The name Park Seo Joon would, without a doubt, ring a bell to both K-drama OGs and newbies alike. The 31-year-old actor has risen to superstar status in recent years after starring in back-to-back-to-back hit dramas. Admit it, even your mom or tita crushes on him, right? Yup, PSJ has become HUGE in the Hallyu world. But his success in dramas isn’t only attributed to him alone, of course! His K-drama leading ladies are talented, charming, and mega-successful as well. Curious to know who they are and what they’re up to right now? Here’s what we know about Park Seo Joon’s seven K-drama leading ladies:
1. Uhm Jung Hwa (A Witch’s Love, 2014)
What’s her role in the drama? In the noona romance, Uhm Jung Hwa stars as 39-year-old Ban Ji Yeon, a highly driven and hardworking reporter who’s given the nickname “witch” by her co-workers. After being left by her fiancé days before their wedding, Ji Yeon didn’t believe she would fall in love again until she meets 25-year-old Yoon Dong Ha (Park Seo Joon).
What’s she up to now? Being the seasoned performer that she is, Uhm Jung Hwa has the liberty to be picky in the projects she chooses. After filming A Witch’s Love, Jung Hwa has only starred in one drama, 2017’s You Are Too Much. Her upcoming action comedy film, Okay Madam, will be released in August this year.
2. Hwang Jung Eum (She Was Pretty, 2015)
What’s her role in the drama? Hwang Jung Eum stars in this rom-com as Kim Hye Jin, who, as a child, was one of the prettiest and most popular girls in school. After her family’S publishing business goes bankrupt, Jung Eum somehow also ~loses her beauty~ as she grows up. When her childhood friend Ji Sung Joon (Park Seo Joon) asks to meet up years later, she decides to stand him up because he’s grown up to lose all the fat he was teased for when they were young.
What’s she up to now? Post-She Was Pretty, Hwang Jung Eum starred in a slew of dramas: Lucky Romance (2016), The Undateables (2018), and the current Netflix fantasy series Mystic Pop-Up Bar with Yook Sung Jae and Choi Won Young.
3. Go Ara (Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, 2016)
What’s her role in the drama? Set during the Silla Kingdom, Go Ara plays the role of Kim Ah Ro, an optimistic and opinionated ~half-breed~ (born with an aristocrat father and servant mother). She ends up falling in love with a handsome and skilled knight (Park Seo Joon).
What’s she up to now? Go Ara’s fame definitely rose after Hwarang—she starred with Kim Myung Soo in Ms. Hammurabi (2018), and Haechi (2019) alongside Jung Il Woo. In 2020, she made a cameo appearance in Hospital Playlist and will be starring in a new drama, Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol, with Lee Jae Wook.
4. Kim Ji Won (Fight For My Way, 2017)
What’s her role in the drama? Kim Ji Won stars as Choi Ae Ra, a girl with humble roots who dares to dream big. All she’s ever aspired was to be a TV announcer, but, as we all know, life sometimes gets in the way of our dreams. But with the support of her childhood best friend Ko Dong Man (Park Seo Joon), who also has dreams of his own, she fights against the odds to grab every opportunity that comes her way.
What’s she up to now? Fight For My Way was Kim Ji Won’s first lead role after her breakthrough performance in Descendants Of The Sun (2016). She was given another chance to headline a drama post-Fight For My Way in the big-budget fantasy series Arthdal Chronicles (2019), alongside her DOTS co-star Song Joong Ki.
5. Park Min Young (What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?, 2018)
What’s her role in the drama? Sick and tired of toiling as narcissistic Vice Chairman Lee Young Joon’s (Park Seo Joon) longtime secretary, Kim Mi So (Park Min Young) leaves her boss stunned as she tells him of her resignation out of the blue. He chases after her to stick to her job just as long as he finds her replacement. What transpires between them during this time isn’t just formal office relations, but a deeper and more intimate connection between would-be lovers.
What’s she up to now? Our girl Park Min Young has been killing it in the Hallyu scene after her role as Secretary Kim Mi So. She got the chance to headline two more dramas: Her Private Life (2019) with Kim Jae Wook and When The Weather Is Fine (2020) with Seo Kang Joon. She’s also crossed over to YouTube and recently launched her own channel JustParkminyoung.
6. Kim Da Mi (Itaewon Class, 2020)
What’s her role in the drama? In the webtoon drama, Kim Da Mi is the mega-talented 19-year-old social media influencer Jo Yi Seo. After several random encounters with the highly ambitious Park Saeroyi (Park Seo Joon) around Itaewon, she makes it her mission to help him with his new bar, Dambam, by presenting herself as their new manager.
What’s she up to now? Itaewon Class just wrapped up earlier this year, but prior to the drama, Kim Da Mi worked on two films released in 2018: the crime thriller Marionette and action-mystery flick The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion. She’s set to star in the Korean remake of the Chinese film SoulMate.
7. Kwon Nara (Itaewon Class, 2020)
What’s her role in the drama? Yes, this Park Seo Joon has TWO female leads in the drama because you don’t find out who he ends up with ’til the very end! Kwon Nara stars as Saeroyi’s first love, Oh Soo Ah. Even after bearing witness to how Saeroyi’s life was destroyed by Jangga Co., the conglomerate his dad worked at, she still took the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have her education subsidized by them. Years later, she becomes one of the most promising employees of Jangga Co. and bumps into Saeroyi in Itaewon.
What’s she up to now? Before she landed her role in Itaewon Class, Kwon Nara starred in the 2018 legal drama Your Honor and 2019 medical drama Doctor Prisoner. She’s currently in talks to star in a new historical drama, New Secret Royal Inspector.
This story originally appeared on Cosmo.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Candymag.com editors.
