From left, actor Oh Hyun-kyung, director Kim Se-in, actor Kim Won-jung, Jin Ho-eun, director Hong Ji-Young, actor Kwon Hyuk, director Hur Jin-ho, actor Nam Yoon-su, writer Park Sang-young, director Son Tae-gyum and actor Na Hyun-woo pose during a press conference for the new series, "Love in the Big City," at CGV in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Merry Christmas

Nam Yoon-su, lead actor of the new series "Love in the Big City," and its writer, Park Sang-young, spoke out on criticisms and backlash from conservative groups that have called for the cancellation of the series, which focuses on LGBTQ+ themes, ahead of its release on Oct. 21.

Based on the Prix Medicis-nominated novel of the same name by Park, the romance series follows a young gay man, Go Yeong (Nam), going through a journey of personal growth as he encounters family issues and different romantic partners.

The series, which will be released through Tving, created unwanted buzz when its trailer gained the attention of anti-LGBTQ+ groups accusing the show of "glorifying and promoting homosexuality," leading to the video being taken down.

The original novel's author and series scriptwriter, Park, who initially voiced disappointment over the prevalent anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in Korea on his social media, eventually saw the backlash as inadvertently beneficial in boosting the series' publicity.

"At the time, I posted with a mix of indignation, but then I thought, 'How much are they trying to promote work to the public? This is so lucky,'" Park said during a press conference for the series at CGV in Yongsan District, Seoul, Wednesday.

"Good works tend to stir up controversy. I think it might be because I've written a problematic (yet) good work."

A scene from the series "Love in the Big City" / Courtesy of Merry Christmas

Nam also shared that he was not bothered by the controversies and hate comments on his social media.

"When I post videos (about the series), I just laughed off the malicious comments. Those were actually only one out of 100. I received many more supportive messages," he said.

"I think there has definitely been a change in the past few days. I believe that many people are changing their minds. I felt (that) we could move forward, and (that) our country was also opening up."

The eight-part series is directed by four filmmakers, Son Tae-gyum, Hur Jin-ho, Hong Ji-Young and Kim Se-in, each leading two episodes respectively.

Nam shared that although he did not hesitate to take the role of a queer character, he was able to put deeper faith in the series after meeting the four directors.

"When I read 'Love in the Big City,' I didn't feel any burden or sense of 'I can't do this.' I didn't worry because the original novel is so famous already. I first met the directors, and I could feel their unique directing styles and elegance, which actually gave me confidence," he said.

Hur expressed that he wants to convey that love between LGBTQ+ people is the same as any other couple.

"The main reason I chose to adapt the novel was to show that their love is not different. And I constantly thought about how to portray this, and I considered how (the character's) mother, who sees this normal thing as different, could come to understand and accept it," he said.

"Although it was a short period (filming), it was a precious time for me as well. I hoped that through this drama, (the viewers) can feel the message that their love is not different."