Edited by Hwang Hong Sun
Translated by Kim Hoyeun
Park Shin Hye, who made her face known through Lee Seung Hwan’s Flower music video, was initially preparing to make her debut as a singer, but thanks to her performances in the music video, she turned her path to become an actor. In 2003, she appeared in her first drama by playing the child role of Han Jung Seo in Stairway to Heaven, drawing much attention for her mature and delicate acting.
After playing several child roles, Park Shin Hye took on the leading role in the 2009 drama You’re Beautiful, taking a step forward as an actor. She played the role of Go Mi Nyu, who joined an idol group on behalf of her twin brother, and became the next Hallyu star, gaining huge popularity not only in Korea but also in Japan and China. Since then, she has been called the “Drama Queen,” making back-to-back hits with My Cute Guys, The Heirs, and Pinocchio.
She took a brief hiatus after working nonstop and returned to the drama scene in 2016 with SBS drama The Doctors. The drama tells the story of a man and a woman who became doctors after overcoming their past wounds, finding their path and true love. In in, Park Shin Hye played Yoo Hye Jung, who changed after meeting her mentor from being a tough bully in school to a compassionate doctor.
Park Shin Hye, who mostly played innocent and kind characters, challenged a dramatic transformation through The Doctors. She portrayed Yoo Hye Jung’s outspoken and confident personality briskly and also showed off her girl crush charm by personally performing the action sequences in the scene where she fights a gangster causing trouble at the hospital. In fact, Park Shin Hye was burdened by the fact that all the dramas she starred in before The Doctors were successful, but rather, because she was prepared for the failure, she was able to act more candidly and draw more sympathy.
Thanks to her drastic transformation, The Doctors received great love with an average audience rating of 20%, and Park Shin Hye successfully continued to be an unbeaten “Drama Queen.” With this drama, Park Shin Hye successfully broke away from her fixed images and expanded her acting spectrum.
Park Shin Hye, who revived the depressed theater district in June with her movie #ALIVE, will return to the small screen with JTBC drama Sisyphus: The Myth with Jo Seung Woo. I look forward to Park Shin Hye’s performance in the SF mystery genre that is hard to see in Korean dramas.
