Actor You Need to Know: Jung So-min

The fascinating part of Jung So-min is the idiosyncratic part of her. She can be distinguished in a beautiful and engaging sense and works too well with emotions on screen. That stands her in good stead, improving her image and strengthening her liking while also conforming to the very essence of how she acts. Let me take a moment through this post to say that Jung is one of my most-liked Korean actresses; she is very pretty, and her characters remain very special.

Through witless, awkward high schooler Oh Ha-ni, Jung picked up praise for the lead role in the rom-com K-drama Playful Kiss (2010), following Ha-ni—repeatedly teased by dreamboat Baek Seung-jo (Kim Hyun-joong)—till romance blossoms. Seung-jo is the object of Ha-ni’s hopeless love, and she strives to convince him, but she opts to wed a different classmate, wary of Seung-jo’s insolence. Seung-jo grows nervous as a result and decides to win Ha-ni back for fear of losing her.

Ha-ni’s cute quirks are expertly captured by Jung in that her oddities and vulnerabilities are shored up by those sleepy eyes, adorable visage, and endearing actions that breathe life into the character. Her growth as a person—from a phase of incapacities to becoming persistent in pursuing targets, and how she thrives after all—all make up a top-notch portrayal.

Ha-ni gave a high to rookie Jung, who had her debut pulling off a supporting role in the melodrama Bad Guy (2010) preceding Playful Kiss. The latter also nominated her for Best New Actress at the 2010 MBC Drama Awards, carving a milestone and solidifying her spot in the industry. In 2014, Jung worked in the suspense melodrama Big Man, followed in 2015 by a role in the coming-of-age movie Twenty and starring roles in the horror-romance film Alice: Boy from Wonderland alongside the disaster-medical drama D-Day.

Consistent and solid through the years, the actress kept a specific goal on the back burner. In one of her interviews with the Korean media, Jung said that she is opposed to staying in one place but to having fresh experiences and improving gradually. It is something she has employed religiously in her choice of works—from the web drama The Sound of Your Heart (2016) to the family drama My Father is Strange (2017) or the romantic comedy series Because This Is My First Life (2017)—raising the bar each time.

Jung’s ingenuity and her sense of self are what you see. She nailed it—in the 2018 TV series, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (a retelling of the 2002 Japanese drama Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi)—playing Yoo Jin-kang, who long lost her parents and grew up in distress. When she and the enigmatic Kim Moo-young (Seo In-guk), with no recollections of his past, are dating each other, her astute crime investigator brother goes to extremes to shield her from Moo-young, whom he fears could be fatal. Moo-young is given greater credence by Jung’s carefully nuanced acting, particularly once he recovers his memories and sets out in search of the facts behind his father’s demise, among other things.

Jung’s is a roster of glowing performances—a range of characters—to reflect the extent of what she has to offer. Several starring, supporting roles, and cameos, amid other accomplishments, attest to that continually giving her room to expand. Some more works along the way: the historical drama film Homme Fatale (2019), the medical drama Soul Mechanic (2020), the romance drama Monthly Magazine Home, and the fantasy romance period drama Alchemy of Souls (2022), post which, Jung appeared in the science fiction action thriller film Project Wolf Hunting, centered on a freighter lugging serious offenders from Manila, Philippines, to Busan. Before its theatrical release in September 2022, the picture had its world premiere at the Midnight Madness section of the 47th Toronto International Film Festival.

Jung’s most recent film, 30 Days, which premiered the day before yesterday (October 3), purportedly is gaining a lot of steam, scoring compliments. What calls attention the most is Jung and Kang Ha-neul, as a couple at the crux of a heartwarming comedy reminiscent of Twenty, in which both participated years ago.

30 Days offers a welcome diversion from the typical love-hate drama. Kang’s No Jeong-yeol is a lawyer in juxtaposition with Jung’s Hong Na-ra, a film producer. Despite the disapproval of their families, the two, deeply in love, manage to wed. Tragically, when arguments concurrently keep erupting between them, love goes south; their divergent personalities keep conflicting, leading to resentment eventually culminating in choosing to divorce.

The court allows them 30 days to work out their differences; if they don’t, their separation shall be granted. Within that time, they suffer a severe accident that leaves them with amnesia. The two in the hospital fall for each other a second time, much to the chagrin of their families, who insist they must restore their pasts and finalize the divorce.

I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I know Jung will be a compelling force. Let alone Kang, the charismatic Chungmuro actor.