Hey guys, 

Just wanted to make a small note about Kwang Soo’s character in The Scent. He plays the role of Gi Poong, who is described as the main character’s “mentally-challenged” assistant. I have yet to watch the film but many articles do note that his disorder is autism (in particular, Asperger Syndrome). 

Maybe it’s because I have close family/friends that have this kind of condition, but I really applaud both the writers and Kwang Soo for this role. Autism is something that we don’t really talk about, especially in South Korea, so to have a character like this is a great step towards shedding the needed light on the subject.

(“While previous studies have suggested autism affects about 1 in every 110 children in the United States, a new study estimates the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in South Korea to be about 1 in 38 children.”) Of course, autism is not only under-diagnosed in South Korea, but all over the world. 

Again, I have yet to watch the film so I can’t comment on how accurate Kwang Soo’s portrayal of someone with asperger’s syndrome was but I am glad his character shines in the movie. (From what I have read, his abilities are key to solving the movie’s murder.) 

Honestly, I don’t know what drove me to write this. I just stumbled upon @mayries’s wonderful photo set and thought this was something that I should put out there. Not just any actor could take on a role like this^^

In other news, this movie is reportedly doing very well in the box office :) 

-Admin M