Korean-American Actor Lee Ki Hong Is Put Under the Spotlight at the ‘Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials’ Press Conference

During a press conference on Thursday at the Intercontinental Hotel in Seoul, Hollywood actors Lee Ki Hong and Thomas Brodie-Sangster shared details about the "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" sequel with the media.

"The second movie kicks off right where the first one left off. It follows the characters you know from the first movie but in a completely different sense," said Brodie-Sangster. "Now the characters are outside the safe zone. They try to make it to the end successfully without dying by sticking to each other,"

"I would say that in the first movie, you're living with your family. Food is provided, and you're safe," recalled Lee in the press conference. "But in the second movie, you're kicked out of your home, you have to find your food yourself and fight with the bad guys."

KPop Herald noted on Thursday that the first installment of "The Maze Runner" in 2014 revolved around the story of teenagers who found themselves trapped within a dangerous labyrinth called "Glade", which changed its form and courses after dusk and was guarded by "beasts".

The teenagers fought their way from their shelter, which was located at the heart of the labyrinth, to the maze and out where they were taken by unknown people and led to the desert city called "Scorch."

In Korea, the movie set a staggering record with 2.8 million viewers in a market outside of the U.S. This success was attributed to the appearance of Korean-American actor Lee Ki Hong who played Minho, a powerful keeper of the runners.

An article published by The Straits Times on Friday noted that Lee was proud to play a strong Asian character in "The Maze Runner" franchise.

"I'm Korean-American, so for me, there is a big responsibility on my part to portray being Asian in a positive light and I'm really blessed and fortunate to play a strong Asian-American character here," explained Lee to the press conference media. "I think Hollywood is changing slowly in terms of creating more opportunities for Asian-American actors."

The "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" is set to be released in South Korea on Sept.17.