Actor You Need to Know: Park Minyoung
Well-known for having great on-screen chemistry with her co-stars, Park Minyoung without a doubt, is one of Korea’s most recognized actors
Still from 'Her Private Life' - Photo courtesy of tvN
Park Minyoung has gone from being a rookie to becoming one of South Korea’s most celebrated actors. Her work spans a variety of genres. Whether in comedy, tragedy, horror, or romance, the 35-year-old has made an impact with her one-of-a-kind performances. For Park, the 2006 sitcom Unstoppable High Kick marked the beginning of her career in the entertainment industry. During this period, her acting credits included television series such as I Am Sam (2007), Hometown of Legends (2007), Myung Go (2009), and Running Gu (2009).
Park’s appearance in the 2006 superhit music video “Haru Haru” by ‘Kings of K-pop’ BIGBANG, added to her popularity. The MV depicts G-Dragon, who claims to believe his girlfriend (played by Park) is cheating on him with his friend, T.O.P. In reality, Park (shown to be suffering from a terminal disease) and T.O.P were pretending to be misunderstood on purpose. G-Dragon discovers this too late and arrives at the hospital to find his girl no more. Known for its emotional premise the music video was well received and is recognized as a classic.
Her big break came with the 2010 drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal, where she was seen as ‘Kim Yoonhee’ a bright young lady disguised as her brother in order to enter Joseon’s most elite educational institute. City Hunter, the 2011 superhit TV series in which Park was cast opposite Lee Minho, established her status as a South Korean actor.
The Cat, a horror flick marked the actor’s breakthrough in the world of cinema. The plot follows ‘So Yeon’ (Park), a pet groomer who suffers from claustrophobia caused by a childhood experience. After this, she acted as a nurse’s aide in the melodrama Glory Jane. In the manga-adapted screen adaptation Dr. Jin, where a neurosurgeon ravels back in time to 1860, Park played the protagonist’s girlfriend in the present day (a paraplegic doctor) as well as her Joseon era lookalike (a sheltered noblewoman). She starred as an aspiring intern in the legal drama A New Leaf in 2014.
With Healer, Park rose to prominence as a tabloid reporter alongside Ji Changwook and Yoo Jitae. Following this, her career graph grew gradually. She played a lawyer in the Korean drama Remember and appeared in the historical drama Queen for Seven Days in 2017. The actor has been cast as a regular on Netflix’s variety show Busted! ever since. Her first romantic comedy, What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, alongside Park Seojoon, was a huge success and the show garnered great ratings.
In 2019, she co-starred with Kim Jaewook in Her Private Life and played the role of ‘Seong Deokmi’, an art museum curator who spends her free time obsessing over idol groups. In 2020, Park shared screen space with Seo Kangjoon in the romance drama When The Weather Is Fine.
Park plays Jin Hakyung, the female lead in Forecasting Love and Weather—the recent Netflix original centered on the Korea Meteorological Administration. Jin is a highly skilled weather forecaster in the weather forecast service. She is well-known for her reserved demeanor and professionalism, but when Lee Siwoo (Song Kang) joins the office, her world goes topsy-turvy. Lee has a 150 IQ and is in charge of a special reporting segment. He succeeds in breaking the ice with Jin, and soon they fall in love. The rom-com depicts the trials and tribulations of office romance and age differences.
