Veteran Korean actress Lim Soo-jung has completely transformed her image in Disney Korea's new series 'Low Life,' stepping away from her traditional innocent roles to portray a cunning, money-obsessed character named Jung-sook. The series, set in 1970s Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, follows a group of men searching for treasure in sunken ships, with Lim commanding attention through her striking character transformation.
Lim Soo-jung is best known for playing delicate, naive characters such as the doe-eyed ingenue Eun-chae in the classic K-drama 'I'm Sorry, I Love You' and Su-mi, the tormented protective older sister in the acclaimed Korean horror film 'A Tale of Two Sisters.' Her new role in 'Low Life' completely overturns this established image, presenting her as Jung-sook, a calculating and selfish woman driven by financial ambition.
In the Disney series, Jung-sook undergoes a dramatic evolution from a modest accounting clerk to the wife of a company president, eventually rising to lead a syndicate of ruthless men through strategic brilliance and magnetic authority. Performance clips featuring Lim have gone viral on short-form video platforms, with fans praising her ability to balance the calculating, money-driven persona with moments of unpredictable vulnerability.
During a group interview in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, on Tuesday, Lim reflected on her initial surprise at being offered such a different role. 'When I first read the original work, Jung-sook struck me as a truly formidable person,' she explained. The series is adapted from a 2014 webtoon by Yoon Tae-ho, one of Korea's legendary cartoonists known for acclaimed works such as 'Misaeng' and 'Inside Men.'
'By nature, she's vicious, opportunistic and clever – a character very different in tone from those I've portrayed until now. So when I met the director, I asked, 'Why did you offer this role to me?'' Lim recalled. The director explained that his interpretation of Jung-sook was a smart woman with charisma strong enough to not be outshone by rough men – someone who could overpower them with logical arguments, commanding presence and strategic thinking. 'Hearing that, I told him I felt I could take on the challenge,' she said.
Lim emphasized that faithfully delivering the original webtoon's dialogue without changes was essential to portraying Jung-sook convincingly. 'I personally felt that every single line Jung-sook delivered was really powerful. Many of the lines were taken straight from the original work, like the one that goes, 'Love me – just as ordinarily as you would in a relationship.' I thought that if I could just embody the lines well, I could make the character convincing,' she explained.
The character underwent some adjustments from the original webtoon, which depicted a more ruthless and evil version of Jung-sook. The television adaptation aimed for a less explicit portrayal, a creative choice that fans have largely praised. 'In the original work, the character comes across as more adept in relationships. But during the adaptation, there was an intention to show a slightly different side of Jung-sook. Though she loves money, is full of desire and is very driven to succeed, when it comes to love, she's a little clumsy, secretly yearning for it in her own way,' Lim noted.
The actress also revealed that some of the more provocative elements from the webtoon were toned down for the series. 'As far as I remember, in the original work, there were really strong, bold lines. Jung-sook even made remarks to Hee-dong that bordered on sexual harassment and there were intense lines where she teased him about his masculinity – something about taking off his pants, or them being taken off. The director didn't want that, so it seems they changed it during the adaptation. I think the director carefully considered it and set the limits accordingly,' she said.
Lim described taking on Jung-sook as an exhilarating experience that fulfilled her longtime desire to play a bold, villainous role – something she says is rarely available to female actors. 'These days, acting is fun. When studying a character, I always encounter sticking points that I have to wrestle with and solve. But at the same time, I felt glad that the pure enjoyment of acting was still alive in me. Being on set was so much fun that I thought, 'Ah, I really am an actor through and through,' she shared.
All episodes of 'Low Life' are currently streaming on Disney+, allowing viewers to witness Lim Soo-jung's dramatic transformation from innocent ingenue to commanding villain in this gritty period drama set against the backdrop of 1970s Korea.
