SBS’ new television series “It’s Okay, That’s Love” aims to break the prejudice against the mentally ill, screenwriter Noh Hee-kyung said in a press conference held at Imperial Palace Seoul Hotel in Gangnam District, Tuesday.

Starring actor Jo In-sung and actress Gong Hyo-jin, “It’s Okay, That’s Love” portrays a love story between a romantic detective novelist and a cold-chic psychiatrist.

“I wanted to break the (social) bias about the people whom we normally call ‘retard’ or ‘creep’… I think it is violence in a different form.

“About 80 percent of the whole nation has some mental illness symptoms, and about 20 percent should consider taking prescribed medication… It came to my attention that people seem to equate mentally ill people with criminals,” the writer added, calling mental illness “the influenza of the mind.”

Similarly, director Kim Gyu-tae stressed the heart-touching aspect of “It’s Okay, That’s Love” in addition to “the fun and exciting factors of a (classic) rom-com.” 

The rom-com portrays the irony of present day people who freak out about a small boo-boo while painfully in anguish from the scars of the mind.

Jang Jae-yeol, played by Jo, is a handsome mystery writer and radio DJ in his early 30s. He is normal in almost everything except -- he cannot sleep in beds and is obsessed with certain colors. He gains huge popularity as a writer, thanks to the abounding erotic expressions and vivid description of brutal scenes in his books. He is also a co-landowner with the drama’s heroine, Hae-su.

Ji Hae-su, played by Gong, is a seemingly chic, hysterical but soft-hearted psychiatrist, also in her early 30s, who works in a university hospital. While her excellent performance is acknowledged by many, she cannot help wondering if she really fits into the job.

The Korean drama will be aired simultaneously in Korea and China on July 23 at 10 p.m., on Korean television broadcaster SBS and Chinese video platforms Youku and Tudou.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)