K-drama Mental Coach Jegal: Korean speed skating drama stars Lee Yoo-mi as an underdog and Jung Woo as her mental coach

The brutal arena of short-track speedskating is the stage for this Korean drama series about brilliant skater Cha Ga-eul (Lee Yoo-mi), who has hit the buffers

Jung Woo is enlisted as her mental coach, years after his taekwondo career was unfairly ended. Can he impart his wisdom to the stubborn Ga-eul?

Reading Time:3 minutes

Lee Yoo-mi in a still from Mental Coach Jegal. She plays a short-track speed skater whose career has stalled, and Jung Woo the mental coach hired to resurrect it.

Published: 9:45am, 16 Sep 2022

Among all the period dramas, romantic comedies and high society tales Korean series producers churn out, when the occasional sports drama comes along it tends to stand out.

What’s more, Korean sports tales often focus on less prominent spectator sports, which makes them that bit more refreshing. Among recent Korean sports dramas have been hits such as Racket Boys (badminton) and Twenty-Five Twenty-One (fencing).

Hoping to repeat their success is the new series Mental Coach Jegal, which explores the unfamiliar world of short-track speedskating. The title role is taken by Jung Woo, recently seen in the Netflix crime drama A Model Family, but his hot-under-the-collar character is more in line with the gruff protagonist he played in last year’s Mad for Each Other.

Having recently accumulated millions of fans following her appearances in Netflix hits Squid Game and All of Us Are Dead, Lee Yoo-mi gets her first Korean drama leading role as a professional speed skater who faces more obstacles off the track than on.

Mental Coach Jegal | 精神教練諸葛吉 EP1 Promo

In 2008, Jegal Gil (Jung) is a professional taekwondo athlete with great martial arts skills, but a nasty temper to go along with them.