Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- South Korean fans expressed excitement over the preview trailer of "Space Sweepers," a science fiction film directed by Jo Sung-hee, that stars Song Joong-ki, a top actor who is popular in Asia for his appearance in the 2016 TV series "Descendants of the Sun."

Hollywood blockbusters such as "Interstellar" and "Prometheus" that depict space traveling and the encounter with unknown alien species have garnered huge popularity from South Korean moviegoers. Space Sweepers is the first space opera film to be released in the domestic movie scene dominated by romance and comedy films.

The trailer for Space Sweepers, to be released in summer this year, hit online video-sharing social media services on May 6.

"I've never expected to see a sci-fi space film to be released in South Korea's movie scene," said Petersburg, a user from South Korean online community Clien. Another user Lunatique said: "I am overwhelmed to see a South Korean film of the space opera genre. This is amazing!"

Space Sweepers depicts a story about a team of space junk cleaners that operate a barge ship named "Seungri," meaning victory in Korean. Kim Tae-ri, a 30-year-old actress who took main roles in film "Handmaiden" and drama "Mister Sunshine", plays the captain of the barge ship. Song plays the role of a pilot.