iQiyi Original Korean drama series “Jirisan”starring Gianna Jun and Ju Ji-hoon, and created by director Lee Eung-bok (“Descendants of The Sun,” “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God”) and writer Kim Eun-hee (“Signal,” “Kingdom”) premieres on October 23, Saturday, on iQiyi, simulcast with Korea,

iQiyi released new stills yesterday spotlighting the moment Gianna Jun and Ju Ji-hoon first meet, with the latter not even having enough time to change out of his formal wear before scrambling on a mission with the park rangers as a rookie. The intertwined destinies of the lead characters set out from that moment on.

In “Jirisan,” Ju Ji-hoon stars as Kang Hyun-jo, a former army officer out of the military academy, who arrives at Jirisan National Park as a new ranger, but keeps a secret. Asked to describe his role, the actor said: As the youngest among the park rangers, Kang Hyun-jo likes ‘people’. He came from Seoul to Jirisan because of ‘people’, he possesses greater perseverance and sense of responsibility to help those in need, than others.

Ju Ji-Hoon also talked about his meeting the show creatives to chat and shape his character. Believing in immersing in shoot locations to act well, Ju Ji-hoon said that in the summer before production commenced, he visited Jirisan also in part to help the busy Kim Eun-hee feel rejuvenated. On that trip, they shared many stories from in and out of the production, which turned out to be great help to Ju Ji-hoon shaping his role.

Building fans’ anticipation for his latest series return with Jirisan, Ju Ji-hoon said, “In my career to date, this is the role with the most unique character, job and setting. There are many firsts for me and it can be regarded as my ‘brand new look’.”

In addition to Gianna Jun, Ju Ji-hoon, Sung Dong-il, Oh Jung-se and Cho Han-cheul playing rangers of the Jirisan National Park Haedong branch office, Joo Min-kyung and Go Min-si are also core team members. Joo plays Lee Yang-sun, an administrative employee supporting the rangers, while Go Min-si is also a rookie ranger who adds freshness to the team of seven protecting those in need on Jirisan. Jeon Seok-ho is in the role of police officer Kim Eung-soon while Lee Ga-sub plays park volunteer Kim Sol, both of whom work often with the rangers in search and rescue.

“Jirisan” follows the team of national park rangers who are responsible for search and rescue on Jirisan. Experienced ranger (played by Gianna Jun) and rookie ranger (played by Ju Ji-hoon) are set to unravel the secrets of the peak. The iQiyi Original K-series will exclusively simulcast with Korea from October 23rd,with new episodes airing Saturdays and Sundays at 8pm on iQiyi International app or iQ.com worldwide.

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