South Korean actress Park Min-young has personally addressed online speculation about her health after appearing noticeably thin at a press conference in Seoul on Sept 1.
Wearing a figure-hugging halterneck dress, she attended the event alongside co-stars Park Hee-soon and Joo Jong-hyuk, as well as director Nam Ki-hoon to promote their upcoming K-drama Confidence Queen, which premieres on Prime Video on Sept 6.
In the series, she plays Yoon Yi-rang, a brilliant con artist among a trio of swindlers who expose villains and take their ill-gotten gains.
However, Park Min-young’s unusually slim physique and angular facial features sparked concern from fans online, who pointed out her protruding collarbone and skinny arms, and asked if she was fine or if that was really her.
The 39-year-old, known for dramas such as Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010) and What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim (2018), is currently filming a new mystery thriller, Siren.
“I’ve been dieting healthily for my character Han Seol-ah in Siren, but I’ve recently lost more weight due to an intense schedule,” she wrote in Korean on social media on Sept 2.
“Don’t worry, I’m having three meals a day.”
She also shared several close-up photos of herself, as she urged her fans to look forward to her new shows.
This is not the first time Park has lost weight for a role.
In late 2023, fans were shocked by her gaunt image when official photos from revenge fantasy drama Marry My Husband (2024) were released. She played Kang Ji-won, a woman suffering from terminal cancer in the early part of the TV series, and weighed 37kg at the time.
“I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, but during filming, I managed only by eating small meals and relying on ion drinks,” she was quoted by South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo as saying in early 2024. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
