Actress Park Jun Geum, known for her role as the snobby mother-in-law, recently expressed remorse to a famous actress after slapping her hard while acting.
Actress Park Jun Geum | TN Entertainment
Park Jun Geum has played a wealthy mother in many K-Dramas, including Secret Garden (2010), where she played actor Hyun Bin‘s mother.
Your browser does not support video.Hyun Bin and Park Jun Geum in “Secret Garden” | SBS
Most recently, she played the mother-in-law of the protagonist Cha Jeong Suk (played by Uhm Jung Hwa) in the popular JTBC show Doctor Cha.
Your browser does not support video.Park Jun Geum as the mother of Seo In Ho (played by Kim Byung Chul) in “Doctor Cha” | JTBC
As the mother-in-law who slaps many actors as part of the script, Park Jun Geum has become a “specialist” at slapping.
On October 11, KBS‘s talk show Problem Child in House aired an episode featuring Park Jun Geum. During the interview, TV personality Kim Jong Kook described the actress as a “slap-specialized actress in the drama industry” and asked for a know-how on how to slap well.
| @pinkjungum/Instagram
Park Jun Geum replied that she slapped hard if the script said so, and because of that, she feels bad for a particular actress.
You can improve on anything with practice. If the drama script told me to slap hard, then I really slapped hard. I did it to be faithful to the script. There are two people I feel really sorry for.
— Park Jun Geum
| KBS
She revealed that one of the actresses she felt sorry for was Lee Min Jung, a rookie actress at the time.
Actress Lee Min Jung | Singles
Park Jun Geum elaborated on the scene where she had to slap the rookie actress. At the time, she thought that slapping Lee Min Jung hard would help her cry for the scene, but in the end, she felt terrible.
At the time, Lee Min Jung was a rookie. It was before she got married [in the show]. She had to cry for the scene, but because she was a rookie, she might not be able to cry. In case of an NG, I calculated that if I hit her really hard, she could cry. I hit her really hard. Then tears that were as big as chicken droppings really fell. The scene turned out well, but I still feel sorry for her.
— Park Jun Geum
| @216jung/Instagram
Park Jun Geum added that she hugged Lee Min Jung after the scene was over and apologized.
She then added that she has a strong hand and shows no remorse when she has to slap for a scene. She said that she had never been slapped in a scene before.
I have a strong hand. I know what it means to have impact. I used to exercise. If I have to hit someone, I do it in one try. I’ve never been slapped, but I have been grabbed by the hair.
— Park Jun Geum
| @pinkjungum/Instagram
The scene with Lee Min Jung that Park Jun Geum was referring to appears from a K-Drama called Smile, You from 2009. Park Jun Geum played the mother of a man who Lee Min Jung’s role was to marry. While arguing, Park Jun Geum slapped Lee Min Jung across the face.
Your browser does not support video.Lee Min Jung and Park Jun Geum in “Smile, You” | SBS
As Park Jun Geum described, big tears rolled down Lee Min Jung’s face after getting slapped.
Your browser does not support video.| SBS
Smile, You was Lee Min Jung’s first lead role in her career following her supporting role in Boys Over Flowers, where she played Ha Jae Kyung, a wealthy girl who was to marry the rich protagonist Gu Jun Pyo (played by actor Lee Min Ho) in an arranged marriage.
Lee Min Jung in “Boys Over Flowers” | KBS2
Since then, she has gained attention for Cyrano Agency (2010) and continued her acting career with productions such as Once Again (2020). She got married to famous actor Lee Byung Hun in 2013.
She’s a “slap-specialist.”
