Actor Lee Jun-ho has found profound personal meaning in his latest role, portraying a privileged heir forced to mature rapidly during South Korea's devastating 1997 financial crisis. The 35-year-old former K-pop idol spent months immersed in the era's details for tvN's period drama "Typhoon Family," which concluded its 16-episode run on Sunday with a series-high 10.3 percent viewership rating.
"I kept thinking, if only I'd been like him in my 20s," Lee told reporters Tuesday at a café in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, referring to his character Kang Tae-poong. "Tae-poong is totally upfront about his feelings, doesn't hide anything, just barrels ahead. I spent my 20s being hard on myself, always trying to fix what I thought was lacking. He just goes for it."
Lee's journey from K-pop performer to acclaimed actor represents one of the entertainment industry's most successful career transitions. He debuted in 2008 as a member of 2PM, the era-defining boy band, where he wasn't the most visible member but consistently worked hard on the sidelines. Years of proving his acting abilities have paid off, making the "idol-turned-actor" label obsolete as he's become one of Korea's most bankable stars.
His breakthrough came with "The Red Sleeve," where his portrayal of King Jeongjo earned him the best actor prize at the 2022 Baeksang Arts Awards – making him the first K-pop idol to achieve this honor. The romantic comedy "King the Land," co-starring with Yoona, dominated Netflix's global charts in 2023, further cementing his status as a top-tier actor whom other idols-turned-actors are measured against.
For "Typhoon Family," Lee deliberately chose a grittier role after playing royalty and chaebol heirs. His character Tae-poong begins as an "orange" – local slang for the flashy, free-spending youth who gathered in Apgujeong-dong, Seoul's wealthy district, during the early 1990s economic boom. This privileged young man drives imported cars, parties at nightclubs, and has never worked a day in his life until the IMF bailout hits, his father dies, and he's left standing in an empty office with no employees, no inventory, and creditors demanding payment.
The production team spared no effort in recreating the 1997 atmosphere, sourcing vintage props from museums, hand-tailoring period-accurate leather coats, and even tracking down the original craftsperson who built props for a popular '90s variety show for a parody sequence. Lee conducted his own research, studying top stars of the era for hairstyle references and learning exact choreography from an original sportswear commercial for a tribute scene.
"If it's a full-on period piece set in ancient times, you've got entire sets built for you," Lee explained. "But 1997 is too recent. We had to dress actual locations, calculate camera angles to avoid modern cars, even cover up the red safety markings on subway platforms that didn't exist back then. The crew put in serious hours."
The setting triggered personal memories for Lee, whose parents both worked hard to survive the crisis. However, what he remembers isn't hardship but the tight-knit community that provided support. "People bonded without thinking twice about it," he said. "That warmth, that sense of getting through it together – that's what I hoped the show would bring across. When times are rough, you lean on the people around you. They're what get you through. I wanted viewers to feel that."
Not all viewers embraced the show's execution. Some found the 16-episode run sluggish, while others criticized the character of Moo Jin-sung, a scheming rival businessman who felt too cartoonish against the realistic backdrop of genuine economic devastation. Lee acknowledged these concerns but defended the creative choices: "The team talked about this early on, that the financial crisis itself was the ultimate villain. We felt we needed someone concrete for audiences to direct their frustration at."
The romance between Lee's character and co-star Kim Min-ha, who plays the company's no-nonsense bookkeeper, provides the show's emotional core. Their chemistry generated numerous memorable moments, though some viewers complained it overshadowed the plot. Lee described their on-screen connection in musical terms, noting the natural silences and unplanned pauses that worked like rests in a musical score.
"There's this scene where Tae-poong walks her home and just says, 'Thanks for today,'" he recalled. "We didn't rehearse the pause that followed. It just happened, and it landed. That's when I knew we were in sync." Interestingly, Kim had been a 2PM fan growing up, though Lee handled the revelation coolly: "I didn't know what to say. 'Thanks, I'll get you a signed album'? We just moved on."
Lee's upcoming projects demonstrate his continued versatility and work ethic. "Cashero," a Netflix superhero comedy releasing December 26, features him as a cash-strapped superhero whose powers correlate with his bank balance. Following that, he'll appear in "Veteran 3," the latest installment in Korea's successful cop franchise and one of the few domestic films still drawing large theater audiences.
At 35, Lee shows no signs of slowing down, expressing gratitude for his busy schedule. "Working on a project is stressful, obviously," he said. "But when the work comes out and I see what we made, that stress just melts away. Some people need breaks. I'm the kind of person who'd rather keep going."
Reflecting on his "Typhoon Family" experience, Lee returned to discussing Tae-poong – the character who fearlessly confronts challenges, bets everything on long shots, and faces the world with complete openness. "This show felt like a second life for me," Lee concluded. "It reminded me that when things fall apart, you don't have to carry it alone. The people around you – they're what hold you up. That's what I wanted to leave with the audience."
