Kim Young-ok to lead ensemble cast in new drama 'Mom's Crazy'

Centered around actress Kim Young-ok, Yang Hee-kyung, Lee Han-wi, Nam Seong-jin, Jo Mi-ryung, Kang Eun-tak, Gong Jeong-hwan, and Ahn Yeon-hong will join the new KBS 1TV daily drama 'Mom's Crazy' (working title). Focusing on the conflicts that arise when characters who sacrificed their lives for their families clash with those who lived only for themselves, the drama is expected to provide a modern interpretation of traditional family drama themes such as blood ties, desire, forgiveness, and growth.

The production team of the new KBS 1TV daily drama 'Mom's Crazy' revealed the casting lineup of the eight main actors on the 20th. Following the confirmed appearances of Jung Min-ah, Dong Ha, Kim Hee-jung, and Kang Kyeong-heon, the addition of Kim Young-ok, Yang Hee-kyung, Lee Han-wi, Nam Seong-jin, Jo Mi-ryung, Kang Eun-tak, Gong Jeong-hwan, and Ahn Yeon-hong completes a robust ensemble of characters with diverse generations and personalities.

'Mom's Crazy' depicts the turbulent growth of a family as a mother who lived only for her family her whole life meets a mother who prioritized her own life, along with their children who are like enemies to one another. Rather than simply dividing characters into good and evil, the work looks into the essence of family relationships through the process of colliding wounds and desires.

At the center of the drama is Hwang Geum-soon, played by Kim Young-ok.

Kim takes on the role of Hwang Geum-soon, the mother of Cha In-seong (Nam Seong-jin) and the paternal grandmother of Cha Seung-yun (Dong Ha). As the founder of Hwang Geum Capital, Hwang is a figure who moved to the capital alone with her two sons in her youth and built her business through her own strength.

However, the price of success was harsh. After losing her eldest son and his wife in a car accident, all that remains for Hwang is her grandson, Cha Seung-yun. To protect him, she stakes everything she owns and even 'decides to become a fool.'

This setting aligns exquisitely with the image of actress Kim Young-ok. Having played mothers, grandmothers, and sometimes strong women guarding the center of the family in Korean dramas for decades, Kim will not merely remain a sacrificial elderly woman in this work, but will play a complex character who strategically changes herself to protect her family.

Yang Hee-kyung transforms into another central pillar of the family, Choi Soon-deok.

Choi is the mother of Kang Hak-seong (Lee Han-wi) and the mother-in-law of Jo Mi-mi (Kim Hee-jung). As the founder of 'Mimi's Samgyetang,' she is a strong individual who continues to guard the kitchen despite suffering from arthritis and neuralgia.

She is particularly decisive, to the point of kicking her only son, Kang, out of the house and handing over both the restaurant and the house to her daughter-in-law, Jo, after he has an affair. However, no matter how much a mother-in-law cherishes her daughter-in-law, she cannot completely overcome the barrier of blood ties. As a crack forms in her relationship with Jo due to an unexpected incident, complex emotional waves rise within Choi as well.

Lee Han-wi plays Kang Hak-seong, who abandons his family and returns late.

Kang is Jo's ex-husband and a taxi driver. In the past, he was a successful executive at a large corporation, but he left his family after having an affair with Park Ji-young (Jo Mi-ryung). After time passes, he returns to make amends for his mistakes after realizing the importance of family.

However, restoring the already broken trust of the family is not easy. Kang's return is expected to lead to questions of how to handle the responsibility for past choices in his current life, rather than being a simple reconciliation.

Nam Seong-jin plays Cha In-seong, the son of Hwang and the husband of Jeon Jin-hee (Kang Kyeong-heon). As the CEO of Hwang Geum Capital, Cha is a romanticist with composure and filial piety, but cracks appear in his peaceful life when he discovers his wife's hidden secret.

To trust a family is also to accept the possibility of being hurt by them. The tension in the drama will likely be formed by the choices Cha makes as he faces the truth of the family he believed in.

Jo Mi-ryung plays Park Ji-young, whose direction of desire is clear. As Kang's wife, Park is a survival-oriented character who considers her own emotions and well-being above all else. In particular, she harbors the desire to marry her daughter into the Hwang Geum family to achieve social advancement, which is expected to constantly create new conflicts within the family.

Kang Eun-tak appears as Kang Gang-nam, the eldest son of Jo. After experiencing business failure and divorce, he ends up living at his mother's house, and he attempts to break away from a life of relying on his family to finally take responsibility for his own life.

Kang's story directly connects to the theme of 'family growth' presented in the work. As he realizes that a family cannot always serve as a safety net, his character's transformation will begin as he attempts to stand on his own.

Gong Jeong-hwan plays Ju Kyeong-ho, Jo's romantic interest and Hwang's personal physician. Ju is a man who has maintained a connection with Hwang after losing his wife and young daughter in an accident.

Becoming a regular customer through the Samgyetang provided by Jo, he eventually becomes her lover. The process of these two individuals with different scars forming an unexpected relationship is expected to create another emotional axis amidst the family conflicts.

Ahn Yeon-hong plays Jo's younger sister and a cook at 'Mimi's Samgyetang.' While she has a somewhat immature personality, giving everything to the man she loves, she is a reliable sister to her older sibling. Through this quirky and lovely character, she is expected to bring vitality to the heavy family conflicts.

One of the greatest strengths of this production is the combination of veteran actors centered around Kim Young-ok and Yang Hee-kyung. In family dramas, the presence of seasoned actors carries weight beyond mere supporting roles. As characters who embody family history appear, the drama's conflicts can expand beyond personal emotions into a clash of generational values.

'Mom's Crazy' also develops its story by juxtaposing the differing family values of two mothers. The choices of Hwang, who sacrificed herself for her family, and Choi, who also sacrificed for her family, clash with Park, who prioritizes her own desires, Kang, who seeks to undo past mistakes, and the younger generation preparing for independence.

Ultimately, in this work, 'mothers' are not just biological figures, but symbols of the price paid to maintain the relationship known as family. Some abandon themselves for love, some abandon family for desire, and others knock on the door of the family again to make amends for past wrongs.

The production team stated, "Actors with diverse personalities and stories, including Kim Young-ok and Yang Hee-kyung, are coming together in one work to vividly bring their characters to life. The process of characters entangled in the name of family clashing and then joining hands to change their relationships will be the great joy of this work."

'Mom's Crazy' is scheduled to air this September, following 'Our Happy Days.' With a cast of distinctive actors including Kim Young-ok and Yang Hee-kyung, who have long been at the center of Korean family dramas, attention is focused on how they will reinterpret the familiar themes of generations and family.