If I write a fan letter to Park Shinhye, I might include this sentence: “I’m proud of how you’ve grown!” Park was 14 years old when she appeared in Lee Seunghwan’s music video Flower in 2003. Although she was a girl who had no idea about acting, keen directors quickly noticed her potential. Park Shinhye got cast as Choi Jiwoo’s child actor in the TV drama series Stairway to Heaven (2003), deeply impressing the viewers by showing such a poignant look for a young girl. After that, the actor spent her teens experiencing the sitcom Cute or Crazy (2005) and the TV drama series Heaven’s Tree (2006) and Goong S (2007). It was her advantage that she spent her growth period at ‘DREAM FACTORY’ run by Lee Seunghwan. Thanks to Lee, who emphasizes people’s consistency and autonomy, Park grew up to be a decent actor who appreciates what was given to her and never gets conceited.

While many child actors have difficulties in smoothly transforming into adult actors, Park did not go through it hard way. It was thanks to her wisdom in choosing a work. In You’re Beautiful (2009), in which she appeared at age 20, Park played the role of Ko Minam and naturally immersed herself into the character of her age. By focusing on what she could do best, instead of a hasty image transformation, she was well received by the viewer. In particular, the drama gained huge popularity in Japan, giving her the crown of a Korean-wave star.

Not only Park has good star quality, but her performance is always well received. With her stable voicing and diction, her performance makes viewers feel comfortable, and she’s so good at harmonizing with her counterparts that it is even said that the male actor who worked with Park Shinhye becomes a star. After mainly working on melodramas, the actor is challenging herself with more diverse genres, starting with Heart Blackened (2017), where she performed opposite Choi Minshik. With the zombie film #ALIVE and the thriller The Call in 2020, she has expanded her acting spectrum. Sisyphus: The Myth, currently on TV, is a sci-fi mystery where Park is being loved by the audience through her full-fledged action performance. Park Shinhye’s world is still expanding. Jung Siwoo