Song Joong-ki says ‘My Name is Loh Kiwan’ was emotional, fresh work for him

“My Name is Loh Kiwan” (Netflix)

Actor Song Joong-ki, who appears as North Korean defector Loh Ki-wan in the new Netflix film “My Name is Loh Kiwan,” said playing Loh was an emotionally overwhelming, fresh work for him.

“I read the script for the first time six or seven years ago. I didn’t know anything about the story, but the first thing that came to my mind after completing reading was that this was a heartbreaking story, but at the same time, something that I could try for the first time with a fresh mind,” Song told reporters during a press conference held in Seoul on Tuesday.

The film depicts Loh’s struggles in Belgium as a refugee and his encounter with Mari (Choi Sung-eun) who is despondent about life and love. The film is an adaptation of the 2011 novel “I Met Loh Kiwan” by Cho Hae-jin.

“My Name is Loh Kiwan” actors Choi Sung-eun (left) and Song Joong-ki (right) pose for a photo during a press conference held in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

Song said that not only did he play a North Korean defector for the first time in his 15-year career, but it was also his first time acting in a dialect.

“Although I lack many things as an actor, I wanted to try acting in a dialect. That was what I thought to refresh myself as an actor. It was fun to try and I’m very satisfied with it,” said Song.

Song has shown great versatility in his filmography, having played a vagrant father who lost his daughter in space in the Netflix sci-fi film “Space Sweepers,” a righteous lawyer working for the Italian mafia in “Vincenzo” and a character who is falsely accused of embezzlement and killed by the youngest son of a wealthy family in “Reborn Rich.”

For “My Name is Loh Kiwan,” Song said he asked for help from director Kim Hee-jin.

Kim, who wrote and directed “My Name is Loh Kiwan,” came to the film industry’s attention with her 2010 indie film, “A Brand New Journey,” and has won various awards at local film festivals including at the Jeonju International Film Festival.

“I began working as a writer for this project. But later I was asked to adapt the story into a melodrama and romance. I was very excited to make my cinematic debut with this beautiful story,” Kim told reporters, adding that she wrote the story thinking of Song as the protagonist.

“My Name is Loh Kiwan” (Netflix)

Choi Sung-eun, who stars as Marie, who falls in love with Loh Kiwan, said she didn’t know at first what kind of movie “My Name is Loh Kiwan” was.

“At first it was very difficult to name the movie's genre because it has multifaceted aspects of a human being and our community. But, what makes one continue living is any type of love,” said Choi, referring to parental love and romantic relationships between lovers that appear in the movie.

“My Name is Loh Kiwan” will be released Friday on Netflix.