K-drama fans might have become acquainted with Nam Joo-hyuk through his lead roles in a number of popular romance shows, including “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo,” “Start-Up,” and “Twenty-Five Twenty-One.”

Now, the 29-year-old artist will be able to showcase more of his acting chops through the dark action series “Vigilante.”

Based on a popular webtoon of the same title, “Vigilante” tells the story of Kim Ji-yong, whose mother died in a crime when he was young, with the perpetrator receiving only a light sentence.

Disillusioned with the legal system, Ji-yong grows up to become an exemplary student at a police academy who secretly punishes criminals on his own terms at night.

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In an online press conference held on Monday, Director Choi Jeong-yeol described Nam as the “perfect” actor to portray Ji-yong.

“[Ji-yong] has this duality inside him and I think Joo-hyuk was perfectly cut out for this role, to be able to portray this duality,” Choi said of Nam, who was absent from the press conference because he is currently fulfilling his mandatory military service.

• Korean star Nam Joo-hyuk begins mandatory military service

“Because he (Nam) looks like a very young, fresh person. He has that ambience to him so he could be an exemplary police academy student, but he can also show that rage inside of him with those glaring eyes. So I thought it would be fun to see that duality of Joo-hyuk,” Choi said.

The eight-part series, which first premiered at the Busan International Film Festival last month, is set to drop on Disney+ on November 8.

Choi said viewers can expect “a lot of very exciting dynamics between the characters” and fast-paced story.

“The webtoon has a wealth of stories but this is a eight-episode show so I couldn't have all of them on the show so I wanted to go very speedy about the story... I wanted to make sure that it’s very tense, thrilling and speedy,” he said.

The cast also includes Yoo Ji-tae (from the critically acclaimed film “Oldboy”), Lee Joon-hyuk (“Designated Survivor: 60 Days” and “Secret Royal Inspector & Joy”) and Kim So-jin (“Emergency Declaration”).

Yoo, who plays an investigation team leader, admitted to being a “big fan” of the webtoon prior to being casted for the show.

“I never imagined that I would be so lucky to be a part of the show. So this is like my destiny,” he said.

Lee and Kim, meanwhile, agreed to be a part of the project to challenge themselves by taking on fresh roles.

“The webtoon came to me at a time when I was thinking to myself that I wanted to try something new, try a very different character,” said Lee, who plays a conglomerate heir in “Vigilante.”

“I think these characters are not typical at all. They have a very strong presence and I thought that was very interesting… We wanted to make it really grounded and that’s what I wanted to do and why I wanted to be on this project,” said Kim, who will take on the role of a reporter.

ENTERTAINING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING

Asked about a specific message that he wanted to convey through the series, Choi said, “I didn’t have that strong will to convey a certain message but I wanted this to be entertaining.”

But Choi believes it is inevitable for the show to provoke reflections regarding the legal system.

“There are these different characters who have different beliefs… and if you can follow along with what these characters want to say, then that could be a food for thought,” he said.

“It would be nice if the viewers could think about if the current legal system is working to serve justice well and if these vigilante works are right or wrong, or if there are ways to make sure that our legal justice system does not have loopholes anymore,” he added.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

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