AOA’s Minah Climbs Aboard the Hospital Ship Alongside Kang Min Hyuk and Ha Ji Won

More crew members are boarding the MBC drama Hospital Ship and it looks like entertainment agency FNC may have a stake in this sailing. AOA‘s idol-actress Minah (Kwon Min Ah) joins the medical drama playing a nurse character, following on the heels of her same agency mate Kang Min Hyuk of CNBLUE who signed on last week as leading lady Ha Ji Won‘s costar. I remember her from playing the bratty younger female lead character as a teenager in weekend drama Wonderful Days but haven’t seen her more recent dramas Modern Family and All About My Mom. Of the two idol-actress Minahs it’s actually Girl’s Day‘s Minah who was quite well received in last year’s Beautiful Gong Shim but perhaps this one has also improved.

Hospital Ship sets sail in late August after The Man Who Dies to Live with Choi Min Soo, Kang Ye Won, and Shin Sung Rok.


Comments

AOA’s Minah Climbs Aboard the Hospital Ship Alongside Kang Min Hyuk and Ha Ji Won — 47 Comments

    • I’m becoming embarassed for her at this point, goodness.

      If TV network continue to let these kpop agencies shoehorn their products, I mean idols, into kdramas for whatever reason, I won’t be surprised if bigger name actors start to keep their distance from kdramas.

      I hope she drops out so she can send a message to the industry but I don’t think she’d drop out at this point.

  1. How about HJW pull out of this drama and let CN Blue dude and AOA chick become the couple.Then those who gravitate toward dramas with idols as leads can watch this?

    But again it’s unfair because HJW was the first one to be cast and confirmed.So why not hire a male lead on par with HJW’s acting experience and age and form a nice charismatic and balanced pair.To make it a nice foursome where the two idols are a match and supporting second leads.They can shine too if they do well this way.Since both Minah and Min Hyuk are not necessarily bad actors so they deserve a chance.

    Or is MBC expecting HJW to pull a LJK where she is allegedly “hard carrying” and still come out of dramas filled with criticisms about cast, story, editing and all and still smelling like a bouquet of roses and daffodils.

    As far as I remember, even when the drama she is starring in are female-centric and the story is focused on her character’s journey.All her co -male both first lead stars and second male leads were stellar and experienced actors. For example Damo, Hwang Jin Yi, Empress Ki, What Happened in Bali.

    We already saw what happened in her last drama that must not be named when she is cast opposite bland actors and when the story is set to be focused on her.

    If this drama turns out to be good and achieve good results or at least have addictive quality and resonate with the audience.That will be wonderful.But if it doesn’t, everyone will be crucified.HJW will confirm those comments saying she has lost her touch. Min Hyuk and Minah will join the netizen Kdrama fan idol hatelist and reaffirm the idol bias that they can’t act and all their past good performance will be forgotten.I don’t want this to happen to any of them so please do good drama(though I’m not a huge fan of medical dramas).

    • My long time dream was to see HJW paired with Jang Hyuk as they were about to be together in Secret Garden but JH dropped out. It’s been long time since JH doesn’t get a decent leading lady and HJW doesn’t get a decent male lead either. I think they match well.

      • That would be awsome but we are not lucky enough to witnness that. By the way JH is shooting a movie and won’t be free till November. He won’t be coming back to small screen this year.

  2. i hope these young actors will be junior residents.. I like them, please give them a chance, KMH has already been in some K-Dramas & he is cute. HJW can land a movie if she likes, this is her choice… Come on, for those who want her to pull out of this drama, do you want her to take on a mother’s role? She is well over the age to do so….

    • @candycane come on now HJW is not that old that her roles are restricted to only playing mother roles if she pulled out of this. she can play mother roles and she already has but her options are still limitless.Or they match her with an actor around her age, she can still portray a mature believable girlfriend/boyfriend relationship or marriage without kids just fine..She is born 1978 and is only 39 and looks at least two years younger than that.if dolled up with good styling and makeup, she can even look around 34 or 35.

      Actresses Gong Hyo Jin(37), Kim So Yeon(37), Kim Tae Hee(37), Song Hye Hyo(36), Jun Ji Hyun(36) younger than her by only two to three years etc who are at the age where they can play young mothers of toddlers or teens are very much eligible to still be playing girlfriend roles and they are all doing just fine and can sell good chemistry when the script and casting is done right.

      Actors like So Ji Sub(40) Gong Yoo(38),Jong Ju Seuk(37), Lee Dong Wook(36) Jo In Sung(36) etc..who are also eligible to be playing young daddy roles of toddlers and teens are still very eligible to be playing boyfriend roles too just fine and sell good chemistry if the script and casting is done right.

    • @candycane in this case, no one needs to pull out since both Minah and Min Hyuk are ok..they just need an experienced first male lead to balance things up..it’s that simple.

      The reason why people lately are bashing these idols and models in casting news is because:

      1.Their performance in dramas is inconsistent, good in one drama then just barely ok in the next drama or for some even terrible in another drama.Or perform well in one scene of the drama and then perform poorly in the next scene of the same drama.

      2. we are now seeing a constant trend where the casting agents either cast just one or two experienced actor then a bunch of actor or actress idols/models and then the villain or the experienced actor first lead half of the couple is forced to hard carry the drama.

      3.They cast for example three experienced actors and then shove in a rookie actress idol/model and usually it ruins the flow of the story when one is performance at A+ and the other is D-.

      4.Constantly giving the same idols usually female or models usually male lead roles or even supporting roles over and over again when they are not showing any or very slow growth in their acting.While very talented and equally beautiful, handsome, and charismatic actors are forever playing second roles and villains to.

      Now everyone deserves a chance but the unanimous opinion is that don’t take shortcuts.Dont let acting be just a means of boosting your celebrity status or a medium to remain relevant in the eyes of the public.Or if you indeed have the passion for acting, can you please invest some passion into learning the craft not half ass effort.Just being pretty or handsome is not enough.Unless this improves, the bashing and hate will never stop, the domestic ratings and quality of drama will continue tanking.

    • I like KMH too but from the dramas I have watched, he has not been the lead or even second lead. I am open to idols acting if they can act, but some of them are just too unbearable to continue the drama. For example, I gave the recent ‘secret romance’ a chance, SJE is pretty but she can’t emote and do crying scenes so needless to say I never finished it. I am currently watching ‘My Father is strange’ and find Lee Joon is okay.

      HJW might be the lucky lead actress to pull off a Han Suk-kyu but the storyline has to be good also.

      I’m just really glad Kim Ji Won and Jung So-min are doing great in their respective dramas. These proper actresses.

      • yes, I am watching Kim Ji Won now and like her character very much. She has much improved from her “Rachel” days… My point is please not to discredit young rookie idols, everybody has to find work somewhere 🙂 Peace

    • But Choi Jin Hyuk, the male lead who was first offered the male lead role is most likely not cheap.Albeit maybe his fee is just a little less than Ha Ji Won especially after his role in Tunnel.

      They are also actors at the level of Lee Jin Wook her last leading man, who are better actors, within her age and acting experience as her or at least close, forever stuck in second lead roles, and would cost less fees than her.They are clearly banking on her star power to do the job for them that is if Min Hyuk is really the main lead.

      So what is MBC doing?They are the greediest when it comes to ratings and awarding dramas that have the highest ratings at their end of year award ceremonies.But most of the time they can’t get their castings and drama plots right.This is why they are always doing poorly in ratings compares to SBS and KBS.

      • I will always be amused that MBC’s biggest weekday hit of 2017 was a drama they barely promoted before it aired – Rebel.

        Rookie leads, no ‘star writer’ and no A-list stars among the cast, and it still did equal or better ratings-wise than Ruler, which they were hyping since the MBC drama awards last year.

  3. Poor Ha Ji Won. Is there no experienced actor that could be paired with her anymore? Hyun bin, Jo In Sung, So Ji Sub, Jang Hyuk. Even if they really wanna cast idol actor, at least give her better pairing such as with Eric or if they really need younger idol actor, Korea still has Lee Joon. Sigh..

    • And irony is these competent older actors don’t get decent leading ladies. For example look at Ji Sung. Why don’t they just put them together or maybe this is because writer prefer the stories in which either male or female character is dominant so there is no question of casting other powerful actor. Why can’t they just write the stories with both strong men and women. It’ll be more fun to watch.

      • @Fres except the kdrama competent writers have done it already and it worked just fine with lead pair on equal footing actingwise and have been able to produce desirable results like

        It’s ok that’s love:male(Jo In Sung) was a famous writer, female(Gong Hyo Jin) was a psychiatrist.

        Innocent Man:Song Joong Ki and Moon Chae Won(of course male was doctor turned gigolo and female was a chaebol heiress and businesswoman) but the script of both was written so no one dominate the other.
        It’s just that the broadcasters are getting greedier and want to export all their dramas to foreign countries..so the companies lately are just shoving their idols and models into main
        Kdrama leads everywhere whether or not they suit the character or have the gravitas to pull off the role.

      • It’s more like a recent trend. See what Jo In Sung got for a female lead in his new movie. Lee Kyung Hee whose female leads used to be likes of Gong Hyo Jin, Im Soo Jung, Moon Chae Won is working now with Suzy and her new drama is not going to do any better.

    • Oh yes, FNC at it again. They shoved Seolhyun (Orange Marmelade..) in to Ansi City with Jo In Sung. An idol actress to take away the seriousness of this project. No wonder why a crap actor like Jung Young Hwa gets male lead roles, making the female leads pull the dramas. FNC’s dirty hands are too strong…
      Why won’t directors like Abdellatif Kechiche cast idols like Miley Cyrus/Selena Gomez to co-star with actresses like Lea Seydoux or Isabelle Huppert (just to make a comparison how ridiculous this situation looks)….?…

      • Léa Seydoux the grand daughter of the owner of Pathé ? Without her connections, we wouldn’t have known her…

        And I don’t really know for Mina, but Kang Minhyuk convinced me in his roles.

        Now for FNC or other agencies, when they produced drama, I guess it seems normal for them to choose actors in their agency but for example My Only Love Song was really nice even if there was idols :p They produced School 2015 and there weren’t their idols in. But they could promote more their real actors like Kwak Dong Yeon.

  4. @candycane saying that HJW is old and should resort to playing roles as a mother is insane and rude af. If you want to watch an idol driven drama please watch My lovely girl, Moon lovers and Heirs! HJW is too good for this FNC one package deal. Shame on you MBC!!

    • @Lilykoo – I am not rude to say that. I am in response to those who wants HJW to pull out. And please be real, do you know how old Miss HJW is now? Even UEE has played a mother’s role. This is not being rude, this is called being “Realistic” you delulu… IF u don’t want to watch idol-casted K-drama, you better tuned off your computer!! Sheesh… Yes, HJM is too good in your books for any new projects, keep on waiting…

      • and oh by the way, I NEVER SAY HJW is “OLD”!!! who says being a mother is old. My mom has me when she was 23. Please check my comment! I hate people misquoting me. TOTALLY HATE IT!! Do you know how old a girl can bear a child? You are the rude one and you are insane!

  5. Fnc is no joke now. Since their music didnt really sell well. Cnblue, ftisland and aoa become so irrelevant nowadays. So, they turn their idols/singers into acting. Seolhyun is a big mess. But minah is better in some ways.

    But as someone who follows hajiwon’s projects, well i quitted her latest drama with LJW, i hope she choose a better script. Probably she’s attempted with the success of Dr. Kim, so she has chosen this drama. But the current ‘confirmed’ idols arent that popular. Well, even with so so acting, IU and Suzy are famous enough to ‘sell’ their dramas. Or Yoona from snsd.

    But who knows, i may be wrong. I just hope this drama wont be another failed project of her. She’s one great actress!

  6. @CandyCane just to gently correct you.Kim Ji Won was and is not an idol actress.Acting was her main occupation from the beginning.She is one of the best persons to prove what we are saying.Look how long it took her to get a lead role, she debut in 2008 and it has taken her 9 years before gaining her first role on public prime time weekday television and she lack nothing, beauty,acting talent, charisma..she got it all.She worked her way up from bottom and improve her craft and wasn’t greedy or her agency wasn’t greedy and the results are paying off in her latest drama.

    While these idols and models just do two or three acting gigs in supporting roles then suddenly they are being handled leading roles left and right or they have been main roles for many years but just very small to no improvement and are just mediocre and bland .When there are actors and actresses like Kang Ha Neul, Ji Soo, Kwak Do Yeon, Kang Ha Na, Im Joo Eun etc or seniors who take like years before being given a lead role like Nam Goong Min and Go Kyung Pyo.They are just as handsome, extremely talented and charismatic.No wonder people are always pissed off.

    Don’t get me wrong, they are some extremely talented actor idols/models who get the basics right at the start or nail it within a short time like Im Si Wan, Nana,Park Hyu Sik, Woo Bin, Jong Suk etc..and they are also some purely actors who are also consistently terrible and should go back to doing supporting roles but the ratio is disproportionate.

    For every one talented idol/model who is actually a good actor…I can name at least 10 talented rookie actors who have yet to be given a chance even in teen dramas.For every 1 terrible actor teen or older, I can list about 10 idol/model teen or adult who are atrocious in acting.

    • @RubyRed – When did I ever say KJW was/is an idol actress? Another misquote from someone who cannot read English?? Please please please… WHEN DID I SAY KJM WAS/IS AN IDOL ACTRESS?? WHEN WHEN WHEN?? Your gentle correction can be re-directed to yourself please!!!!!!!!!!

      • by the way, RubyRed = Q, why do you post under two different names? Go home take more English lessons and smarten up 🙂

  7. i think the reason is purely monetary affairs and the strength of the role to be played by ha ji won.

    goodluck to ha ji won

  8. @ Candycane you are so ignorant if you think that at her age if she’s not starring in some idol driven drama there’s nothing else for her but to resort to playing “mother” roles. UEE is not even that great of an actress for you to be comparing BRO. What about JDY, Kim Min-hee, Kim Hee Ae and lee young-ae? are they stuck to only playing mother roles bc they are old? It doesnt matter what role she is portraying as long as the production is not trying to do a one package deal sticking all these idol wannabe actors in it. I never said that there is anything wrong with idols as long as they have proven they can act like the rare ones like Jung eun ji, Im si wan, and Lee Joon.
    @ Rubyred, I so agree that I do not have a problem with idol turn actors as long as they have paid their dues and not try to do lead roles when they havent improved from their minor roles like Suzy and Krystal

    • @ Candycane, you are such a liar!! even if you did not say she is old and should resort to playing mother roles you implied it in your quote you delusional wench “Come on, for those who want her to pul out of this drama, do you want her to take on a mother’s role? She is well over the age to do so….” and yet you still denied it, you crazy beesh.

      • Also, @ Candycane, you are rude af telling people they should smarten up and learn english when your posts are filled with grammatical and punctuation issues. You should just stick to ur day job as a delusional idol loving b***

      • @ken, RubyRed, Q – at 39 years old, one is called at “high-risk” for being pregnant, and I am not lying.

    • @ken – who says being a mother is old now? I NEVER SAY ANYONE IS OLD!! I guess you can reflect that upon yourself. You are the ignorant one!! UEE is a good actress, please don’t put someone down to try to upgrade your bias. I am NOT YOUR BRO, DUDE! It is a shame to see your comment again, RubyRed!

  9. @ Candycane “she has much improved..” that isn’t correct english beesh. I suggest you go back to grammar school and stop wasting your time on this msg board bc clearly it isn’t helping you learn english LOL

  10. @ Candycane you implied that she was old and should stick to playing mother roles in your quote. Maybe you should also learn what the world implied means in addition to learning better grammar. You are a very sad thing calling people out for something you yourself cannot even do and still lying about what you said LOL what a sad BRO.

  11. @Q clearly candycane isn’t up for a real discussion about what other roles HJW can play bc candycane is more than likely a pubescent teen trying to see her oppa on any drama lol

  12. This is unrelated but Gong Hyo Jin at the age of 27 played a mother of 8 years old (in Thank You) that too a single mother. Jang Hyuk said in his interview that no actress would take the role because the role was of a unwed mother and they feared for their reputation and above all JH had a bad reputation for his sordid army past(He is not powerful and rich like Song Seung Heon) and he thought no one would agree to work with him. But Gong Hyo Jin stepped in and did that role amazingly(I think it’s one of her best performance to date). She is dadicated to her art and I love her for that. Her first major commercial success did not come till 2010. Now you can see where she is. When the greats like GHJ has to work hard from bottom then it hurts to see very un-nuanced people grabbing the top roles. And you can even see the recent trends that popularity has nothing to do with the ratings.
    In the end for quarrelling people there is no age for playing a mother role for an actress and playing a mother(or a father as Rain played in Sangdoo LGS at the age of 21) is not going to harm your career in anyway. Above all playing a mother/father role is not a disrespect but an honour for the actors

    • @Were I agree with everything you have said.Its just that the difference between you and the one who brought up the mother discussion is that you are putting a positive spin to it.

      In contrast, her tone felt negative to me when she talked about playing mother role.She implied that if Ha Ji Won pulled out of this, all she is available for are ‘mother’ roles because she is older and used up.Thats what I was trying to point out that no, her options are unlimited.

      Indeed there is nothing wrong with HJW playing a mother role at this stage.In fact she already did four years ago in Empress Ki and was in her movie ‘Chronicles of the Blood Merchant'(I haven’t watched it someone can enlighten me).

      But just like Gong Hyo Jin as you rightly said, she played a mother at 27 in 2010 and three years later and subsequent years she has starred in Master’s Sun, It’s ok that’s love, Producers and Jealous Incarnate..she has played as a girlfriend love interest.

      So if GHJ can do it when she is only two years younger than HJW, then what limits makes HJW too old to play other roles other than a mother?Don’t worry you don’t have to answer this? because you have said your point clearly and I agree.Thats me rambling.

      It’s ok I am not going to watch this drama anyway with or without the idols, the premise and genre is not appealing to me. Il probably just read the reviews and if it’s good il marathon later.But like you, its just sad that lately very un-nuanced people are grabbing the lead roles when acting is just a side job not their bread and butter and they show very little passion for it as proven by their performances.

      • Isn’t it unfortunate that viewers are trying to put an artist in a box however there job is to explore unknown territories. Whatever. But I think if actresses like GHJ and HJW could plan their future projects wisely then they can have very long and respected careers like Kim Hye Ja.
        Avoid COBM if you can that’s an awful movie. Yes HJW played mom of three but being in movie is different than being in dramas in Korea. They do all kind of things in movies but stay clean in dramas.It’s like Gong Yoo would play a daddy in a movie but never in a drama to save his ‘oppa’ image.

  13. Both idol actors are not bad, and we should give a chance on the drama before criticize. I can understand that a lot of you are not happy with the cast , but what can we do ? lately a lot of veteran actors are casted with rookie actors or idol actors for some diferent reasons. But we might be surprised ! Ruler has cast solid Young actors and the drama is not doing so well when Stronger woman DBS with Park Hyun Shik (an idol actor) hit big.

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