Shin Hyun-joon reveals it was his idea to cast Kim Soo-mi in the 'Gamun' series — replacing Baek Il-sub

Shin Hyun-joon pushed for Kim Soo-mi to join the Gamun film series. The role was originally going to go to actor Baek Il-sub.

Appearing on MBN's Kim Joo-ha's Day & Night on June 13, Shin revealed that the franchise was conceived as a story about a father and three brothers. After reading the script, he approached the director and producers himself: "I told them I thought it would be great to have Kim Soo-mi." The director already had another actor in mind but came around to the idea. Shin then went to Baek Il-sub directly, and Baek also agreed to step aside in favor of Kim Soo-mi.

The two worked together across three installments: Gamun-ui Wigi – Gamun-ui Yeonggwang 2 (2005), Gamun-ui Buhwal – Gamun-ui Yeonggwang 3 (2006), and Gamun-ui Sunan – Gamun-ui Yeonggwang 4 (2011).

Speaking about the late actress, Shin said: "I miss her so much, I'm grateful, she's a mother I love." He added that she monitored all his work even when he hadn't told her about it.

Kim Joo-ha's Day & Night airs Saturdays at 9:40 PM on MBN.