Lee Je-hoon reflects on IMF memories, values of life through ‘Soju War’

How does actor Lee Je-hoon remember the 1997 Asian financial crisis? Meeting with reporters at a café in Seoul’s Jongno district to promote his latest film Soju War, Lee recalled, “I was in my first year of middle school at the time. My father, who used to run a chueotang (loach soup) restaurant, suddenly started working as a day laborer. As the business failed, our family’s finances worsened, and a few years later when I brought up the subject of university tuition, my father said, ‘Let’s look into getting a loan.’ Reading the Soju War script brought back memories of what my father must have gone through, and it really hit me hard.”

Released on April 30, Soju War is set against the backdrop of the IMF crisis, telling the story of Jung-rok (played by Yoo Hae-jin), a finance director whose life revolves around soju, and In-beom (played by Lee Je-hoon), an employee at a global investment firm focused solely on results, as they clash over the fate of Korea’s national soju. Inspired by the behind-the-scenes story of the sale of liquor company Jinro, which once made national headlines, the film itself went through its own legal struggles, with disputes over screenplay ownership resulting in the director being credited only as “on-site director.”

Portraying In-beom made Lee reflect deeply on the shift in Korean society’s collective mindset post-IMF, where the pursuit of wealth became the paramount goal. “I’ve long been interested in Hollywood films dealing with money, like The Big Short, which tackled the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis. So I readily accepted this role. Through this film, I wanted to highlight how moral hazard has worsened in Korea since the crisis and to provoke thought about what values we should live by. If you’re wondering what makes a good life, this film might offer some answers.”

One of the greatest rewards from Soju War for Lee was working alongside Yoo Hae-jin, whom he has admired for years. “It’s hard to imagine Korean cinema since the 2000s without Yoo Hae-jin,” he said. “Acting with him was a dream. Beyond his acting, I was deeply moved by how warm and supportive he is toward junior actors. Off-camera, his witty and folksy humor made me want to meet up just to chat even on days without filming. If the opportunity arises, I’d love to work with him again.”

Fans are now eagerly anticipating Lee’s upcoming projects—two highly awaited dramas: Signal 2 and the third season of Taxi Driver. “Both Signal 2, which is returning after 10 years, and Taxi Driver, which is entering an unprecedented third season for a Korean drama, bring enormous pressure,” Lee admitted. “But I’m confident both will surpass the previous seasons. I promise they’ll be worth the wait.”

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