"Twenty Five Twenty One" Actress Kim Tae Ri Addresses The K-Drama's "Romance With A Minor" Controversy

Recently, tvN‘s Twenty Five Twenty One was criticized for allegedly “idealizing” and “justifying” romance between an adult and a minor.

The story followed the relationship of Baek Yi Jin (played by Nam Joo Hyuk) and Na Hee Do (played by Kim Tae Ri). Not only did the two have a four-year age gap, Hee Do was still underaged when Yi Jin confessed his feelings.

Nam Joo Hyuk (left) and Kim Tae Ri (right) | *tvN*

Actress Kim Tae Ri sat down for an interview following the K-Drama’s conclusion. She shared her opinion on the ending, praised co-star Nam Joo Hyuk, reminisced on her first love, and commented on the controversy.

When asked about the age gap relationship, she revealed that “[she] knew about it” when she accepted the role. However, she argued that the drama’s cast, scriptwriter, and director all engaged in many discussions about it.

She added that they were careful with how they approached the sensitive topic.

The scriptwriter, director, and cast all discussed it in great detail and approached it with care.

— Kim Tae Ri

Kim Tae Ri went on to describe how she focused on portraying Hee Do’s growth between her teen days and her early 20s. She struggled to show the changes in Hee Do’s personality as she matured, asking herself if Hee Do would really act in that manner.

I thought a lot about at which point Hee Do should start ‘acting differently’ or show changes [in personality]. I struggled with that and even asked myself at times, ‘Is this really what Hee Do would do?‘

— Kim Tae Ri

Our Heedo.. is an adult now.. 🥲❤#TwentyFiveTwentyOne #KimTaeRi pic.twitter.com/yKpGWjxb1P

— Touché by Tae Ri (@taeri_yeosin) March 29, 2022

When faced with her dilemma, it was Nam Joo Hyuk who helped her come to a realization. His advice was that people do not drastically change as they age. Ultimately, barring a few differences, they are still the same person.

Thanks to Nam Joo Hyuk, Kim Tae Ri was able to approach her character’s growth in a more natural way.

But then Nam Joo Hyuk told me, ‘People don’t change by a lot only because they age.’ And I agreed. I mean, I aged and I may have become different in bits but what I have in my core has not changed.

So I realized Hee Do’s identity, her ‘core,’ won’t change. Approaching the character that way made it a lot easier and a lot more natural.

— Kim Tae Ri