Actresses Bringing on Strong This Fall

Dramas lead starring women are pouring into the small screen. Top female stars such as Kim Hye-soo, Uhm Jung-hwa, and Kim Sun-a will compete for ratings this fall by releasing leading dramas. This is due to the recent rise in attempts to produce related dramas as the narrative in which female characters lead the story has emerged as a topic for broadcasters. As Jeon Do-yeon and Song Hye-kyo continue their related trends until early next year, the small screen is expected to be in 'gynarchy' for the time being.

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●To the stage of image changes

Kim Hye-soo, Uhm Jung-hwa and Kim Sun-a form a three-way race through lead dramas at the same time. JTBC's "The Empire" starring Kim Sun-a, will premiere on September 24th, while Kim Hye-soo and Uhm Jung-hwa will present tvN's "Under the Queen's Umbrella" and JTBC's "Doctor Cha" in October.

They make different attempts through each work.

Kim Hye-soo will play the role of the queen in a drama set in the Joseon Dynasty and release a historical drama 20 years after SBS' "Jang Hee-bin" in 2002. Uhm Jung-hwa is determined to appear as a family medicine specialist and put comic and human charm at the forefront. Kim Sun-a plays the prosecutor who is at the center of the hereditary power succession and leads the process of revealing the bare face of the chaebol family.

tvN's "Little Women", which will premiere on September 3rd, also filled the main lineup with female actors such as Kim Go-eun, Nam Ji-hyun, and Park Ji-hu. They portray the story of three sisters who face a wealthy family. Song Hye-kyo and Jeon Do-yeon are in the midst of filming to release Netflix's original series "The Glory", which is a revenge drama, and tvN's "Crash Course in Romance" which chooses private education materials, respectively, early next year.

● Female characters who voice out

As such, the stage of women is expanding beyond romance to various genres and narratives.

Yoon Seok-jin, a drama critic and professor of Korean Studies at Chungnam National University, said on the 29th, "The fact that female characters tell their stories is a little different from the past", adding, "It is the result of changes in gender sensitivity in Korean society". Pop culture critic Kim Heon-sik also said, "Recently, viewers prefer female characters who can identify with them", adding, "As dramas tailored to the eyes of women in their 40s and 50s, the main audience of the home theater, are being produced, veteran actors are returning to the home theater".

Some say that the lack of young male stars also have some effect where romance between men and women accounts for an absolute proportion of dramas. An official from a drama production company explained, "There are not many top male stars in their mid-20s and early 30s who can be featured in dramas, but the casting range is wide for female actors".