Which k-drama stars will play the best reporters? Currently three dramas focus on the lives of reporters and all three have cast skilled and appealing k-drama actors in such parts.
Already airing are "Pinocchio," starring Lee Jong Suk, Park Shin Hye and Lee Pil Mo, and "The Greatest Marriage," starring Park Si Yeon, Bae Soo Bin and No Min Woo. Up soon is "Healer," starring Park Min Young, Yoo Ji Tae and Ji Chang Wook.
In "Pinocchio," viewers have so far only seen the dark side of broadcast journalism. It was a newswoman's desire for a good story that led to the disgrace of an innocent man and the break-up of his family. Lee Jong Suk plays the son of a firefighter wrongly accused of betraying his men. Park Shin Hye plays the daughter of the newswoman who helped seal the wronged firefighter's fate. They become reporters for different reasons, but they are both idealistic and have to face the reality of a working newsroom.
So far, viewers have not witnessed the actors as reporters but they may understand what drove their career choices.
In "The Greatest Marriage," the lead characters are all broadcast reporters. Park Se Yeon is a newswoman with talent and such a strong following that she manages to hold on to her fan base after becoming a single mother. Her co-anchor, played by Bae Soo Bin, schemes to undermine her and the men who work in the newsroom are happy to help him. The old boys club would prefer that there was a man in charge. The drama portrays some of the infighting that is sure to happen on broadcast news, as well as the positive sides of broadcast journalism. Park Si Yeon's character is an idealistic hard-hitting newswoman who insists on pursuing the truth but is not willing to harm an innocent person for a good story. Bae Soo Bin makes the mistake of not caring which innocents get hurt in pursuit of a sensational story.
The next reporter drama is "Healer," which is set to follow "Tomorrow Cantabile." That drama follows a decades-old incident in which a group of friends ran an illegal broadcasting station. Two of the characters are reporters. One is a famous journalist at a major broadcast station while the other is a reporter from a second rate tabloid.
Yoo Ji Tae, who last appeared in "A Star's Lover," is Kim Moon Ho, the famous broadcast reporter. Park Min Young, who was last seen as a legal intern in "A New Leaf," plays the reporter who works for the les than reputable Internet news site. Her character provides the love interest for Ji Chang Wook, who plays a mysterious messenger. The reporters will search for the truth but may not recognize it when they find it.
