Every time a new K-drama is announced and Park Min Young is part of the cast, you can almost guarantee that it's going to be a hit. I could even go so far as saying that it doesn’t really matter who her partner is; every pairing has palpable chemistry, just in varying degrees. So you can only imagine how many hearts fluttered when she and Song Kang were confirmed as the leads of Forecasting Love And Weather. As you can probably tell from the title, it is a romance drama that follows the lives of people who work at the South Korea Meteorological Administration. Park Min Young will portray Jin Ha Kyung, a strict, general forecaster who clashes with Lee Si Woo (Song Kang), a passionate, free-spirited special reporter.
The actress described her character "as a principled person [who] lacks a bit of flexibility. She really loves her job, and when she focuses on her work, it comes before love…If you look closely, she has a lot of fears and does not know how to date. That is why she is more lovable." Min Young said that she prepared for the role by studying novels, videos, and documentaries, but that the terminology was difficult to grasp at first. We know her hard work will pay off, though, as it always does.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Here are some facts about Park Min Young that’ll solidify your status as a *true fan*:
1. Park Min Young was born on March 4, 1986.
So our talented leading lady is actually a Pisces! ICYDK, they are highly sensitive and have a deep affinity for the arts, which totally makes sense considering Min Young loves music, dance, and flower arranging!
2. She knows how to move!
As mentioned, Min Young enjoys dancing, revealing in 2017 that she is a big fan of girl groups! In an interview, she said, "I sometimes dance to girl groups while watching TV. I really like dancing to songs like TWICE's 'SIGNAL.'" She mentioned that she used to do ballet and even join talent shows for her dancing prowess. Unfortunately, there were fewer opportunities to do so when she went to the U.S., which is why she lets it all out by supporting her favorite girl groups.
In fact, Min Young treated her fans to a dance cover of Ariana Grande’s "God Is A Woman" and Little Mix’s "Touch," with a little help from May J Lee of 1Million Dance Studio.
3. Acting is her greatest passion.
Park Min Young made her entertainment debut in 2005 after being featured in a commercial for SK Telecom. While she had minor roles after that, it wasn't until 2010 that she rose to fame, thanks to her work in Sungkyunkwan Scandal. Both a critical and commercial success, the story revolved around her character, a young woman who was so desperate to enter a prestigious educational institution in Joseon that she disguised herself as her brother. Min Young won three KBS awards for her portrayal of Kim Yoon Hee. The following year, she appeared in the action-thriller City Hunter alongside Lee Min Ho.
2014 was a big year for the actress as she demonstrated her acting abilities as an intern in A New Leaf and as a tabloid reporter in Healer. The latter became a hit in China, which boosted Min Young’s popularity even more. (It also probably helped that she and co-star Ji Chang Wook played off each other really well.) Three years later, she accepted an offer to portray the titular Queen Dangyeong in Queen For Seven Days, after which she switched gears and joined the cast of Busted!, a mystery variety show on Netflix.
She once described acting as a one-sided crush: "But I sometimes sulk by myself. There have been times where I’ve been so happy after receiving praise for my work that I would hide myself in my blankets and just cry, but there have also been times where I’ve been terribly hurt…I try to push myself more. I want to challenge myself endlessly without just focusing on one character. Because I’ll be acting for the rest of my life, I’m trying to slowly look at things on a long-term basis."
4. Her most memorable character (so far) is, you guessed it, Kim Mi So of What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?
And I think we can all agree with her on this one. Even after the drama aired, she admitted to missing it "to the point of wanting to go back." Apart from having an incredible time with the cast and crew, Park Min Young said that she liked everything about Kim Mi So: "She didn’t try to stand out, but just did her job to the best of her ability. She was charismatic, and her determination to make her own way in life was admirable. Seeing how she takes care of herself and bravely faces any situation that comes her way, I knew that this character would be special." She also admired that Mi So stayed true to herself and "didn’t become this dopey character after falling in love. She stayed grounded and said ‘no’ when she needed to and gave advice when she needed to."
We can’t talk about this drama without acknowledging her intense chemistry with Park Seo Joon. In 2020, it was reported that their kissing scene went viral on YouTube—two years after the drama finished. As of writing, the clip has close to 332 million views.
5. Speaking of chemistry, it’s something Park Min Young considers very important in any body of work.
Which is why she doesn’t hesitate to discuss it with her co-stars. She told Marie Claire in 2019, "Once I start the project, I have this belief that the [the actor] must look cool in my eyes in order for the viewers to fall in love as well. So I tend to discuss the points, gestures, and lines that make my heart race [with the actor]."
6. Much like her character in Her Private Life, she is a total fangirl.
The actress revealed that her life as a fangirl started with H.O.T., a South Korean boy group created by SM Entertainment. (They debuted in 1996 and disbanded in 2001.) Min Young has since moved on to fangirling over dramas. She added, "Now, I’ve become a successful fan and [am] filming many dramas like this. I’ve also fangirled over coffee and my dog. Fangirling is truly beautiful and fun. It is a tool that gives happiness in life."
7. She's had plastic surgery.
In an interview with Sports Chosun, she opened up about getting double eyelid surgery in junior high school—with her mom’s permission, of course. She also went under the knife for a nose job because it was crooked. Min Young said, "I’m not going to say that I have something I don’t have, and that I don’t have something I do have. I did have plastic surgery."
8. When it comes to love, Min Young is careful.
In the past, she used to be the kind of person who could risk it all for someone she cares about but ever since she entered her thirties, things shifted. "I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat these days. Now that I’m in my thirties, I feel pretty cautious and scared about being in love," she revealed. Huhu, super relatable!
9. She likens acting to giving birth.
Park Min Young experiences a sense of accomplishment whenever she creates a new character: "I think I understand how my friends who’ve experienced childbirth must feel. Even if it hurts so much during childbirth that you feel like you’ve been stepped on by an elephant, your mind resets the very second that you see your baby’s face. I’m like that about my projects. It’s so painful when I’m acting, but once it’s over, I forget all about that."
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