[Interview] Ha Yoon-kyung, "Park Shin-hye Is a True Leader"... "Undercover Miss Hong"

Recently, Ha Yoon-kyung held an interview with iMBC Entertainment at a location in Gangnam, Seoul, to mark the conclusion of the "Undercover Miss Hong", a weekend drama that aired on tvN.

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"Undercover Miss Hong" is a retro office comedy set in the late 1990s. The story follows Hong Geum-bo (Park Shin-hye), a 30-something elite financial supervisor who goes undercover as a 20-year-old entry-level employee at a securities firm after suspicious financial activity is detected.

In the drama, Ha Yoon-kyung plays Go Bok-hee, the personal secretary to the president at Hanmin Securities. She is a uniquely charismatic character who confidently walks around Yeouido in flashy polka-dot dresses, standing out in the otherwise monochrome financial district. Although ambitious, she is also charming and difficult to dislike. Bok-hee dreams of accumulating wealth and living freely as a 'California girl', but her plans begin to go off track after meeting her roommate, Hong Jang-mi.

Ha Yoon-kyung also spoke about her acting chemistry with Park Shin-hye, who played the title role. She praised her senior colleague for demonstrating the qualities of a 'true leader' on set.

"Even suggestions that rookies might find difficult to bring up, she handled very well on set", Ha said. "It's not easy to voice your opinions, but she would take the lead and help draw them out. I thought that's what a true leader does, someone who guides the team like an older sister and takes responsibility so that juniors can trust and follow".

The drama was particularly notable for its strong female camaraderie. Ha remarked, "I was amazed at how perfectly the cast matched their characters. We were really close, like sisters". She added with a laugh, "Shin-hye is very easygoing and warm. I'm not really like Bok-hee, if anything, I'm probably the most different. But I do have a bit of a tsundere side".

When asked about similarities between herself and her character, Ha Yoon-kyung pointed to her polite attitude toward elders. "I understand what makes interactions comfortable for others. In that sense, I felt I could approach social situations as Bok-hee does. On the surface, she may seem prickly, but she's actually generous in how she expresses herself", she explained.

"Undercover Miss Hong" aired its final episode on March 8th.