Park Min-Young is one of the most versatile and popular rom-com stars in the South Korean drama industry. She started her career back in 2006 with the sitcom ‘High Kick’. She has many successful dramas like ‘Her Private Life’, ‘Healer’, and ‘Queen for Seven Days’ in her kitty to be boastful of.
With all the limelight and attention, she always kept her life private. But when the news of the embezzlement charges pressed against the man she was dating and her being questioned by the prosecutors broke out, her career took a halt.
In a recent interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Gangnam District, Seoul, she talked about the challenges she faced during the issue, her career, and her latest work, ‘Marry My Husband’.
Park told The Korea Times, “The most challenging thing during the issue was when I realized that the things I’ve taken for granted were never really granted. And that most critically hit me.”
Park Min-young was reported to be dating Kang Jong-hyun, the owner of Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Bithumb, in September 2022. Kang was accused of embezzling 62.8 billion won ($47 million), as well as neglect of duty and fraudulent transaction charges.
Park’s personal life came under unexpected public scrutiny because of the allegations of herself and her sister being involved in Bithumb’s financial misdeeds. Soon after Park announced her split from Kang, her sister also quit as director of a Kang-owned company.
After a spell of being quiet, Park chose to restart her career by accepting the lead in the new romance series “Marry My Husband” on TVN.
Park Min-young, played the role of a cancer patient who is near death. Ultimately killed by her best friend Song Ha-yoon and husband Lee Yi-kyung when she witnesses them having an affair. Miraculously, she wakes up in her body from ten years ago, just when she thinks her life has ended in nothing but misery. Having been granted a second chance at life, she uses Yoo Ji-hyuk (Na In-woo), a supervisor at her workplace, to help her get revenge on those who destroyed her life.
The character Park played is shy and cloistered, spending most of her time with her best friend. But when she learns the unpleasant truth about her companion and husband, she completely changes her personality to take complete advantage of being reborn as her younger self to avenge the betrayal.
Park embraced the challenges of portraying a character going through a dramatic shift from shy to furious in her portrayal.
Further in the interview, Park shares, “I’ve gone to the point where I felt I was left alone in the world. In a situation where Park Min-young, as a person, can’t be flawless, when I thought about how I could keep this scratched version of me alive, there was Park Min-young as an actor. I thought to use this actor, Park Min-young, who has always tried her best effort in every work for almost 20 years, to stand up again. So working on this series, I approached every scene with the mindset that it was my last.”
“It took me time to realize and admit that I’ve made a mistake, but after that, apologizing and saying ‘I’ll do my best as an actor so this won’t happen again’ are not something to be ashamed of. I thought of it as the first step I must take for myself.”
Talking about her past years since the scandal, she expressed, “The past two years have been a long and dark tunnel– not even a tunnel; it was a cave.”.
“Hoping to take a step forward as a good actor and a good person, I decided to break the ice and come out to the world because I can’t hide forever… This series has been like medicine to me. It’s meaningful because it helped me go back to the mindset when I first started, at the times when I was a bit arrogant or self-satisfied.”
The series garnered popularity overseas, topping Amazon Prime’s daily streaming charts in about 67 countries, for its fast-paced, compelling story of regression and revenge.
Park said “I felt this series was just the definition of a Korean drama, which didn’t specifically target any overseas market. It’s genuinely our story that combines Korean sentiment, ‘han’ (translated to resentment or regret), and the country’s current issues, such as gaslighting,” she said.
“One of the themes that runs through the story is ‘second chances.’ I think it reflects a hint of hope or anticipation that ‘this life may have been a failure, but the next one will be better.’ And I think that theme overcomes the language barriers, as well as K-content’s uniqueness of that refreshing quality and fast pace.”
“There were a lot of lines that I said for the first time. During almost 20 years of my career, I don’t think I’ve ever played such a vengeful character… It was something new and a challenge for me,” she said.
Park revealed that she relates to the role, particularly after the respite, and she felt the character’s loneliness immensely.
“I may seem extroverted, but I easily grow lonely inside. So when I felt Kang was always lonely, I felt a sense of empathy. (With the makeover scene,) that moment hit me. She could’ve looked like that all this time, but she didn’t because she didn’t live for herself. And reflecting on myself, I may always seem flashy, but I realized I’ve never really taken care of myself,” she said.
“After going through that huge issue, if I am given a new chance, I want to genuinely cherish myself.”
Credit for info: www.koreatimes.co.kr
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