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Will it be Han Ji-min or Sung Yuri for MBC’s Monster?

Ah, finally news of a potential leading lady for Monster, the revengey melo starring Kang Ji-hwan whose life is trampled by the super elite and who then sets out for payback. News has surfaced simultaneously that both Han Ji-min (Hyde Jekyll Me, Rooftop Prince) and Sung Yuri (Birth Secret, Feast of the Gods) are in contention, though both sides are very clear that they’re just considering.

Aside from the super awkwardness of courting two actresses publicly (who thought of that idea, and are they still employed?), I have to say I could get behind either pairing purely based on their prior outings with Kang Ji-hwan. (In fact, I even wonder if the drama went fishing for leading ladies specifically in his pool of former co-stars, to ensure a decent partnership. Was Kim Haneul busy?)

Of the two, I have to give Han Ji-min the edge for her acting skills, and she was adorable in her previous team-up with Kang, 2007’s Occupation-era rom-com-melo Capital Scandal. But while Sung Yuri is very hit or miss for me, I have a super soft spot for her tomboyish turn in 2008’s fantasy comic-action sageuk Hong Gil Dong, where she was likable and endearing in a way I’d never seen before or since. Plus, she and Kang Ji-hwan were very cute together there (they reteamed for the comedy movie Runway Cop a few years after that)… although maybe Kang Ji-hwan had better romantic chemistry with Han in Capital Scandal? Ahh, I can’t be rational about Hong Gil Dong though, it was silly and flawed but I loved the hero so.

Also in Monster’s cast are Park Ki-woong, Lee El, Jung Woong-in, Lee Deok-hwa, Park Young-kyu, and Go Yoon. Monster plans to begin filming its early scenes with its child actors later this week; it follows Dazzling Temptation as MBC’s next Monday-Tuesday drama beginning in March.

Via Osen, Joy News

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the leading leading isn't confirmed yet?

asianwiki already posted sung yuri as the lead...awkward....lol

http://asianwiki.com/Monster_(Drama_Series)

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Sung Yuri is confirmed, it's just Dramabeans who's late.

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Aie, yes Sung Yuri's now in. Confirmation stories went up right after I wrote this, naturally!

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Oh no! And I was getting my hopes up to see Han Ji Min again, especially when her last drama just didn't do it for me.

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Aww, I was so gunning for Capital Scandal couple :(

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I was wanting Capital Scandal again. Loved them. Loved it:)

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Sung Yuri! Sung Yuri! Squeals! Loved her acting in Feast of the Gods!

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Sung Yuri please!!

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Rooting for Sung Yuri to get the role. I thought they were adorable in Hong Gil Dong.

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hoping for han ji min!! just because i just finished watching capital scandal and the two of them are so cute together

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Well I vote for Han Ji Min because she is not at all my favourite actress and I won't be watching this anyway. I still cry inside when I think about how much worse she made Hyde, Jekyll and Me, so I'd rather she gets put to work in a 50ep drama so she doesn't take one (or 2) of the dramas I actually want to watch.

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I feel sorry for you, Han ji min will not be in this drama, so prepare yourself to see her in a drama that you might be actually watch ;)

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LoL at the idea behind voting :d

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Kim ha neul and Hwang jeong eum are busy preparing their wedding. Blessed them for stay away from this mess.

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Eh.... well, Sung Yuri then

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I sure hope it's Ha Ji Min! I feel she has better chemistry with KJH in Capital Scandal.

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Hmm,i like both of them and watched both dramas were they were a couple with KJH,i think he looked amazing with both,maybe i liked a little bit more Capital Scandal as chemistry but hey,that's subjective...Don't know why i believed Hwang Jung-Eum will take the role in the end for some reason,i confess lowkey i kinda wished it even if i saw her a lot last year...I like both actresses so i'm fine either way,that is if both don't refuse it....

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I thought I didn't like Melos until I got addicted to Mask. Now I figure I'll give them a chance. Whoever gets the roles, I'll give this a watch.

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Ugh. I cannot stand Sung Yuri. And most of the time Han Ji Min is also kind of crappy. This sucks either way.

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Han Ji-min is the better actress, but I don't always manage to connect with her so she can be quite hit-or-miss for me. She was super cute in Rooftop Prince, though, so many if she can tap into some of that...

Sung Yuri isn't as decent an actress, but I tend to be more drawn to her characters and I've always found her very likable, even if the drama itself makes me want to pull my hair out. (One Fine Day, whyyyyy???)

So I don't know. I'd really be okay with either actress, but I have a soft spot for Sung Yuri...

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My vote is for Sung Yuri. Gil Dong!!! Definitely over Han Ji-min.

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I never actually watched Sung Yuri in any drama (well probably in bits), but seeing Han Ji Min in Rooftop Prince and Hyde Jekyll Me, I wish it's Sung Yuri.
HJM was too aloof and I didn't find connection to her characters.
Either way whoever works with Kang Ji Hwan is lucky and I could picture Monster as super-melo super-makjang drama.

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Felt the same way about Han Ji Min's character in Padam Padam for most of it. So, I am not sure if it is the actress or the characters she plays.

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Chemistry with KJH? none better than Yoon Eun Hyem.

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Ugh. The other shoe is dropping now, I take it.

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Maybe it's a recency problem, but I can't get past Han Ji-min's godawful acting in HJM. She was blank as a newly painted wall and Hyun Bin had acted circles, triangles, quadrilaterals around her. Taking on a 50 episoder where powerful acting and charismatic presence is a must... I'd feel bad for those who'd watch. But then again, it won't be me since I'm meh on this drama.

I haven't seen a single thing Sung Yuri has been on, so I've got no impressions on her. Though it seems she's used to the longer dramas and this will be her comfort ground. *shrugs* it's a toss up, really. It's still super awkward and a little unprofessional to be courting two actresses publicly like that.

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Han Ji-min isn't what I'd call talented, but she's good enough when she has something to work with. I normally find her bland, but she was pretty good in The Fatal Encounter (ironically, that movie also starred Hyun Bin)

And I don't know if it's fair to write her off completely because of such a terrible drama, I mean, Hyeri turned in a fairly decent performance in Answer Me 1988 after being written off completely for starring in it, so it's definitely a Hyde Jekyll problem, and I extend the benefit of the doubt to all the actors as victims of bad writing and directing.

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I wouldn't take Hyeri as an example because her role was hardly existent. It was mainly to be 'cute' but I'd say it was a useless character that added nothing to HJM. She then starred in the Answer Me series which is known to miraculously bring life to actresses who can't act. Go Ara would be testament to that.

Han Ji-min was the female lead in HJM, and while the drama is terrible, that doesn't mean everyone in it was. Hyun Bin was great in anchoring a nonsensical plot and making up for his leading lady. Sung Joon had some good emotional moments and even the personal assistant had fun comic timing. Han Ji-min was a pain to watch though. And to me, no script or director can be completely blamed for what an actor/actress brings on screen. I don't see it as a Hyde problem, it was much much more her instead.

But she's been decent in selected roles in the past so she might do well here. Who knows.

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You're not wrong about that (Hyeri's role/the Answer Me franchise), but I'm just saying, reactions to Hyeri as an actress both in Korea and internationally, were most certainly coloured by Hyde and virtually no one was willing to consider that a good part of it was the fault of the drama.

I also agree that a good enough actor can bring at least something to the table even when the script hobbles them (The Drama That Must Not Be Named is evidence of this - utterly nonsensical story and badly written characters, but Lee Jong-seok, Park Hae-jin and Kang Sora still tried their damnedest to sell it, and almost succeeded). But hopefully the script won't be a problem here since it's by the same writer/PD who did Giant, and if anyone has a handle on how to do long-form dramas, it's them.

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Hmm, I wouldn't really take Lee Jong-suk as an example of that either but that's a discussion for a different day.

Ultimately, I agree that Han Ji-min can probably bring out a decent performance with the help of a good script. And I'm personally a fan of the writer's work - not just Giant but also Empress Ki. So if she ends up doing this (and I'm not even sure at this point if its up for her to decide or the production), then it might give her a clean slate from Hyde.

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@Mandy - re: LJS, I personally don't find him attractive but I have to acknowledge that he didn't throw in the towel when it was evident the script of DS was shit (the weekly Surgery Olympics, all the spy crap). I'll never get those 20 hours of my life back but it did leave me with a renewed appreciation for 3 out of 4 leads.

And anyway our discussions about Han Ji-min are moot, since apparently Sung Yuri is confirmed for the role. I hope to god that magic works on her, because at least Hwang Jung-eum had something by way of raw talent at the start of her career - with Sung Yuri, that isn't quite the case and I just hope they write her a role that suits her.

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Regarding LJS - I'd say the last straw that broke the camel's back for me was unfortunately DS. I'll be honest and say he's never appealed to me, both in looks and his acting. But he was never a reason for me to not watch a drama until DS happened and I was so done. Park Hae-jin and Kang Sora, I'm with you. They made something out of it, but I'm not sure I can agree with LJS. I guess its all preference in the end of the day.

And yep, Sung Yuri is confirmed and since I've never seen her in anything, I've got nothing to say. Although I can't imagine she'd be worse than HJE - who in my books is simply intolerable. But I think we've discussed this before (?) and had contrasting opinions on it too. Either way, I hope it works out, even if just for Park Ki-woong who I adore.

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it's a Hyun Bin show. the lead actress wasn't given a chance to shine in the drama. it's heartbreaking to see actresses who've potential and was being overlooked in the story.

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They're starting to film before they secured the leads?? Wow.

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I kinda hope Jo Boa stays out of this one, I would prefer if she doesn't have to be stuck for 6+ months attached to a project where she plays second lead to someone far inferior to her, acting skills-wise.

Of the two in contention here, Han Ji-min is hands down the better actress, as long as she has something to work with. I'm not a fan but I can admit that much.

(and really, it's ridiculous that no one here is writing off Hyun Bin for that godawful waste of footage drama he starred in last year or even Sung Joon for that bland excuse of a performance, but instead it's Han Ji-min and Hyeri who got metaphorically tarred and feathered for having the misfortune to get bad roles in a terrible drama)

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I just hope if Jo Boa accepts, her character gonna be more challenging and she never did it. ;) Who knows if she gonna steal the show :) I have a believe that Jo Boa can do more, and she has improved a lot.

Not a fan of Han ji Min and never watch Sung Yuri drama, for now none of the actors can draw my attention to watch this. i will just hope the drama is good and i will watch it.

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Btw i do agree with with your last para :)

Normally only the actress will get the blames of the awful acting etc,or sometimes the failure of the drama because the actress is so bland. blerh.

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I would prefer Han Jimin between the two. I really wish it could have been Kim Haneul but I guess she's busy for her upcoming wedding.

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Does Sung Yuri have similar face as Han Groo? They could be twins ? I agree with @pinny. HJM was brought down by HJM( and writing of course) No chemistry at all.

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I actually thought Sung Yuri looked like Im Soo-jung in that pic, and got excited for a moment thinking Im Soo-jung had signed on.

(fat chance, she hasn't done a drama in 12 years)

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Sung Yuri please.

Thank you,
An Adoring Fan

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Sung Yuri has already been confirmed... this article is at least a day late.

I'm kind of curious what would have happened if both had said yes. Cage match?

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None of the above. Are all the good actresses on sabbatical or what?

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Agree with you.

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Oh no. Have you seen Sung Yuri in anything, Kiara? I haven't, but I trust your judgement--is she worse than Han Ji-min? Han Ji-min is usually blah, but given the right material, she has turned in some acceptable performances, like in Resurrection.

Oh well. Just have to keep reminding myself I'm watching for Jung Bo-seok and the other veterans lol.

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The Han Ji-min of Resurrection had a great writer and a fantastic lead actor in Uhm Force.
I think she will be ok with these capable writers but she'll have to pull her own weight because Kang Ji-hwan is no Uhm Force or Lee Beom-Soo.

I've only seen a few of Sung Yuri's earlier dramas and she was pretty bad so I tried to avoid her.
Hwang Jung-Eum improved a lot in Giant, better than I expected so they might work their magic with Sung Yuri too. If she doesn't do well here than I'd avoid her forever lol.

If she has improved like Honey Lee than I think she'll be more than ok.
Honey Lee kept improving and she was pretty good in Shine or Go Crazy. I can see her in this role.

I am most excited to see the fantastic Jung Bo-seok again in a project with this writer.
I wonder if Kim Seo-Hyung will join the cast? I like her and she is a regular with this writer.

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Oh lordy. I guess we'll just have to hope for the best--the leads really aren't turning out this time (like you said, Kang Ji-hwan is no Uhm Force), though considering a few weeks ago we were looking at Seo Kang-joon as the hero, I think we've traded up a little lol. We'll just have to rely on the side cast to shore up the leads' performances and hope this PD does okay. This is not going to be Giant 2.0, but it can still be decent if the writers step it up.

If Kim Seo-hyung could come back that would be cool--it'd be like a Giant reunion, with her, Lee Deok-hwa, and Jung Bo-seok, although a lot of the people that made that drama great are missing, sadly (including the PD). So far the only older woman they've cast is Kim Bo-hyun, I think.

It is true that Hwang Jung-eum did well in Giant (the performance of her life probably lol), but she really backslid in Incarnation of Money. I can't say I'm sad she passed on this, even if it means we're stuck with Sung Yuri. Now that you mention her I wish we could magically swap these two out for Honey Lee lol. I agree that she's getting pretty good, and there's just something so likable about her.

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I want Honey Lee! I want Kim Sa Rang! I want Jang Hee Jin! I actually want to see underrated faces who are actually talented to be in this drama. Maybe we can say the veteran actors in this gonna steal the show.

please let Kim Seo Hyung be in too. i really love to see her in everything in every character ;D and Jo Boa too.

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So we are missing writer Jung Kyung-Soon and the directors from Giant? Crap, that's not good.

sera, they are all great. Lead or supporting roles. I'd take them all.

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@kiara. What, Jung Kyung-soon isn't doing it this time, either?! I could be wrong but I always thought she and Jang Young-cheol were married. Not sure why. Oh well, I guess we'll find out what she brought to the table now lol.

And yeah, the absence of Yoo In-sik is a huge blow imo. The writers are pretty uneven--there are some things I love about them, and some things that drive me nuts--but YIS was always able to bring the whole thing together into some kind of cohesive vision. I haven't seen any of this PD's work so I'll withhold judgement, but I can say it'll be hard to fill his shoes.

@sera. Yeah the veterans are totally going to steal the show! Jung Bo-seok fangirl here lol.

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@Kiara, I really want to see three of them in high scale drama like this, even supporting casts as long as the character has significance will do.

Giant have a solid story and solid casts especially the male casts, Empress Ki despite of quite a mess story had pretty solid casts. I am expecting the casts in Monster (I still rooting for Tyrant as a title, lol) are pretty solid too, even I do feel that veteran and supporting characters gonna steal the show.

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Ugh. Seriously? Sung yuri was the part about Hong Gil dong I disliked the most. The acting was not good, the character was stupid (literally and story -wise), and I wanted the lead actor to dump her for the second lead actor!

Well, I guess I don't have to worry about watching this drama.

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Omg Sung Yuri please! I haven't seen in forever.

While I like both of them and I find both of them quite lacking, I always love Sung Yuri more. She's likeable in her roles. She tried very hard in her craft to be better actress. She came into this business for her looks and she didnt have the talents for it. After her singing career ended she worked very hard to stay afloat as an actor. But like many idols these days, you have to work multiple fields to make the dough.

Ha ji min is ok. I think she's a bit overrated but from someone who came from acting school, I expected more of her but sadly never really deliver.

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If you means Han Ji min came from acting school no she is not from acting major.

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I very much like Kang Ji Hwan, but that is due to Lie to me which I know isn't really popular among the dramabeans community.
I have been craving to watch other good dramas with Kang Ji hwan in it and T_T haven't been able to like any other yet.
(hated Hong Gil Dong so much. Incarnation of Money and Scandal in Old Soul was so so).
Like Han Ji Min and of course Sang Yuri... The only drama I have seen her in was Hong Gil Dong, so I have no reason to like her :(
The last thing I want to add about this drama is Park Ki Woong.
Wish he wasn't the villain :(

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I don't like sungyuri.She didn't match with Kang Ji Hwan.I always think whyyyyyyy alwaysssss sungyuri??????I wish she will reject this role as a leading actress and i wish MBC will get another actresss as a leading lady .NOtttttttt always sungyuri please MBC get another actress for this drama as a leading lady

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I've been meaning to check out HJM because am curious about Hyun Bin having heard so much about him(I know). But it seems like a hot mess from the comments. What went wrong with it? Is that bad? Or is still worth checking out? Surely there must be something they did right. Would you recomend?

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Avoid HJM. Don't even go watching it. You'll waste time and just get frustrated at the lame and poorly written script. The writer introduced a third personality called Terry for 3 seconds. And then after those 3 seconds, we never heard from Terry ever again. It's like, he never existed. No character developments. Second lead girl was very useless and her cute acting was annoying af. Main lead girl couldn't act and was very bland. The drama overall is a blackhole that sucks out all life and forms.

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I agree HJMe is a poor written script a new writer with only 1 written drama experience.It just an example that shows the script is the main important of the drama.

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I think it's safe to skip. The drama had great potential but the writer dragged the story and the main pairing out in a strange and rather frustrating way.

If you want to check out Hyun Bin's work you could always try Secret Garden which is a favorite. (Personally, I prefer World's Within. However this drama seems to be a hit or miss among drama watchers. It was a hit for me, lol.)

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You can never go wrong with My Name is Kim Sam-soon. I have literally never heard of anyone who didn't like that drama lol. If its too old, I'd say Secret garden. I thought it had one of Hyun Bin's best performances to date.

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I was rooting for Han Ji Min, I still have a soft spot for her after her prickly-sweet role in Padam Padam...but I see that Sung Yuri got the part. I don't think I've ever seen her in anything so this could be a new experience for me.

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YES YES YES!! Sung Yuri!!!!!
I know her acting is hit or miss, but somehow I do like her alot... loved them in Hong Gil Dong and enjoyed Feast of Gods. Definitely won't miss this one!

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So it's Sung Yuri? They were super cute in Hong Gil Dong and I have enough of a soft spot for them to check this out.

That said, if I were picking from his former co-stars, Park Shi-yeon would be my first pick. Their chemistry was off the charts.

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Park Shi-yeon was rocking her character in Nice Guy. I'd like it if she was cast as lead here.

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The answer is SYR...she's confirm

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Yaaay! The Hong Gil Dong couple! ?
Kang Ji-Hwan must be super excited to be starring opposite Sung Yuri....wonder if he still has a fan crush on her? ?

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I'm excited to see kang ji hwan back to drama but i'm a bit worried with his scandal. I think a lot of knetzz will bring it on again when the pilot is broadcasted. Anyway good luck. I really like kang ji hwan in lie to me tough

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OMO Sung Yuri is finally back. :) Long Live The Korean Fairy really looking forward to seeing her back in action. Don't care what others have said I have always loved her in the shows that I got to watch her though I haven't watched all of them.

If you really want to see her in action I would recommend The Snow Queen she was great in that. I who normally just watch the drama for the drama was actually so moved by the story and acting that to my surprise I ended up crying at times during it.

Hong Gill Dong is another show that I enjoyed had its serious moments as well as comedy in them as well.

Feast Of The Gods was okay there were times when I felt that it was a bit slow but that was to be expected when said show had like 30+ episodes. Couldn't watch her next show so no comment on that.

If you want to watch her just for acting cute then perhaps give Romance Town a shot.

Can't comment on any of her other work as for the other actress haven't watched anything she has been in apart from Rooftop Prince and she was quite nice in that but one can't judge a person on just one work will have to watch some other things with her in it to make a favorable comparison

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One of the few times I really have to disagree w/ JV.

Sung Yuri's acting in HGD was just plain AWFUL (at the level where it was laughably bad); she wasn't exactly helped by the writing either (a bleh effort from the Hong sisters - which seems to be more the norm these days).

Kim Ri-na, who played the romantic rival, was more interesting and the better actress (and also more striking looking); seems to have stopped working for a while and just recently started up again (most recently appearing in "Bubblegum").

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child actor... ^-^ lee gikwang ehehehhhe

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