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I think they suited the role more than the original characters in Age Of Youth. Mainly because I preferred the actors/actresses that played the characters they did. However, Personally I preferred this version rather than the Korean version. Considering that Age of Youth is my favourite kdrama I have ever watched. Some scenes are the same to the exact second. (SOUNDBITE OF SOULAR ORDER'S "LANGUAGE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.This review may contain spoilers I would like to start by saying, you do not need to watch the Korean version first if you want to watch this version, since it is exactly the same. MARTINEZ: That's NPR China affairs correspondent John Ruwitch. And, you know, John Lee's appointment as the next chief executive seems to highlight that. But Beijing's grip over the politics of the place has really tightened a lot over the past two years. RUWITCH: You know, at the end of the day, Hong Kong still does have a lot of autonomy. So is one country, two systems dead maybe? Hong Kong's supposed to have a high degree of autonomy from the mainland until at least the year 2047. You know, the economy has really suffered a lot during the pandemic, so he's got a lot of challenges. RUWITCH: So she says that Lee has a lot to tackle, and it would really be best if he focused on livelihood issues, unemployment in particular. Her surname is Yung (ph), and she said she really had no strong opinions about Lee but was hopeful that he would do some good for the city. A producer working for NPR spoke to a 28-year-old woman on the street in Hong Kong yesterday.
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You know, though, I suspect a lot of people in Hong Kong are just getting on with life and sort of hoping for the best from him. Most of Hong Kong's 7.4 million people had no say in the matter.
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He got over 99% of the vote, but that's in an election committee with less than 2,000 people that's stacked with Beijing loyalists. So there's a bit of a wall to climb there. The outgoing chief executive with whom he is closely associated will likely leave office with the lowest ratings of any chief executive since Britain gave Hong Kong back to China in 1997. Trust in the government is very low here, according to polls. RUWITCH: Well, he inherits a city divided in some ways. So you think it'll work? I mean, what are John Lee's biggest challenges? So Beijing's trying something new this time around. You know, previous chief executives in Hong Kong - there have been four - they were bureaucrats or businessmen. Instead, you know, it's there to restore stability in Hong Kong to ensure its prosperity. RUWITCH: Now, the governments of Hong Kong and Beijing say the national security law isn't there to suppress dissent. JOHN BURNS: I expect that there will be a continued, very strong emphasis on security and continue to weaponize the law to suppress and punish dissent. He's a professor emeritus of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong. You know, he oversaw the arrests of dozens of opposition politicians under the national security law and the closure of media outlets critical of the government. RUWITCH: Well, Lee's clearly a security guy through and through. So now he's going to be the next chief executive. 2 to Carrie Lam, who's the current leader of Hong Kong. And for his efforts, he was promoted last year to become chief secretary, the No. And since then, he's been driving - he's been a driving force in the implementation of a national security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing. He led government efforts to put down those protests.
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So he was in that role at a turning point for Hong Kong in 2019, when there were large and, at times, violent protests across the city over a controversial extradition law. He's a veteran of the Hong Kong Police Force who rose up through the ranks and became the top security official for the territory in 2017. JOHN RUWITCH, BYLINE: Yeah, well, most of his career, he was a cop. NPR's China affairs correspondent John Ruwitch is on the line with us. He'll take up the post in July as the city marks the 25th anniversary of its return to China from Britain. Lee was the only candidate on the ballot. 2 official, John Lee, to be its next chief executive. Over the weekend, an election committee picked the city's former No. There will soon be a new leader in Hong Kong.