Kim Tae-ri to portray aspiring singer in ‘Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born’

The poster of ‘Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born’. Image: Courtesy of Disney+ Korea

After portraying a fencer and public prosecutor in her past K-dramas, Kim Tae-ri will play an aspiring singer living in post-war South Korea in “Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born.”

Kim’s casting was announced in a press statement from a Korean streaming service, with the K-drama set to premiere on Oct. 12. She will be joined by Shin Ye-eun, Ra Mi-ran as Kang So-bok, Jung Eun-chae, and Kim Yoon-hye.

Set after the Korean War in the 1950s, Kim will star as Yoon Jeong-nyeon, an aspiring singer who’s determined to “beat the odds and become the best performer.”

“Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born” is based on the 2019 webtoon “Jeong Nyeon,” and tells the story of Yoon who will compete with fellow aspiring singers, including her biggest rival Heo Yeong-seo (Shin Ye-eun), to be the best singer in Korean classical opera.

Coming from Mokpo, South Korea, Yoon enters Seoul to be a trainee of the Maerang Gukgeuk-dan (or a theater company). She is described as a pansori (Korean folk style) genius, with a dream to make a mark in changgeuk, a genre of traditional Korean opera.

Kim is an award-winning actress known for her lead roles in the K-dramas “Twenty-Five, Twenty-One,” “Mr. Sunshine,” and “Revenant.” She also gained widespread acclaim for starring in the films “The Handmaiden” and “1987: When the Day Comes.”