Netflix Leans On Japanese-Korean Connection For ‘Soul Mate’; Ok Taec-yeon & Hayato Isomura To Star
Ok Taec-yeon and Hayato Isomura in 'Soul Mate' Netflix
A decade-long love story of two young men is the subject of Netflix‘s latest Asian series, Soul Mate.
The drama stars Japanese actor Hayato Isomura and Korean singer-actor Ok Taec-yeon from boyband 2PM, and will follow their enduring relationship despite the distance. It begins when Rye Narutaki (Isomura), who left everything in Japan, is saved by a boxer named Johan Hwang (Ok) in a foreign land.
“We arrived at the ultimate destiny story, where people from different cultures and backgrounds meet in a foreign land and their lives intersect,” said Ota. “The story, filled with life’s joys and pains, combined with the exceptional performances from Isomura and Taec-yeon, will warm the hearts of viewers.”
The series is the second Japan-Korea collaboration of 2024 for Netflix. As we revealed a month ago, the streamer is also adapting 2011 French film Les Émotifs Anonymes (Romantics Anonymous), with Shun Oguri (Godzilla vs. Kong), Han Hyo-Joo (Moving), Yuri Nakamura and Jin Akanishi starring. A Korean production house, Yong Films, is making the romantic drama in Japan.
Korea and Japan remain central to Netflix’s strategy in Asia, with both countries in the midst of global cultural booms — Korea through K-drama and the K-pop world Ok hails from and Japan through anime.