Actress trio to take over small screen this fall

Actress Ha Ji-won from MBC's medical drama "Hospital Ship" / Courtesy of MBC

By Park Jin-hai

Three leading actresses are expected to show a strong presence on the small screen this fall. They are Ha Ji-won in MBC’s medical drama “Hospital Ship,” Chun Woo-hee in tvN’s fact-chasing journalist story “Argon” and Seo Hyun-jin starring in the upcoming SBS romantic comedy “Temperature of Love.”

MBC’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama “Hospital Ship” develops around actress Ha, who is regarded as one of the few powerful stars who can lead a drama to the end, with or without a male costar. This is rare to find in Korean dramas which heavily depend on romantic stories.

The 32-part drama, comprised of 30-minute episodes, deals with a lesser-known hospital ship sailing around small islands around the world to give aid to island residents. The 39-year-old veteran actress takes on her first doctor role in the drama. Playing Song Eun-jae, a cold-minded and ambitious surgeon, she joins the ship after the death of her mother living on a remote island.

Ha’s first drama in two years is off to a great start, maintaining the top spot in its timeslot, since it premiered Aug. 30. Its latest episode airing Aug. 31 recorded a 10.7 percent viewership, according to Nielsen Korea.

Chun, who has mostly worked in films including the multiple prize-winning film “Han Gong-ju,” is another actress who is praised by TV viewers. In tvN’s new journalist drama “Argon,” which will premiere Monday, the 30-year-old actress takes on the role of a reporter who joins the investigative news program team Argon, struggling to separate “fact” from “fake news.” The drama is directed by producer Lee Yoon-jung, whose previous works include the popular 2007 “The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince.”

Seo, who earned the rom-com queen title with her delicate expressions of emotion in recent romantic comedy series, including “Another Oh Hae-young” and “Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim,” will be back with another deep melodrama “Temperature of Love” next month, which depicts a story of a couple’s breakup and reunion.

Actress Chun Woo-hee in tvN journalist drama "Argon" / Courtesy of CJ E&M