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Netflix's popular military drama D.P. is returning for a highly anticipated Season 2, two years after creating a buzz by shedding light on the dark side of South Korea's mandatory military service. 

Based on Kim Bo-tong's well-received webtoon series, the show follows the Army's Deserter Pursuit (D.P.) team, whose mission is to apprehend military deserters. The series gained acclaim for its realistic portrayal of the harsh barracks culture, vividly depicting the prevalent bullying and mistreatment by cruel senior soldiers.

"Season 2 will kick off with the seventh episode. I believe many of you have watched the six episodes of Season 1, and this story will pick up from there. Season 1 concluded with a major incident, and I became curious about the impact of that incident on the characters we have here," director Han Jun-hee said during a press conference held at a Seoul hotel Tuesday to promote the new season.

The cast of Season 2 of Netflix's popular military drama "D.P" pose during a press conference held in Seoul on July 18, 2023. (Yonhap)

After the desertion and suicide of Pvt. Cho Seok-bong in Season 1, the four soldiers gather in one place again as they learned that Cho's friend Pvt. Kim Luri attempted armed desertion after a shooting spree.

Most of the main actors from the previous season, including Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-kyun and Son Suk-ku, are returning to reprise their roles as Jun-ho, Ho-yeol, Beom-gu and Ji-seop, respectively. Jun-ho and Ho-yeol continue to confront the unchanging reality and absurdity of the brutal barracks culture as they carry out their duties as members of the 103rd Division military police D.P. team.

 Actor Jung Hae-in speaks during a press conference held in Seoul on July 18, 2023, to promote Season 2 of Netflix's popular military drama "D.P." (Yonhap)

"Time has passed, and Jun-ho is now a private first class and Ho-yeol a sergeant," actor Jung Hae-in said. "As he keeps facing obstacles, he becomes psychologically burdened. He incessantly questions the absurdity (of the military culture), contemplates what he can do, and physically clashes with the situation," he said of his character.

All of the actors admitted to having felt burdened from the success of the first season. "The pressure was inevitable," Jung said. He recalled that the director and the crew frequently chatted on set about "not getting too excited" because "trying too hard can be draining." Koo Kyo-hwan said he tried to feel relaxed as much as possible on the set as his acting tends to become stiff when he feels pressured.

 Director Han Jun-hee poses during a press conference held in Seoul on July 18, 2023, to promote Season 2 of Netflix's popular military drama "D.P." (Yonhap)

Capt. Ji-seop (played by Son Suk-ku) experiences a change in his attitude as he strives to prevent bigger accidents and casualties. "I wanted to portray the word 'responsibility' in Season 2," Son said. "He was a person who was far from responsibility in the previous season. So I wanted to show how this kind of person can change and enjoyed that process."

The appearance of new characters adds vitality to the show. Actor Ji Jin-hee joins the show as Brig. Gen. Goo Ja-woon who heads the legal office of the Army Headquarters while actress Kim Ji-hyun joins as Goo's subordinate, Lt. Col. Seo Eun, among others. "Season 1 received so much love that I was worried at first. But I became enthusiastic after meeting the director. I thought I just had to do well," Ji said.

Director Han said what plagued him the most during the making of the second season was the reason for its existence. "There are so many entertaining stories out there, so I thought about why D.P. should exist. I may not be able to provide answers to the continuous issues, but thought I can make people be attentive (to such problems) if I can make them keep thinking about them," he said, concluding the news conference.

Season 2 of D.P. will hit the platform on July 28.

By Shim Sun-ah