SEOUL – The South Korean director of Goodbye Earth said he never doubted that the show would make it to screens.

The Netflix series was embroiled in controversy ahead of its release, after its star – South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in – was indicted on drug charges in October 2023.

“Although there was a significant amount of waiting time, I never doubted that this series would be revealed,” director Kim Jin-min told reporters at a press conference in Seoul on April 19.

Initially scheduled for release at the end of 2023, the series is now slated to begin on April 26.

The 52-year-old admitted that completely omitting Yoo’s part was difficult because he belonged to a major plot in the series.

“When the news about Yoo broke, I was in the middle of editing the third episode. Coincidentally, it was a time when I thought I wanted to edit the story all over again, after understanding new, important parts in the later episodes. So I edited as a whole,” Kim said.

Yoo, 37, had completed shooting for his main role in Goodbye Earth in 2022. His trial on illegal drug use is still under way.

After significantly omitting Yoo’s part, Goodbye Earth now focuses on Se-kyung (Ahn Eun-jin), a school teacher who tries to save people stranded on the Korean Peninsula with only 200 days left before an asteroid hits the Earth. She is also the lover of laboratory researcher Yoon-sang (Yoo).

Goodbye Earth is based on the Japanese fantasy novel Shumatsu No Furu by Kotaro Isaka.

“This is a unique dystopian genre series, which sets characters heading towards dystopia. It’s not about their struggle for survival, but something that asks, ‘What would you do when you have 200 days to live?’” said Kim.

“The main idea is that for people, from four- to 80-year-olds, life is equally blessed and precious.”

Kim, who also helmed the hit Netflix series Extracurricular (2020) and My Name (2021), added: “This is the most philosophical work that I’ve produced.”

Ahn, 32, who won global popularity for starring in the Korean period drama My Dearest (2023) and medical drama Hospital Playlist (2020-2021), said she felt a sense of duty while shooting.

“In my role as a teacher, I spent a lot of time with young actors who played students. I held their hands tightly while shooting, and although it was just acting, I felt a great sense of duty that I should protect them,” said the South Korean actress. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK