‘Race’ to offer realistic, relatable stories of office life

Disney+ seeks to entertain viewers with realistic stories that unfold inside a public relations firm in its upcoming series, "Race."

The global streamer’s project helmed by director Lee Dong-yun centers around an office worker, Park Yoon-jo (played by Lee Yeon-hee), who becomes the newest member of a top public relations company in South Korea.

“When I read the script, I felt that the troubles and concerns of office workers, who are around my age, were realistically featured,” actor Lee Yeon-hee, 35, said during an online press conference on Monday.

“And I wished to present the stories of office workers these days,” Lee said, adding that she feels that her upcoming series will offer sympathy and consolation.

While many local drama fans consider tvN’s 2014 series “Misaeng: Incomplete Life” to be the best office drama yet, the director said that “Race” will catch the viewers' attention with its unique charm.

“‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life’ was a great example when I was trying to create a realistic office drama. But ‘Misaeng’ depicts the lives of employees as they take place in Korean companies in general. ‘Race’ heavily focuses on the PR specialists and their own unique stories,” the director explained.

“We worked a lot on the details to bring the series as close as we can to the daily lives of the office workers on a PR team,” Lee added, believing that the viewers can look forward and easily relate to the upcoming series.

The actor also shared that she tried her best to understand a PR professional’s life by asking her acquaintances and reading books by PR experts.

“I came to understand the difficulties in their work. I think they are very confident individuals, who feel great joy after completing their projects,” Lee said.

“Choosing what to eat for lunch -- which is considered the most important task for Korean office workers -- has become my biggest concern these days. I tried to show these types of characteristics of PR specialists in ‘Race,’” the actor said.

Twelve-part office drama “Race” is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on Wednesday.