Low Life

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An 11-episode Disney+ Original about petty thieves, swindlers and thugs who converge on Mokpo in 1977 to salvage the ceramics of an old trading ship that sank off Sinan, South Jeolla Province, Low Life was adapted and directed by Kang Yoon-sung from Yoon Tae-ho's webtoon Pine.

Disney+ released episodes 1–3 on July 16, 2025, then two episodes every Wednesday, with the final episodes, 10 and 11, arriving on August 13. The Disney+ Korea title page lists the rating as 15+. The source is Yoon Tae-ho's webtoon Pine, which he began serializing in 2014 and completed in 2015, and which is now available on Kakao Webtoon. The real-life events behind the story began in August 1975, when six ceramic pieces came up in a fisherman's net off Jeungdo-myeon in Sinan County. Looters flocked to the area even before a state-led field investigation began in October 1976, and the excavation continued in 11 rounds through 1984.

Kang Yoon-sung made his feature directing debut with The Outlaws (2017), starring Ma Dong-seok and Yoon Kye-sang, which won him Best New Director in the film category at the 54th Baeksang Arts Awards, and after Long Live the King (2019), he directed a drama for the first time with the Disney+ series Big Bet. The screenplay for Low Life was co-written by Kang and Ahn Seung-hwan. Kang said that since the series was based on existing material, he spent about a year and a half on the script with the guiding principle of filling in the gaps without damaging the original, and that he built the dramatic structure by reading the text and imagining the scenes rather than looking at the webtoon's artwork. The 11 episodes were shot over 99 filming days, though he said they had initially planned for 120 to allow for underwater shooting.

Ryu Seung-ryong plays Oh Gwan-seok, who has made his living through petty theft and fraud, and Yang Se-jong plays his nephew Oh Hee-dong, who has been stealing since childhood, following in his uncle's footsteps. The two are hired by Song Gi-taek (Kim Jong-soo), known as Mr. Song, an Insa-dong antiques dealer they met in prison, to salvage the treasure lying off Sinan. In episode 1, "The Rumor," the pair head to Mokpo, accompanied by Im Jeon-chul (Kim Sung-oh), a driver from the side of Heungbaek Industries, which is bankrolling the job, and Na Dae-sik (Lee Sang-jin), one of Mr. Song's men, both of whom are also there to keep an eye on them. In episode 2, "Bring in the Pros," the group asks around to pin down the exact spot where the ship went down. Im Soo-jung plays Yang Jung-sook, Chairman Cheon's young wife and the lady of the house at Heungbaek Industries; Kim Eui-sung plays Professor Kim, an antiques con man from Busan; U-Know Yunho (Jung Yun-ho) plays Jang Beol-gu, a Mokpo gangster; Lee Dong-hwi plays Sim Hong-gi, a patrolman at Mokpo Police Station; and Hong Ki-joon plays the boat owner Hwang Tae-san. Kim Min, who plays the tearoom waitress Park Seon-ja, made her debut in the series after winning the role in an audition with 856-to-1 odds.

At the launch press conference, Kim Eui-sung said there are hardly any upright, good-hearted people in the series, and that stepping onto the 1970s Mokpo streets built by the art department felt like traveling back in time. U-Know Yunho, who is from the Jeolla region, said he went down to Mokpo to learn how people talked in the 1970s and picked up tips from taxi drivers. At an audience talk held while the series was being released, Yoon Tae-ho said he was thrilled with how well it had been brought to the screen, and Kang said that as a huge fan of the original, he had kept its dialogue rather than cutting it. News1 reported that, based on its first seven days, the series was the most-watched Disney+ Korean original drama released in 2025. Im Soo-jung won Best Supporting Actress in the Broadcasting category at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards in 2026, and at the 24th Director's Cut Awards that same year, the series won Best Director (Kang Yoon-sung), Best Actress (Im Soo-jung) and Best New Actor (U-Know Yunho) in the series category.

See alsoBig Bet 2022The Outlaws 2017Misaeng: Incomplete Life 2014

Drama Lineup editors · Fact-checked against: v.daum.net, heraldk.com, sidae.com, mt.co.kr, vogue.co.kr, dailian.co.kr, webtoonguide.com, tenasia.co.kr, bizhankook.com, disneyplus.com · 2026-10-18