New K-Drama Series Explores Espionage During Japanese Occupation of Korea

What Happened

The 16-episode series 100 Days of Deception is currently airing as part of tvN's 20th anniversary special projects and streaming on Netflix. Directed by Yoo In Shik and written by Ryu Bo Ri, the drama is set in 1930s Gyeongseong during the Japanese occupation of Korea. The story follows a pickpocket named Lee Ga Kyung, played by Kim You Jung, who steals a suitcase containing bullets belonging to a resistance sniper. This theft drags her into a dangerous undercover mission where she poses as an interpreter inside the Japanese Government-General of Korea for 100 days.

Character Dynamics

Ga Kyung's assignment becomes complicated when she meets Kim Tae Woong, also known as Sato Hideo, played by Park Jinyoung. Hideo is a Joseon-born interpreter raised as an elite Japanese citizen by his adoptive father, Sato Shinichi, played by Jin Seon Kyu. Meanwhile, resistance sniper Yoo So Ran and her husband, Korean-American correspondent Yoo Philip played by Lee Moo Saeng, work behind the scenes using espionage and journalistic connections to fight colonial rule.

Context

Historical dramas set during the Japanese occupation of Korea frequently explore themes of resistance, survival, and divided loyalties under colonial administration. Such period productions often blend political intrigue with personal character struggles to depict the harsh realities of historical conflicts.