Song Young-kyu's Final Netflix Role

Late actor Song Young-kyu delivered his final passionate performance in the Netflix original series 'The Bequeathed'. Song Young-kyu, who passed away last year, played the role of Ryu Gwang-pil, a national assembly member and a strong presidential candidate who is also the father of a school violence perpetrator, delivering a deep resonance to viewers.

'The Bequeathed' is a drama depicting the story of the Department of Educational Rights Protection, established to protect crumbling educational authority and the educational field, and was released on the 5th. Ryu Gwang-pil, played by Song Young-kyu, is a key character in the early part of the drama. He uses his power to try to cover up his son's wrongdoing but ultimately faces the end of his political career when his own corruption is exposed. Song Young-kyu received praise for his convincing and realistic portrayal of misguided paternal love and a shameless politician.

The work is drawing even more attention as it is the posthumous work released 10 months after Song Young-kyu's passing. Song Young-kyu had been active as a distinguished supporting actor in numerous productions. However, last July, he withdrew from all his ongoing projects after being investigated for violating the Road Traffic Act (DUI). At the time, his blood alcohol content was at a level requiring license cancellation. There were also accounts from acquaintances that he was suffering from depression and lethargy due to this incident and was experiencing financial difficulties and separation.

Director Hong Jong-chan, who helmed 'The Bequeathed', expressed his longing for Song Young-kyu, stating, "He truly enjoyed acting and did a great job, and I thought I had to capture that performance well in the work." Director Hong shared that he was editing the first episode when he heard the news about Song Young-kyu and that it was personally very difficult. He recalled that Song Young-kyu had shown passionate acting from the script reading.

Meanwhile, 'The Bequeathed' has become the center of attention, creating a global box office sensation immediately after its release. Overcoming controversies surrounding the original webtoon, it has garnered a passionate response from viewers. Within three days of its release, it ranked first in the non-English TV Shows category globally and topped charts in 27 countries, achieving explosive popularity. Viewers have expressed high engagement, with comments such as, "I wish there was actually a Department of Educational Rights Protection," and "A satisfying development."