International Women’s Day: The Actresses of “Parasite”

By Jae-Ha Kim
Kocowa.com
March 5, 2020

In honor of International Women’s Day (March 8), we wanted to salute the amazing actresses from “Parasite” — the first Korean film to ever win an Academy Award.

Of course director Bong Joon-Ho and his entire cast, including actors Song Kang-Ho, Lee Sun-Kyun, Choi Woo-Shik, Park Myung-Hoon and little Jung Hyun-jun, were fantastic in their respective roles. But in this article, we’re going to give a shout out to the women in this history-making movie.

Park So-Dam: Born in 1991, the actress plays Ki-jung, the indigent Kim family’s clever daughter. After her brother gets a tutoring job for the wealthy Parks, he recommends “Jessica” (in reality, Ki-jung) to be the art teacher for the Park’s young son. Ki-jung then manipulates the Parks into hiring her parents as their family driver and housekeeper. The four Kims now have the run of the Park household. Literally. Prior to “Parasite,” Park was best known outside South Korea for her work in the K-Dramas “A Beautiful Mind” and “Cinderella and the Four Knights.” Also, be sure to catch Episode 145 of “E-news Exclusive,” which includes a brief interview with Park after she lands in Los Angeles on her way to the Oscars.

Cho Yeo-Jeong: Formerly a teen model, Cho is an intuitive actress who embodies her characters with willful empathy. In “Parasite,” she portrays the easily manipulated Mrs. Park, who will believe just about anything if told with the right nuance. She wants what’s best for her children, but is blindsided by what she thinks is appropriate, rather than what actually is. If you tell her what she wants to hear, she’ll believe it without any further research. Fans loved her in her latest K-Drama “Woman of 9.9 Billion,” which had its series finale on January 23, 2020. Cho can also be seen in “Babysitter,” “Love in the Moonlight” and “Ms. Perfect.”

Lee Jeong-eun: The veteran actress can be seen in just about every recent popular K-Drama, including “When the Camellia Blooms,” “My Holo Love,” “Mr. Sunshine,” “My Strange Hero,” “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo,” “While You Were Sleeping,” “Fight for My Way,” “My Lovely Girl,” “Cunning Single Lady,” “Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop” … You get the picture.  She was astounding in her role as the Park family’s housekeeper Moon-gwang, who uncovered the Kim family’s web of lies as she desperately tried to hide her own secrets. She embodies every role she tackles and is one of South Korea’s best actresses, bar none.

Jang Hye-jin: In order to play the Kim family matriarch, who was once a powerful and competitive hammer throw athlete, Jang gained almost 30 pounds to better fit her role. She was almost unrecognizable in her next part playing a rich, fashionable and well-connected North Korean woman in “Crash Landing on You.” Coincidentally, her younger brother in that K-Drama was played by Park Myung-Hoon, who played Lee Jeong-eun’s hidden-away husband in “Parasite.” She also was in 2018’s “Hold Me Tight.”

Jung Ji-so: Many K-Drama fans recognize Ji-so for playing the younger version of Han Hyo Joo in “W” (which also starred one of our favorite actors, Lee Jong-Suk, who is currently serving his mandatory military duty). The 20-year-old actress gives a quietly powerful performance in “Parasite” as the wealthy Park family’s teenage daughter, Da-hye. You can see her in the K-Dramas “May Queen” and “Hyde, Jekyll, Me.

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