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A still from “Space Sweepers.” (Courtesy of Netflix)

A ship is cruising through the vastness of space, emblazoned with the South Korean flag and the words “Spaceship Victory,” written in Korean.

Ten years ago, that’s what actor Song Joong-ki pictured when he first heard about the film director Jo Sung-hee was planning.

And ten years later, that’s exactly what happens in a film that streaming service Netflix will release on Feb. 5 in 190 countries. The film is “Space Sweepers,” South Korea’s very first space opera.

The year is 2092, and desertification has turned the Earth into a wasteland. A new home has been built for mankind in space, called UTS. But only a chosen few — 5% of the population — can enjoy lives of comfort there.

Everyone else is left to somehow scrape by down on Earth, where oxygen masks and goggles are now essential for survival.

The cast and director of “Space Sweepers” attend a press conference for the film. From left: Jin Seon-kyu, Song Joong-ki, Jo Sung-hee (director), Kim Tae-ri and Yoo Hae-jin. (Courtesy of Netflix)

Victory is a space sweeper, a spaceship that earns money by picking up space debris. Victory is crewed by Captain Jang (played by Kim Tae-ri), former head of a band of space pirates, ace pilot Tae-ho (Song Joong-ki), engineer Tiger Park (Jin Seon-kyu), and harpoon-hurling robot Bubs (Yoo Hae-jin). They’re space-based laborers, struggling to make a living.

“I first came up with the story in 2009, after a friend told me about space debris,” said Jo, the director, during a press conference for “Space Sweepers” that was held online on Feb. 2.

“I’ve been tinkering with the screenplay and getting ready for this film for more than a decade now.”

Jo told Song about the work in progress while the two were shooting “A Werewolf Boy,” released in 2012. Song starred in “A Werewolf Boy,” which was Jo’s first feature-length film.

“When I first heard the idea, I thought it was novel, even shocking. And then when I got the offer ten years later, I made up my mind to take it before I’d even read the script,” Song recalled.

The crew of Victory are collecting debris from the wreck of a spaceship when they stumble upon “Dorothy,” a robot disguised as a little girl who’s been hiding inside. Since a massive search is underway for Dorothy, who’s believed to be a highly destructive weapon, the crew hatch a dangerous scheme to trade the robot for a huge sum of money.

“This is a sci-fi action film in which a crew of misfits with no sense of justice stumble upon something special and end up saving the world,” Song Joong-ki said, offering a summary of the plot.

A still from “Space Sweepers.” (Courtesy of Netflix)

Despite her young age and petite frame, Captain Jang leads the crew with an understated charisma.

“I asked Jo why I’d been cast as captain, a person I assumed should have broad shoulders and abundant charisma. But he told me that breaking with convention can actually feel stronger. In my acting, I imagined a person who holds firmly to their convictions despite living on the margins,” Kim Tae-ri said.

Jin Seon-kyu plays Tiger Park, a character who has to do the dirty work. “I’m 120% satisfied with my character — crunchy on the outside and squishy in the middle, a big guy with a heart of gold,” he said, laughing.

Yoo Hae-jin handled the voice and motion capture acting for robot Bubs, a first in Korean cinema. Thanks to motion capture technology, Bubs’ movements are instilled with Yoo’s characteristic style.

“At first, I figured it would be easy. But wearing and calibrating the sensors was pretty complicated. Even so, it was a new and enjoyable experience,” Yoo said.

Yoo said he hadn’t studied previous motion capture characters. “I just jumped in head first. I approached the character as a metallic robot with a human heart.”

A still from “Space Sweepers.” (Courtesy of Netflix)

The cast took pride in the fact that the film is Korea’s first space opera. “People are more familiar with the Hollywood approach to sci-fi, but this is a good example of what Korean cinema can do with the genre,” Kim said.

“I feel proud that we were able to come together and pull this film off without really knowing anything about [the genre]. I’m looking forward to the Korean sci-fi films that will come out after ‘Space Sweepers.’”

“This feels like Korea qualifying for the World Cup,” an excited Jin Seon-kyu said.

The computer graphics in “Space Sweepers” are said to be on a level with Hollywood.

“I put a lot of effort into bringing out the color and feeling of objects encountered in space and ensuring that the motion of the spaceship wouldn’t feel too fast or too slow,” Jo explained.

“Space Sweepers” was originally supposed to be released in theaters, but it ended up on Netflix because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I don’t regret that at all. I just feel excited and grateful,” Jo said.

“I want viewers around the world to know that a wide variety of films are being made in Korea.”

By Suh Jung-min, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]