Jung Sung Il responded to viewers who thought his dialect in Made in Korea sounded awkward with a simple reminder: he is actually from Daegu.
The actor plays Cheon Seok Joong in Disney+ series Made in Korea, and he revealed that using a regional dialect was his own idea.
Jung Sung Il said he originally hesitated to take the role because he wanted to avoid playing another serious, suit-wearing character similar to some of his previous work.
However, after meeting the director and considering the cast, he decided he still wanted to join the project. He then suggested changing the character’s speech.
“I really wanted to play this character, but I said I wanted to use a dialect,” he explained.
According to Jung Sung Il, the choice also fit the character’s background and helped him make the role feel different.
Despite being a Daegu native, he admitted that returning to the dialect for acting was not completely effortless after spending years performing mostly in standard Korean.
“I’m originally from Daegu, and I lived there until my senior year of high school. I still use the dialect with my family,” he said.
He even spent time back in Daegu checking expressions and adjusting the script to make the dialogue sound more natural.
Some viewers still commented that parts of his dialect sounded unusual, which Jung Sung Il found amusing.
“Some people said it sounded awkward, but I’m a native,” he said with a laugh.
For the actor, the dialect was not just a performance detail but a way to give Cheon Seok Joong a more distinct identity in Made in Korea.
