Lim Ji Yeon’s 17-Year Age Gap With New K-Drama Lead Leaves Netizens Grossed Out

Actress Lim Ji Yeon’s upcoming project has come under heavy scrutiny after it was revealed that the age gap between her and her male lead could possibly be 17 years!

On November 20, KST, Star Today, and OSEN reported that Lim Ji Yeon and industry veteran Lee Jung Jae are in the process of being cast as the leads in an upcoming K-Drama called Yalmiun Sarang (literal translation: “Cheeky Love”). The show is said to be written by Heong Yeo Rang, the genius writer who recently marked her debut with Doctor Cha.

As per OSEN, Lee Jung Jae has recently received the script and is positively considering the lead role. If the casting is finalized, this show would mark the veteran actor’s comeback to K-Drama after five years. The last time he appeared in a K-Drama was in 2019 on JTBC’s Chief of Staff, excluding the Netflix original series Squid Game.

The role offered to Lee is that of Im Hyun Joon, a celebrated actor who is known for his detective roles but harbors the dream of becoming the king of rom-coms. Lim Ji Yeon’s character, Wi Jung Sook, is an accomplished political journalist with an eight-year-long career behind her and a prestigious Journalist of the Year award under her belt. The two cross paths after Wi Jung Sook is demoted to the entertainment department for investigating corruption.

Though the drama is expected to begin filming next year, this casting news has already made it a hot issue in Korean online communities. Netizens are mostly put off by the fact that Lee Jung Jae, the 51-year-old actor, will be cast as the lead of Lim Ji Yeon, the 34-year-old actress.

• “A rom-com???”
• “Isn’t Lee Jung Jae a bit too old to be considering a rom-com?… The age difference is too much.”
• “This is pushing it…”
• “The two will play a couple…? I don’t think it will be relatable, though?”
• “It’s not that the two are gross. But the fact that they are going to act in a rom-com despite their huge age difference is kind of gross.”
• “The age difference is an overkill.”