Exclusive Q&A with Lee Na-jung, Director of Netflix K-Drama ‘Love Alarm’

Korea’s famous webtoon about an app that reveals crushes is now a live action K drama, directed by Lee Na-jung (‘Fight For My Way’)! In the new Netflix series Love Alarm, you can't keep your crushes a secret for long, because a high-tech app is taking over everyone's phones in Korea — once you turn on the Love Alarm, feelings will be revealed as the app alerts you whenever someone who likes you is within a 10 meter radius.

Breathing life to the popular South Korean comics and transforming it into a live-action series is director Lee Na-jung, popular for her for her award-winning works such as Snowy Road and Fight for My Way. In a recent press junket at Seoul, Lee Na-jung shared more about her new project to the international media. Read below ClickTheCity's exclusive interview with the director to discover more about her new K-drama series:

Question: Can you describe the story of Love Alarm in one sentence?

Lee Na-jeong: "It’s story about three people who just started their journey of romance filled with the excitement that comes with ‘loving’ someone."

They have a special app called 'Love Alarm.' It’s a story about the journey of love and growth of these three people revolving around an interesting imaginary app.

How different is your directing style and treatment in Love Alarm compared to the previous series you’ve worked on (ex: Fight For My Way)?

Even though it’s a romance revolving around teenagers, the emotions are deeper and real compared to the existing teenage romances. It’s a drama about people looking straight into their own emotional hurt and letting it heal through their love for each other.

I tried to focus more on the inner aspects of individual characters, and that was different from the other shows.

What remained the same, however, is that I portrayed the characters with affection.

How was it like working with your three lead actors in Love Alarm? Is it your first time to work with all three of them?

It’s my first time working with the three actors. We did readings of the script every week before filming started and did a workshop together to prepare for the series. We had a lot of conversations about the series before we started shooting.

What can the viewers look forward to or expect from Love Alarm when it streams on Netflix?

I think the Love Alarm app will be something that the audience should look forward to. This romantic imaginary app changes completely the existing mechanics of love. People turn on their Love Alarm when they want to break up with someone or when they want to say that they love someone. Love Alarm being at the center of the story makes the series a very new romantic drama. You can also expect the series to be more serious and deeper than other series of romantic drama as explores the hurts and loneliness of the main characters.

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All episodes of Love Alarm Season 1 are now streaming on Netflix.