Lee Byung-hun , known internationally for “ Squid Game ” and “ No Other Choice ,” has been cast in the lead role of “ Nambeol ” (working title), a martial arts action film set in the early Joseon Dynasty that will mark the feature directing debut of veteran DP Lee Mo-gae. Hive Media Corp. is producing. The story centers on a unit of nine soldiers – drawn from across the military hierarchy – dispatched to Tsushima Island to bring home Koreans taken prisoner by Japanese pirate groups. The title draws on a historical term for a southward military expedition. The narrative is fictional but rooted in a documented period of instability during the early Joseon era, when the new dynasty faced relentless pirate incursions along its southern coastline and was compelled to answer them through a combination of military campaigns and negotiation. Lee Mo-gae brings an extensive list of Korean genre credits to his debut feature as director.…