Prison is where those convicted of breaking the law are forcibly confined. But what if they could freely move in and out of their cells to the outside world to commit crimes?

The new Korean crime thriller "The Prison," coming out next month, is based on this premise.

"The idea abruptly sprang into my mind," its director Na Hyun said during a news conference for film at a cinema in southern Seoul on Tuesday. "I then began writing a draft of the screenplay, asking myself that if a prime suspect in the case is an inmate, would there be any alibi more perfect than this?"

After writing the draft in just two weeks, the director praised himself as a "genius." But with so many details to handle, it took two more years to complete the final version, he confessed.

The crime thriller marks the directorial debut of Na, a veteran screenwriter with 10 titles under his belt including "Mokpo, Gangster's Paradise" (2004), "May 18" (2007), "Forever The Moment" (2008) and "South Bound" (2013).

The movie also drew media attention for being the first encounter between the veteran actor Han Suk-kyu and the young heartthrob Kim Rae-won on the screen.

Han plays Ik-ho, an inmate who lords over the prison and plots "perfect" crimes with other inmates. For Han, Ik-ho is the most evil character of his 27-year-long acting career. He most recently was a legendary surgeon in "Dr. Romantic," a high-rated SBS medical series that was shown from last November till last month.

"What came to my mind after the first reading of the screenplay was that it would be a really difficult character to portray," Han said. "I was wondering why the director insisted I take the role even though I felt like 'these clothes are not mine.' I was instinctively afraid."

Drawn by the film's attractive story with a unique subject matter and theme, however, the 52-year-old actor decided to take the challenge.

The first thing Han had to throw away for the role was his soft image and trademark deep, low-toned voice.

"The fact that audiences are familiar with actor Han Suk-kyu can serve as both an advantage and a disadvantage. But I thought this would serve as a disadvantage in delivering the character Ik-ho," said the top movie star of the 1990s. He is best known for "Green Fish" (1997), "The Contact" (1997), "Christmas in August" (1998) and "Swiri" (1999).

Kim, a teacher-turned-neurosurgeon who falls in love with his former student in the SBS TV series "Doctors," delivers a full-action performance as a merciless ex-cop in "The Prison."

Ex-cop Yu-geon goes undercover to discover the secret behind his brother's death.


"I thought 'that's it' upon reading the screenplay. The character was very attractive, and, above all, I was drawn to the fact that I was going to work with Han," he said, adding that he had longed for a chance to work with the famed actor for many years. (Yonhap)