K-drama ‘Spy Myung Wol’ lead actress leaves drama hanging
Korean drama land is in crisis mode. A lead actress in the midst of filming the near end of a drama has left Korea for the United States without permission after refusing to show up for filming.
The trouble started when Han Ye Seul ("Miss Gold Digger", "Will it Snow for Christmas") who plays the title role "Myung Wol" in the drama "Spy Myung Wol" refused to film her scenes due to health concerns. Later on, however, the actual reason behind her absence was revealed to be a professional spat with the show's producer. Han Ye Seul requested for a change in the producer due to the rigorous and unreasonable shooting schedule for the drama. However, KBS, the channel airing the drama, did not fire the producer but instead added a new producer to serve on the set. Due to this misunderstanding, Han Ye Seul has not stepped on the set since.
According to reports, Han Ye Seul failed to show up on her scheduled shoot last August 14 and it has been confirmed that she has left Korea for the United States on August 15 under her real name 'Leslie Kim'.
In a country where hard work and sacrificially fulfilling contracts is valued, many have judged Han Ye Seul's actions as a definite career ending move. Fans of the drama expressed that as a professional, she should have completed the drama first and then sued the producers later. Many of her co-stars have expressed their frustration over the actresses' "unprofessional" attitude as they were left on standby for more than 10 hours. Han Ye Seul's co-star Eric Mun of the legendary K-Pop group Shinhwa has expressed his concern by saying: "Though the viewer ratings for 'Spy Myung Wol' haven't been that great, the rest of the actors and I have been enduring it and doing our best thinking that 'If we work hard, there will be good results'. Of course, my tight schedule and filming has been a little difficult, but I've been trying my best to keep my promise to the viewers… Haven't we all gone through hard times while working on 'Spy Myung Wol' and other dramas? Is it not the same for all actors? I believe that overcoming and fighting these struggles is an actor's responsibility. I believe that staying out of reach and causing the drama to stop is not right. I wish Han Ye Seul will hurry and return to the set. I want to achieve a successful conclusion with mutual understanding."
There are reports that the KBS channel, Lee Kim Productions (the producers of the drama), and Sidus HQ (Han Ye Seul's management company) will be suing the actress for breach of contract and disruption of business. Many speculate that even if the producers have been at fault in creating an unhealthy work schedule for the actress, it seems that her act of leaving the country on her own accord without discussing her professional issues will cause her a lot of legal battles in the coming years.
In order to keep their promise to the people, the producers expressed intentions to have Han Ye Seul's character played by another actress in the remaining episodes. I personally do not know how a re-casting would work at such a late stage in the drama. Still, this is the only solution the producers have to complete "Spy Myung Wol".
Upon landing in the United States, the embittered actress confirmed reports related to the reason for her departure by saying: "I gave up everything. The work environment was just too hard for me."
Updated reports about this issue, however, revealed that Han Ye Seul has intentions of going back to Korea to finish filming as stated through a press release from Han Ye Seul's agency. Whether the producers, director, cast and crew will accept her is another thing. Stay tuned for more updates to this story.
