SBS' thriller series 'Connection' deals with society's rising pain: drugs

SBS's new thriller drama series "Connection" will aim to raise awareness about drug use in Korean society by dealing with destructive effects of drugs -- a sensitive subject for terrestrial television.

"Connection" is a 16-part series that narrates the story of Jang Jae-kyung (played by Ji Sung), a detective specialized in catching drug criminals, who becomes forcibly addicted to drugs by an unidentified person.

The series' director, Kim Mun-kyo, said he aimed to shed light on the destructive effects of drug use via the series.

"Drug use is a timely topic to discuss in the contemporary era, but a difficult topic to deal with on broadcasting channels," said Kim during a press conference held in Mok-dong, Seoul, Friday.

"Instead of mimicking and showcasing the momentary pleasure that drugs can provide, we aimed to portray drug use as a type of sickness. We decided to take a bold approach in expressing this aspect, and depicted drug addiction like a serious condition," he said.

Kwak Tae-keun, more popularly known by his stage name Ji Sung, said he put in diverse efforts to realistically portray a drug addict.

"Raising kids, I gained a lot of weight, to the point when I weighed about 85 kilograms. However, I lost 15 kilograms over two months in order to effectively portray a person addicted to drugs," said Ji Sung.

"Also, when I perform as Jae-kyung on-screen, instead of spitting out breaths when speaking, I tried to take in breaths, in efforts to depict a person who is suffering from the pain of being addicted to drugs. I experienced fits of hyperventilation, trying to perform this during shooting," he said.

Ji Sung added the drama series reflects the hypothetical scenario of "What if I were forcibly addicted to drugs by someone?"

"I think it was a scenario that all viewers might consider at least once. The drama series doesn't offer a solution to the societal problems raised by drugs, but through telling (stories and choices made by) Jang Jae-kyung, it can provide some courage within our (drug-ridden) society," he said.

The first episode of "Connection" will air on SBS on Friday, 10 p.m.