Iris (TV series)

The main cast of IRIS, clockwise from top left: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-hee, Jung Joon-ho, Choi Seung-hyun, Kim Seung-woo, and Kim So-yeon. The cast won numerous awards for their contributions to the series.

• Lee Byung-hun as Kim Hyun-jun

A soldier with the South Korean Special Forces, Hyun-jun has floated through life with little attention for the details. Possessing a photographic memory, top athletic ability, and proficiency with most firearms, he has little difficulty distinguishing himself as a member of the NSS. Assuming the code name "TK1" during operations, he is frequently paired with his brother and colleague Jin Sa-woo.

• Kim Tae-hee as Choi Seung-hee

Ranked as a "Team Leader" within the NSS, Seung-hee is an expert profiler that assisted the second-in-command, Park Sang-hyun, with recruiting Kim Hyun-jun and, more directly, Jin Sa-woo. Admired for her beauty and perspicacity, Seung-hee is universally liked within the organization and remains very close with fellow NSS member Yang Jung-in.

• Jung Joon-ho as Jin Sa-woo

A friend that has grown up alongside Hyun-jun, Sa-woo is the more level-headed and responsible of the two. As members of the Special Forces, they often found themselves in fierce competitions, and after joining the NSS, find themselves competing for the affection of Choi Seung-hee. In accordance with Hyun-jun's code name, he becomes known as "TK2".

• Kim Seung-woo as Pak Chol-yong

A seasoned and steadfast supporter of the WPK, Pak Chol-yong is the head of the North Korean security team responsible for escorting and protecting heads of state on diplomatic missions. He first encounters Kim Hyun-jun as they are caught in a political impasse in Hungary—one that leaves Pak and his entire team at the mercy of their superiors should they not resolve the situation quickly in their favor.

• Kim So-yeon as Kim Son-hwa

Despite being one of very few females to achieve her status, Kim Son-hwa has gained the trust and acknowledgment of her colleagues in the North Korean security forces. As a subordinate of Pak Chol-yong and a ranking officer in his security outfit, she has great admiration for her superior and harbors deep resentment for the South. She falls in love with Hyun-jun, who showed her mercy.

• T.O.P. as Vick

A mysterious assassin working for an even more mysterious organization, Vick answers to a man known only as "Mr. Black." Though of apparent Korean descent, his actual origins are unknown and he communicates fluently in both English and Korean. Often, he is responsible for eliminating political targets and retrieving, as well as destroying, sensitive information at the behest of his superiors.

The NSS is headed by Baek San (Kim Yeong-cheol), its standing deputy director only in title and the man responsible for the recruiting of Hyun-jun and Sa-woo. The named director of the NSS comes and goes with each change of power in the presidency, but it is the deputy director that oversees the organization. Baek San's motivations for many of his actions are mysterious, occasionally outright inconsistent with that of the general national interests. Due to the very existence of the organization being kept secret, he enjoys a state of personal protection that few others do.

While Baek San oversees the organization, the acting chief director, Park Sang-hyun (Yoon Je-moon), is the general supervisor and runs the daily operations of the NSS. He fabricated the understanding but also intransigent where failures are concerned, often personally dealing with each and every agent. For field assignments, he watches over and commands all missions set domestically.

Many of the NSS agents have close personal ties to one another, and the floor supervisor and head of security resources, Yang Jung-in (Kim Hye-jin), is no exception. She is often viewed as a dependable and accommodating authority figure and remains a very close friend to colleague Choi Seung-Hee.

Being the South's first line of defense against foreign threats, the NSS houses technology unavailable to their sister intelligence agencies. The two primary tech agents, Yang Mi-jung (Juni) and Hwang Tae-sung (Na Yoon), are often responsible for ensuring field agents have all that is required to see their missions through. Mi-jung does not meet the expected conventions of someone involved in national intelligence. Given that her sense of fashion and general interests are more contemporary than that of her associates, she often stands out from the others, but her status as the top hacker in Korea has made her irreplaceable. Still, Tae-sung remains the more perdurable of the two and is often instrumental in the success of a number of operations.

The forensics and scientific investigations section is headed by Oh Hyun-ku (Yoon Joo-sang), an eccentric that is the eldest of the general staff. He often exhibits a fatherly relationship with many of the agents, including Mi-jung and Seung-hee.

Due to the overarching plot of the series involving the disputes inherent to the Korean Peninsula and the intricacies of the foreign relations between the North and South, the Blue House and its primary staff are featured prominently throughout. The candidate that wins the election and assumes office is eventual President of South Korea Cho Myung-ho (Lee Jung-gil). His administration begins with his undertaking the grand task of forwarding talks of reunification between the North and South after witnessing the grim reality that is the struggle between the two nations. With strong ambitions, he leads diplomatic outreaches with the North that no one expected of a candidate so early in his term.

President Cho's chief advisor and head of his cabinet is Jung Jyun-jun (Jung Han-yong), and is one of the few around him that the president feels he can trust with any information, no matter how sensitive it may be. Later in the series, he becomes the only reliable lifeline the president has against the influence of sabotage originating inside and outside the Blue House.

The secretary to the president, Hong Soo-jin (Myung Ji-yun), tends to find herself at odds with the chief advisor. She rarely speaks her mind freely and appears to have allegiances beyond those that are already apparent.

Given the wide range of countries the characters find themselves in throughout the story, a number of recurring characters arise from countries outside of Korea.

Early in the series, Hyun-jun and Seung-hee encounter a young Japanese schoolgirl while in Akita by the name of Yuki (Karen Miyama). Her family operates one of the tourist traps nearby, and she exhibits affection for Hyun-jun and attempts to find herself in his company as much as possible. Later, it is Hyun-jun that needs her, as Yuki and her family help him when he needs them most.

When Hyun-jun finds himself tangled in a political web while in Japan, he crosses paths with Eriko Sato (Yoo Min). A Japanese woman with the country's national intelligence agency, Sato is charged with investigating foreign threats that find themselves on Japanese soil.

Based on the general concept of the 1999 film Shiri,[4] Iris was first revealed in 2008 by its production company Taewon Entertainment and attracted wide attention due to its record budget and star power.[5][6][7] Kang Je-gyu, the director of Shiri, was involved with initially developing the project for television,[8] which would later be directed by Kim Kyu-tae and Yang Yun-ho.

Written by Kim Hyun-jun, Jo Gyu-won, and Kim Jae-un,[9] the series began pre-production without the backing of a Korean broadcaster in an attempt to spark a bidding war amongst potential suitors.[8]

On April 18, 2008, it was announced that Lee Byung-hun had been cast in the lead role.[8] It was to be Lee's first television role since 2003 after a five-year hiatus to focus on film roles, including the 2009 film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which had been filming at the time of the announcement.[10] Lee's salary was the third highest in the history of Korean television dramas, amounting to ₩100 million ($90,000 USD) per episode and was six times greater than that of the Korean industry guideline. His salary was inclusive of an overhead deal of ₩1.5 billion won (US$1.35 million) in guarantees due to his namesake drawing potential investors, particularly in Japan, and opportunities in other overseas markets.[11][12]

The production company announced on June 24 that Big Bang member T.O.P would be starring alongside Lee as an assassin and the recurring antagonist of the series.[13] It was announced on October 10 that Kim Tae-hee, known for her roles in Forbidden Love and Stairway to Heaven, had been cast as the female lead in the series. Like Lee, she had not worked in television for several years and had been working in film prior to accepting the role.[14]

Pre-production continued on Iris as it drew increasing attention not only in Korea but also in Japan due to Lee's involvement.[15] Kim Seung-woo and Jung Joon-ho were also cast as the head of the North Korean security team and Kim Hyun-jun's lifelong friend, respectively.[16]

The large budget and notable talent for the project made it difficult for the production company to secure directors willing to take on the series, causing 2009 to begin with a brief stir of media attention.[17] Shortly thereafter, Taewon announced that the search was over and Kim Kyu-tae and Yang Yun-ho would be helming the series.[18] Simultaneously, KBS was announced as the South Korean broadcaster. Later in the month, on February 19, Kim So-yeon was cast as a North Korean agent.[19]

The first filmed scenes of Iris were shot in Akita, Japan on March 10, 2009.[20] Lee Byung-hun's popularity in Japan caused the series and its production to gain immediate notability in the country.[21] Lee's filming was often shadowed by fans, beginning with thousands greeting him at Akita Airport upon his arrival.[20] Due to several pivotal moments of the series being filmed in the prefecture, Akita soon experienced a surge of Korean tourists going on tours tailored to followers of the show.[22][23][24] The crew went on to shoot in Japan for three weeks and left the country on March 28.[25]

With its unprecedented budget, IRIS was able to pioneer several firsts for Korean television dramas, particularly with its large scale action sequences. Throughout filming, the actors were often responsible for filming their own stunts and action sequences, including Lee Byung-hun jumping from the 130 meter-tall Tamagawa Dam in Semboku, Akita.[26][27] To prepare for the demanding physical requirements of the series, several members of the primary cast, including Kim Tae-hee, underwent special training to lend authenticity to the action.[26] During a break in filming, Lee Byung-hun appeared at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in support of the production in May.[28] A press conference was also held later in the month with the entire finalized cast of the series.[26]

The next international shoot commenced on June 9 in Hungary. Shot in and around Budapest and other locales, the filming lasted for one month before the cast and crew returned to Korea.[29] In late July, it was announced that IRIS would air on Wednesdays and Thursdays on KBS2, for premiere on October 14.[30] Filming continued throughout the year and, on October 5, a production press conference was held for the Korean and world media just over a week prior to the series premiere.[31]

Filming continued after the premiere of the series. On November 29, 2009, the filming crew took over a section of Sejong-ro at Gwanghwamun Plaza, Seoul for twelve hours to film lengthy gunfight scenes.[32] The five lanes along the plaza in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts were closed to traffic for filming from 07:00 to 19:00. This marks the first time the Seoul Metropolitan Government has granted permission to block traffic along the Plaza for filming as a part of Government's plans to promote the city's major tourist attractions.[33][34]

The IRIS original soundtrack was released as a 16-track album on November 13, 2009, with music composed by Yi Dong-jun and Choe Seong-gwon. The soundtrack contained a number of the vocal themes used in the series, including those by Baek Ji-young, Shin Seung-hun, and Big Bang.[35][36]

On December 24, a limited edition was released as a two-disc set with a 76-page photobook. The first disc contained ten vocal themes, four of which were used in the second half of the series and not included on the original release. The second disc collected fifteen instrumentals used as backdrops during the show's run, including four not on the previous collection.[37]

In the week preceding the premiere of Iris on Japanese television, it was announced that Big Bang would be contributing an all-new ballad to be inserted into the TBS airings. Titled "Tell Me Goodbye," the song was released as a single in the country on June 9, 2010,[38] and was available in both a CD and a CD & DVD edition.[39]

Coinciding with the initial broadcast of the series in Japan, a deluxe soundtrack box-set was released on May 26, 2010 by Being Inc.[40] In addition to featuring thirteen vocal themes and nineteen instrumentals on two discs, the release includes a 72-page photobook adapted from the previous Korean release and a DVD of music videos used to promote the series. Those featured were "Hallelujah" by Big Bang, "Don't Forget" by Baek Ji-young, and "Love of Iris" by Shin Seung-hun.[39]

A two-volume novelization was published prior to and during the show's initial run. Written by Chae Woo-do, the first volume was published on October 12, 2009, two days prior to the show's premiere on KBS.[41] The second volume was published exactly one month later on November 12,[42] and, unlike its predecessor, did not follow the eventual plot of the television series.[43][44][45]

In July 2010, it was confirmed that an IRIS graphic novel was in the works for a Fall 2011 release. Reports of the project, which features the likenesses of Lee Byung-hun and Kim Tae-hee, date back to August 2009, prior to the series airing.[46] Launching first in Japan and later in Korea, the graphic novel retained the relationship between the male and female leads but deviates from the scenarios featured in the original story.[47]

Iris was released on Region 3 DVD in South Korea on February 12, 2010 in an 8-disc set, complete with English subtitles. The first pressing included a 50-page photobook with previously unpublished photographs from the production of the series.[48][49]

Earlier, on November 27, 2009, a 100-minute making-of documentary titled IRIS Navigate DVD was released for the Japanese market, documenting the filming of the series in Hungary, Japan, and Korea.[50]

The full series is set to be released over two uncut DVD box-sets in Japan. The first was announced for a July 2, 2010 release and retails for 19,950 yen (US$212), with the second following on September 15. On August 3, 2010, the first volume was released on Blu-ray with the second set to follow on October 20, both priced at 25,200 yen (US$268). The first pressings included replica NSS ID cards, a postcard set, a bonus disc, and a 24-page data booklet.[39][51]

In addition, two behind-the-scenes production diary box-sets began to be issued in Japan beginning June 16, 2010. The first follows the cast's filming in Akita and Hungary while the second tracks their work in Korea and was released September 15.[39][51]