Park Shin-hye Shines as 'Undercover Miss Hong' Sees Ratings Surge

Actress Park Shin-hye has proven her status as a 'box office queen' with her latest drama. Despite a sluggish start with ratings in the 3% range, the show has more than doubled its viewership by the fourth episode. Industry insiders attribute this success largely to Park Shin-hye's stellar performance as the lead.

Park Shin-hye stars in tvN's weekend drama 'Undercover Miss Hong,' an office comedy set in the late 1990s. She plays Hong Geum-bo, a 30-something elite securities supervisor who goes undercover as a low-level employee at a suspicious brokerage firm.

This marks Park Shin-hye's return to tvN after eight years since 'Memories of the Alhambra.' At the press conference, she expressed her gratitude, saying, "I didn't expect it to take this long. I'm very thankful to be called back after such a long time. I hope to achieve great results, inspired by the success of my previous work 'Typhoon Company' with actor Lee Junho."

However, the initial ratings were below expectations. The first episode recorded a 3.5% viewership, the lowest since 'Potato Research Institute' aired in March last year. Compared to the final episode of the previous show 'Pro Bono,' which had a 10% rating, it was less than half. Meanwhile, KBS2's 'Dear Thief' aired at the same time with a 7.0% rating, twice that of 'Undercover Miss Hong.'

Nevertheless, the ratings began to climb, reaching 5.7% by the second episode and surpassing 7.4% by the fourth episode. This was more than double the first episode's ratings and successfully overtook 'Dear Thief' (7.1%) on the same day.

The rise in 'Undercover Miss Hong's' popularity is credited to Park Shin-hye's comedic performance. Her character, Hong Geum-bo, is the first female supervisor in the Capital Market Supervision Department, known as the 'Witch of Yeouido.' She goes undercover at Hanmin Securities as a 20-year-old high school graduate to find the whistleblower 'Yebbi.'

In 'Undercover Miss Hong,' Park Shin-hye showcases a range of expressions, switching between the cold Hong Geum-bo and the cheerful Hong Jang-mi. Her transformation into Hong Jang-mi, with a bob perm and lovely styling, is a fresh change. Her comedic acting adds to the entertainment.

The camaraderie with her dorm roommates Go Bok-hee (played by Ha Yoon-kyung), Kang No-ra (Choi Ji-soo), and Kim Mi-sook (Kang Chae-young) also shines. Initially bickering and fighting, they gradually help and rely on each other, building a strong friendship. The storyline with her ex-lover and Hanmin Securities CEO Shin Jung-woo (Go Kyung-pyo) and the mystery of finding 'Yebbi' enhance the drama's engagement.

Park Shin-hye has established herself as a 'box office queen' with numerous hits like 'You're Beautiful,' 'The Heirs,' 'Pinocchio,' 'Doctors,' 'Doctor Slump,' and 'Judge from Hell.' All eyes are on whether 'Undercover Miss Hong' can continue its momentum and break into double-digit ratings.

By Tae Yuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr