First Look at Dancing Queen and Elevator Girl Lee Yeon Hee in Miss Korea

It’s onwards we go as Fall wraps up and so does the slew of Fall K-dramas that have run the gamut from unexpectedly interesting to shockingly terrible. MBC currently has a win lock on Mon-Tues with Empress Ki which will run into Spring of 2014. But the network must be dying to retire Medical Top Team from the Wed-Thurs timeslot as the drama was a bust right out of the gate and stayed there. MTT was definitely a surprise flop coming from the successful hands of the writer of Brain and the PD behind The Moon Embraces the Sun, not to mention an eclectic something for everyone cast of Kwon Sang Woo, Jung Ryeo Won, Joo Ji Hoon, and Minho of Shinee. If the medical genre was a bit dry for the audience, hopefully Miss Korea will turn the tide towards something lighthearted and fun. Starring Lee Yeon Hee, Lee Seon Kyun, Lee Sung Min, Lee Ki Woo, Lee Mi Sook (HOMG how many more Lees is cast in this drama?), and Hong Ji Min (whew), the drama is set in 1997 and chronicles how a group of down on their luck businessman band together to turn the former high school beauty queen into the next Miss Korea. If anyone is wondering why set this in 1997, those old enough will remember the Asian Financial Crisis (also called the IMF Crisis) where South Korea was one of the most hard hit of the Asian Tigers. Lee Yeon Hee’s character is a departure from her ladylike image as she plays a crass elevator lady by day and party animal by night, who requires intense social grace training for her total makeover into a contender for the Miss Korea crown. Lee Seon Kyun and Lee Sang Min will be leading the make-a-beauty-queen brigade, while Lee Ki Woo is the villain of this tale. To help whip Lee Yeon Hee into ship, the men find Lee Mi Sook the beauty queen maker while sassy Hong Ji Min plays her rival. The first stills are out of Lee Yeon Hee (at her elevator girl job by day, dancing by night) and Lee Sang Min. I must say she’s looking mighty gorgeous. I’m glad her character isn’t an ugly duckling makeover but I think there are still tons of laughs to be mined.

The drama is currently filming in Jeju since the local Jeju tourism bureau is a sponsor of this drama. I have no complaints, Jeju is always a welcome sight for the eyes.