Park Min-young, the popular South Korean star best known for What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?, says she truly feels the global impact of K-dramas when she's recognised in unexpected corners of foreign countries.
The actor said such moments, especially outside major cities, make her realise just how far-reaching and influential Korean dramas have become worldwide.
"It hits me when I go visit different countries and not in the city, but when I go to the countryside, and there are people who recognise me.
"When you're in the city, I think that's pretty much expected. But if there are people who know me when I am in a different country and in the countryside, that's when I can truly feel the power of Korean drama and how popular it is," Park told PTI in an exclusive interview.
She is one of the most popular South Korean actors and became a household name thanks to her impressive range of roles across hit dramas.
From portraying a woman disguised as a man in the gender-bending "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" and a determined journalist in "Healer", to a sharp-witted secretary in "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?" and a devoted fangirl in "Her Private Life", Park has consistently showcased her versatility on screen.
Her next project is "Confidence Queen", a crime comedy series from Prime Video in which she stars alongside actors Park Hee-soon and Joo Jong-hyuk. It will premiere on September 6.
A remake of the Japanese show "The Confidence Man JP", the series features Park as Yi-rang, a smart woman who becomes the ultimate con artist.
She joins forces with James (Hee-soon) and Gu-ho (Jong-hyuk) to form a trio of swindlers who take down scammers and reclaim their illicit gains.
Park admitted that she didn't watch the original show, except for one episode, which was universally praised to be the "most fun one".
"And while the character Dako (played by Masami Nagasawa in the original) is a very charming character indeed, it's been over 10 years since that show came out and also acting and performing styles change with time as well.
"So I tried more to really do the studying myself and developed the character to bring a truly Korean style version." She may be playing a confident con artist on screen, but where does Park Min-young find her own confidence? In reality, Park said, she does not consider herself to be the "most confident person".
"When I was portraying the character Yi-rang, I actually envied her and I had a lot of fun portraying her in real life. When I try to pick myself up from those moments when you don't feel that much confidence, I try to look back on my career and think about all the things that I've done during the 20 years of my career.
"I would look back at it and think I was able to do this, I also achieved this, then there shouldn't be any issue why I can't do this next thing. So I try to look back on it and pick myself up," Park said.
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