''Suriname'' () is a South Korean

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...

series directed and co-written by

Yoon Jong-bin Yoon Jong-bin (; born December 20, 1979) is a South Korean film director. Career Yoon Jong-bin's Chung-Ang University graduation thesis film was '' The Unforgiven'', which portrayed masculine codes in the Korean military with honesty and sensit ...

, and starring

Ha Jung-woo Kim Sung-hoon (born March 11, 1978), better known as Ha Jung-woo (), is a South Korean actor, film director, screenwriter and film producer. One of the highest grossing actors in South Korea, Ha's starring films have accumulated more than 100 mil ...

Hwang Jung-min Hwang Jung-min (born September 1, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is one of the highest-grossing actors in South Korea, and has starred in several box office hits such as '' Ode to My Father'' (2014), ''Veteran'' (2015), '' The Himalayas'' (20 ...

Park Hae-soo Park Hae-soo (; born November 21, 1981) is a South Korean actor who is best known worldwide for portraying Cho Sang-woo in ''Squid Game'' (2021). He is also known for his starring roles in the television series ''Prison Playbook'' (2017–2018 ...

, Jo Woo-jin

Yoo Yeon-seok Yoo Yeon-seok (born Ahn Yeon-seok on April 11, 1984) is a South Korean actor. After making his acting debut in 2003 with a small role in '' Oldboy'', he resumed his acting career in 2008. His notable works include the films '' Re-encounter'' (2 ...

and Nubel Feliz Yan. Based on true events, the series depicts an ordinary entrepreneur who has no choice but to risk his life in joining the secret mission of government agents to capture a South Korean drug lord operating in Suriname. It was released on September 9, 2022 on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

, alongside an

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

dub renamed ''Narco-Saints'', in order to draw similarities to Netflix's previous similarly-premised series '' Narcos'' (2015–2017) and '' Narcos: Mexico'' (2018–2021), the "play next" of the latter series linking to ''Narco-Saints''.

Synopsis

The life-threatening journey of Kang In-gu (

), a civilian businessman who has no choice but to cooperate with the secret operation of the National Intelligence Service to catch Jeon Yo-hwan (

), a South Korean drug lord who has taken control of Suriname.

Cast

Main

as Kang In-gu : A businessman who arrived in Suriname for

skate Skate or Skates may refer to: Fish *Skate (fish), several genera of fish belonging to the family Rajidae * Pygmy skates, several genera of fish belonging to the family Gurgesiellidae * Smooth skates or leg skates, several genera of fish belongin ...

business, only to be forcefully pulled in by the National Intelligence Service for a secret operation to catch Yo-hwan. *

as Jeon Yo-hwan : A Korean drug lord currently based in Suriname, moonlighting as a pastor. *

as Choi Chang-ho : The team leader of the National Intelligence Service's Branch in the Americas. * Jo Woo-jin as Byeon Ki-tae : The right-hand man of Yo-hwan; he was formerly under the Chinese organisation before betraying to work for Yo-hwan. *

as David Julio Park : The consultant lawyer for Yo-hwan.

Supporting

* Kim Min-gwi as Lee Sang-jun : A deacon and close aide of Yo-hwan. *

Choo Ja-hyun Chu Eun-ju (born January 20, 1979), known by her stage name Choo Ja-hyun, is a South Korean actress. Best known in Korea for the films '' Bloody Tie'' (2006) and '' Portrait of a Beauty'' (2008), Choo has also actively worked in China since 200 ...

as Park Hye-jin : In-gu's wife. *

Chang Chen Chang Chen (born 14 October 1976) is a Taiwanese actor. He was born in Taipei, Taiwan. His father Chang Kuo-chu and his brother Hans Chang are also actors. Career Chang started his film career at a very young age. He was then selected by a ...

as Chen Zhen : A Chinese gang leader based in Chinatown, Paramaribo. * Jordan Preston as President Delano Alvarez : The President of Suriname who came to power after conducting a military coup with the help of Yo-hwan. * Bryan Larkin as

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...

Chief : He works closely with Chang-ho to arrest Yo-hwan. *

Lee Bong-ryun Lee Bong-ryun (; born Lee Jeong-eun, February 7, 1981) is a South Korean actress. She has appeared in supporting roles in various films and television dramas, and worked as a stage and musical actress. Early life Lee Bong-ryun was born as Lee ...

as Deaconess Jung : Yo-hwan's church figure, she is cruel like him. *

Go Geon-han Go Geon-han is a South Korean actor and model. He is known for his roles in dramas such as ''Clean with Passion for Now'', ''The Tale of Nokdu ''The Tale of Nokdu'' () is a 2019 South Korean television series starring Jang Dong-yoon, Kim ...

as Dong-woo : Member of the National Intelligence Service and Chang-ho's assistant. * Hyun Bong-sik as Park Eung-soo : In-gu's high school friend and a sailor, he suggested that In-gu goes to Suriname for skate business. * Kim Ye-won as Jeon Yo-hwan's wife : In 1993, at a investment briefing headed by Yo-hwan, she disclosed false information regarding Yo-hwan having connections to the president to millionaires. * Kim Si-hyeon as Si-hyeon : Chang-ho's assistant. * Chidi Ajufo as Gallas *

Anupam Tripathi Anupam Tripathi ( ko, 아누팜 트리파티, Anupam Teuripati; born 2 November 1988) is an Indian actor based in South Korea. He has appeared in various South Korean television series and films. His first main role as Ali Abdul in Netflix's So ...

as a soldier of the Surinamese Army *Song Ho-bum as Chen Zhen's underling * Lee Sung-min as The voice of a fishing boat captain * Nubel Feliz Yan as Nubel The Mercenary 2

Episodes

Production

Casting

On March 23, 2021, the cast of

K-drama Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

''Suriname'', inspired by

's '' Narcos'', was announced to include Jo Woo-jin,

, and

, in addition to

and

, who had already been confirmed as the lead roles. The first script reading of the cast was held on March 22, 2021, at a location in Seoul.

Filming

Production of ''Suriname'' planned to be filmed at

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

from April last year, due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the production was postponed indefinitely. Later, production started filming on a set in South Korea from last April and decided to shoot in Dominican Republic, not in Suriname, for about two months starting in November. On November 9, 2021, it was reported that actors and staffs of ''Suriname'' departed to

from the end of October and plans return to Korea in mid-December.

recently returned to Korea in the end of October,

and

departed to

in late October and early November. Jo Woo-jin is scheduled to leave the country soon. This story background location will not resemble the Surinamese country. The series was produced with an estimated cost of .

Controversy

Suriname's government has taken legal action against the production company for allegedly damaging Suriname's image by featuring drugs in Narco - Saints. Suriname's government, which takes legal action with just one drama, also said it would lodge a protest with the South Korean government. Specifically, Narco - Saints showed a corrupt president, as well as a drug scene. However, as national issues made a choice. On September 13, 2022 (local time), the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Suriname expressed his displeasure about the Netflix original series ''Suriname'', saying, “Suriname has been portrayed as a drug-transfer country for many years. We are working to improve the image. But we are at a disadvantage again with Netflix's Suriname''' isn't just foreshadowing legal action against producers." He also announced that he would send an anti-job protest letter to the US ambassador in Suriname. A senior government official in Suriname went public about the job and expressed his discomfort. The interest in Netflix's response was consolidated. Later, Ahn Eun-joo, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced "If there is a misunderstanding, try to resolve it". In the end, it even showed signs of turning into a diplomatic issue. The Embassy of South Korea in Venezuela asserted that it was concerned about the safety of local residents in Suriname.

Accolades

References

External links

* * * {{Netflix original current series 2022 South Korean television series debuts Korean-language Netflix original programming South Korean drama web series South Korean web series 2022 web series debuts South Korean crime television series South Korean thriller television series Television series based on actual events Television shows set in Suriname Television shows filmed in the Dominican Republic Television series set in 2009 National Intelligence Service (South Korea) in fiction Drug Enforcement Administration in fiction