She played Gwangrye, a haenyeo (female diver) who raised her daughter Aesoon (IU) alone after losing her husband. She is a character who swallows the hardships of a harsh era and lives bravely, while striving to ensure her child does not cry over poverty and discrimination. The scene where she rushes to bring her daughter home after hearing that the daughter, who was living in someone else's house, couldn't eat jook (porridge), and the scene where she educates her daughter to study without envy despite their poor circumstances, form the core of the female narrative and deeply engage viewers.

"Poksak Soksassuda" is a work that highlights female solidarity. It centers on stories of feeding each other, sharing, wiping tears, and moving forward together. At the heart of this worldview are the three haenyeo of Dodong-ri. After Gwangrye passes away, they protect Aesoon like their own child, becoming a warm shelter. Whenever Aesoon faces hardships, they stand firmly by her side and even throw blunt remarks at her mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law to protect her.

The three haenyeo were played by Cha Mi-kyung, Lee Soo-mi, and Baek Ji-won, all actresses active on the theater stage. Cha Mi-kyung recently appeared in films like "Jangson" and "3 Days of Vacation" (2023), and the drama "Good Partner." Lee Soo-mi left a strong impression as a villain who shakes the protagonist's life in the Netflix drama "Mask Girl" (2023). Baek Ji-won worked with writer Im Sang-chun for the second time after the drama "Fight My Way" (2017).

Actress Yeom Hye-ran, who played the role of Gwangrye in the Netflix drama "Poksak Soksassuda." Photo by Netflix

Actor Choi Dae-hoon, known among viewers as 'Mr. Hak,' is also noteworthy. He played Bu Sang-gil, a character who continues to be involved in the village after going on a blind date with Aesoon, and is the worst villain with an arrogant attitude who even hits his wife. Reviews mainly say he feels like a neighborhood uncle who actually lived through the 70s and 90s. The catchphrase "Hak! Ssi" also became popular.

Anyone who enjoys performances would know Choi Dae-hoon's name. He appeared in plays such as "Model Students" (2015), "Press Guidelines" (2016), "Of Mice and Men" (2018), musicals like "The Goddess is Watching" (2015), "Casa Valentina," and delivered impressive performances in dramas like "Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim" (2016) and "Judge from Hell."