Actor Park Hae-jin, a major cast member in SBS show “Doctor Stranger,” said the melodrama portrayed the inter-Korean issue only as a fictional factor and was not intended to convey the actual inter-Korean abduction issue.

“The major focus of the drama is in the melodrama (rather than the political message),” said Park, when asked about the possibility of the drama having any influence on the current inter-Korean relationship.

The comment came in a press conference for “Doctor Stranger” in Mok-dong, Seoul, Tuesday at 2 p.m., which was almost simultaneous with North Korea’s live-fire drill near the Northern Limit Line, a de facto inter-Korean sea border, raising the tension on the peninsula.

The Monday-Tuesday drama takes place in a hospital setting, with a hint of inter-Korean issues on the sideline.

“We employed some (North Korean) elements, such as the late Kim Il-sung’s heart surgery and abduction to the North, but all of these were utilized as fictional factors,” he added.

SBS pushed back the premiere date of the first episode by a week, from April 28 to May 5, as a sign of condolence to the victims of the ferry disaster.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)