Go Youn-jung Joins Lee Byung-hun in Period Action Film "Nambeol"

Actress Go Youn-jung has been cast in the upcoming Korean film "Nambeol," lining up a screen pairing with veteran actor Lee Byung-hun. The project is the directorial debut of cinematographer Lee Mo-gae, and Go will play a hardened female warrior.

"Nambeol" is a hard-boiled martial arts action film set in the early Joseon era. It follows nine warriors of varying skills and social ranks who travel to Tsushima Island to rescue prisoners abducted by Japanese pirates.

Lee Byung-hun was previously cast as Im Eok, the leader of the warrior group. Go joins the project as Ae-ryeong, a woman who loses her family to a pirate raid and enters the battlefield herself to save her younger sibling held captive on Tsushima. The character is a determined, self-driven figure who carries much of the film's emotional weight through a turbulent era.

Go has built a career that moves between action and drama across a string of high-profile projects, including the series "Sweet Home," "Alchemy of Souls," "Moving," "Resident Playbook," "Can This Love Be Translated?" (I Sarang Tongyeok Doenayo?), "We Are All Trying Here" (Moduga Jasinui Mugachihameul Ssauko Itda), and the film "Hunt." In "Nambeol," she is expected to break from the conventions of Korean period drama through a female character built on her own agency.

Director Lee Mo-gae is one of Korea's most accomplished cinematographers, with credits on "12.12: The Day", "Exhuma," "Hunt," "Yadang: The Snitch", and "Emergency Declaration." He won Best Art at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards in the film category and the cinematography and lighting prize at the Blue Dragon Film Awards. His debut feature is expected to bring that visual scale to a full-blown action canvas.

Production is handled by Hive Media Corp, the company behind "12.12: The Day," "Harbin," "Deliver Us from Evil," "The Man Standing Next," "Inside Men," and the Disney+ series "Made in Korea."

"Nambeol" is currently in pre-production, with filming set to begin in the second half of 2026.