Song Kang-ho’s Disney+ Series Uncle Samsik Gets Release Date

Disney+ has reveled the release date for its ambitious Korean political drama Uncle Samsik, starring Song Kang-ho in his TV series debut. The show will launch with a five-episode premiere on May 15 exclusively on Disney+ internationally and on Hulu in the U.S. The 16-part series will then unfurl in batches of two episodes per week until a three-part season finale drops on June 19.

Uncle Samsik is directed by veteran Korean writer and filmmaker Shin Yeon-shick (The Russian Novel, Cobweb), who is also making his series debut with the project.

Set in 1960s Korea, the series follows Kim San, an ambitious idealist who is driven to turn his country’s fortunes around. A recipient of an Albright Scholarship, San wants nothing more than to transform his country into an industrial nation and deliver an American level of affluence to the people of Korea. Determined to become a success, San attracts the attentions of Pak Doochill (Uncle Samsik) a shady fixer who adapts to any situation and takes whatever steps necessary to help him accomplish his goals. Together, the pair will form an uneasy alliance, navigating the complexities of the established system, united by their shared goal of a prosperous future.

Byun Yohan (Mr. Sunshine, Six Flying Dragons) plays the idealistic young politician, while Song inhabits the titular role of the shifty cameleon, Uncle Samsik.

Scoring Song Kang-ho’s series debut was something of a coup for Disney in South Korea. Generally regarded as his country’s most important screen actor of his generation, Song has starred in many of the most influential films of Korea’s greatest auteurs, including Bong Joon-ho (Parasite, Memories of Murder, The Host), Park Chan-wook (Thirst, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Joint Security Area), Lee Chang-dong (Secret Sunshine) and Kim Jee-woon (The Foul King, The Good, the Bad, the Weird, Cobweb), among others.