Lee Junho Purchased Wardrobe with His Own Money for 'Typhoon Company'

Lee Junho's Personal Investment in 'Typhoon Company' Costumes Revealed

As tvN's weekend drama 'Typhoon Company' continues its box office success, it has been revealed that actor Lee Junho purchased costumes with his own money to accurately portray the 1997 era.

Drama's Impressive Performance

'Typhoon Company' depicts the growth story of Kang Tae-poong (Lee Junho), a novice businessman who suddenly becomes president of a trading company with no employees, money, or products to sell during the 1997 IMF crisis. The drama entered Netflix's Global TOP 10 TV (Non-English) weekly rankings at number 5 in just its second week of airing, recording a 9.0% viewership rating by its fourth episode.

Lee Junho's Dedication to Authenticity

Behind this success lies the tremendous effort of many individuals. Lee Junho, who plays Kang Tae-poong, personally researched archival footage and purchased costumes with his own money to revive the hip sensibility of that era. He recreated items reflecting the trends of the time, including:

• Leather jackets
• Denim-on-denim fashion
• Walkers
• Earrings

For items he couldn't find, he even had them custom-made. His bridge hairstyle using hairpieces also drew attention.

Kim Min-ha's Character Portrayal

Kim Min-ha, who plays Oh Mi-seon, chose argyle knit sweaters as her signature look. Instead of glamorous makeup, her modest face and neat hairstyle perfectly expressed Mi-seon's daily life as someone who chooses to work diligently rather than focus on personal appearance. Kim Min-ha explained, "Mi-seon is someone who knows nothing but work and family rather than someone who decorates herself. I wanted her makeup-free face to feel warm."

Meticulous Recreation of 1990s Life

'Typhoon Company' goes beyond simply using the era as a backdrop, meticulously recreating the lifestyle and emotions of the 1990s. The drama captured the texture of people's lives during that period through details such as tape used to remove lint from clothes instead of lint rollers, coal briquettes in winter stoves, paper map navigation instead of GPS, quince basket air fresheners popular in 90s Korea, passbook letters containing a father's heart, and aluminum lunch boxes brought for hospital visits.

A particularly impressive detail appeared in the Busan episode, where the sole of safety shoes discovered by Tae-poong bore the phrase "For the best quality," embodying Busan's history as the center of the shoe industry from the 1970s to 1990s and the spirit of its craftsmen.

Viewers have responded positively to this perfect recreation of the past, commenting that "every scene in the drama is like a time capsule."

The production team stated, "This week, 'Typhoon Company' continues to feature the people, lives, and warmth of 1997. We ask for your anticipation to see what other nostalgic items and lifestyle customs will take you on a time machine ride."

'Typhoon Company' airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:10 PM.