Shin Min-a’s best K-dramas, from Chief of Staff to My Girlfriend is a Gumiho
She started as a model, starred in music videos and started an acting career that swept away romcom fans. Since her acting debut in Beautiful Days (the prequel to Stairway to Heaven) and her lead role in A Love to Kill, Shin Min-a has become one of South Korea's sweethearts. Her unique charms with a hint of sassiness make her roles so memorable.
This year, Shin is set to star in the drama, Here, which will be about NGO volunteers. She'll be acting alongside Lee Byung-hun, Han Ji-min and Nam Joo-hyuk in the series (from the writer of It's OK, That's Love). As she turns 36 on April 5, and in anticipation of her upcoming series, here's a round-up of Shin Min-a's must-watch Korean dramas.
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My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010)
The fantasy series starts off with Lee Seung-gi playing Cha Tae-woong, a spoiled young man who isn’t fond of studying. When he is forced by his grandfather to go to a remote boarding school, he escapes and hitches a ride on a delivery truck. This gets him to the middle of nowhere, and he meets a monk who offers him a ride and shelter in a temple. As he looks for mobile phone reception, a woman’s voice enchants him to draw nine tails on a painting of a fox in the temple. This unleashes the legendary gumiho (or nine-tailed fox), which was played by Shin Min-a. Tae-woong fears for his life, but all the gumiho wants, really, is to be loved … and to eat lots of meat.
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Arang and the Magistrate (2012)
Starring opposite Lee Joon-gi this time, Shin plays a female ghost named Arang in the Joseon dynasty era. Lee, on the other hand, is a government official who sees ghosts. Because of his supernatural gift, he sees Arang, who pleads that he find out her name and look for the person who murdered her. He refuses, but Arang does everything she can to convince him.
Oh My Venus (2015-2016)
In this memorable romantic comedy, Shin plays Kang Joo-eun. The young woman was once known as the “Venus of Daegu” because of her goddess-like beauty. As time passed, she built a career as a lawyer and unwittingly neglected her body. She gained a lot of weight, which took a toll on her appearance and her health. Then, she met Kim Young-ho (played by So Ji-sub), who was a top fitness trainer with a low profile. He becomes her guide to losing weight and recovering her confidence.
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Tomorrow with You (2017)
This drama from the cable network TVN was all about a time traveller played by Lee Je-hoon. He has the ability to visit the past and future when he rides the metro subway. In one of his trips, he sees himself die. He also sees that the only way he can save himself is if he marries Shin Min-a’s character, photographer Song Ma-rin. So, he goes back and forth to make sure they get married to avoid an untimely death.
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Chief of Staff (2019)
Shin stars with veteran actor Lee Jung-jae in this political drama, which you can stream on Netflix. The story revolves around powerful politicians in fictional South Korea and the aides that help them do their dirty work alongside their duties. Like other Netflix Original series, the drama has more than one season and sets out to depict thrilling and moving stories in every episode.
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The hallyu sweetheart stars in a Netflix Original series, and plays a nine-tailed fox, a Joseon-era ghost, a time traveller’s wife and others memorable characters