Celebrating International Women’s Day with “The Penthouse 2” Actresses

By Jae-Ha Kim
Kocowa.com
March 5, 2021

March 8 is International Women’s Day and we can’t let that day go by without acknowledging the work of the amazing actresses on the female-centric “The Penthouse 2.” This second season has lived up to the promise of last season’s “The Penthouse” and continues the deliciously evil makjang storylines that keep the over-the-top series a viewer favorite.

No wonder this K-drama continues to break viewing records. According to the most current data via Nielsen Korea, the third and fourth episodes of “The Penthouse 2” dominated their time slots, with ratings of 18.8% and 24% respectively.

As with many great actresses who convincingly play horrible characters, these women are just too good at playing hateful roles. So it was a lot of fun to watch Kim So Yeon, Eugene and Lee Ji Ah show off their lighter sides when they guest starred on the variety series, “Running Man.” Eugene proved especially competitive, while So Yeon — who plays Seo-Jin, the woman we all love to hate — was so gentle and trusting of the famously deceitful “Running Man” cast.

Kim So Yeon: Now 40 years old, the gorgeous actress got her entertainment start at the age of 14, when she entered a beauty contest. She made her K-drama debut in 1994’s “Dinosaur Teacher” and worked as an emcee from 1997 to 2000 on “Inkigayo.” Her film roles include “Change,” “Seven Swords” and “Gabi.” But she’s best known for her K-dramas (“Mother of Mine,” “Secret Mother,” “Two Weeks”). In 2009, she went all-out filming the series “Iris,” portraying a North Korean spy. To many viewers, she was almost unrecognizable without her trademark long hair. (The series was also edited and released as a film called “Iris the Movie.”)

Fun fact: So Yeon has a beautiful singing voice and was a contestant on “The King of Mask Singer” as the Nice to Meet You Squirrel.

Eugene: The 39-year-old star was born Kim Yoo Jin and has been in the entertainment business for 24 years. The actress first found fame not as an actress, but as an idol. She was a member of the girl group S.E.S. After making her acting debut in KBS2’s “Loving You” in 2002, she filmed a new series almost every year (“All About My Mom,” “100 Year Legacy,” “Bread, Love and Dreams”). She met her future husband, Ki Tae Young, while filming 2009’s “Creating Destiny.” The couple also filmed episodes of “The Return of Superman” together.

Fun fact: Thanks to the years she lived in Guam, Eugene speaks fluent English. So it was interesting to watch her pretend to struggle with the foreign language on “The Penthouse.”

Lee Ji Ah: Born Kim Sang Eun in 1978, Ji Ah starred in a commercial for LG before she landed “The Legend” — her first K-drama — in 2007. Her roles in “The Ghost Detective” and “Flower I Am” made her a familiar face on television. But her best known role prior to starring in “The Penthouse” was as a cheating wife in “My Mister.” In her persona life, Ji Ah was previously married to Korean music legend Seo Taeji, before going through an acrimonious divorce.

Fun fact: Lee perfected her English language skills during the 10 years her family lived in the United States. She returned to South Korea permanently in 2005 to launch her acting career.

This talented trio of actresses proves that women-led K-dramas can be a huge hit with audiences and that you don’t need romance or second lead syndromes to keep viewers coming back for more. So, happy International Women’s Day to Ji Ah, Eugene and So Yeon … and to all the women out there!