Park Ha Sun, was once admired for marrying Ryu Soo Young, yet this love story became a career obstacle for her.
Following the controversial interview by Song Joong Ki about the reality of actors losing jobs after marriage in Korea, netizens have been revisiting the stories of actresses losing opportunities upon becoming wives and mothers.
Among them, Park Ha Sun is considered one of the most pitiable cases as she was rejected by directors for a continuous 4-year span. The reason being her marriage to popular actor Ryu Soo Young (Queenmaker) and becoming a mother.
In 2005, Park Ha Sun made her debut in the drama “Love Needs A Miracle.” Despite receiving praise for her acting abilities and visuals, the actress didn’t achieve immediate recognition after her debut role. It wasnr
‘t until 2010 that she gained prominence by playing the famous Empress Inhyeon in the historical drama “Dong Yi,” which gained immense popularity across Asia. From then on, she received enthusiastic attention from directors, producers, and brands.
In 2013, Park Ha Sun starred alongside Ryu Soo Young in the drama “Two Weeks.” The beautiful love story between them blossomed from this project, and they publicly confirmed their relationship a year after the drama aired. In 2017, the two officially got married and welcomed their first child in August of the same year.
However, around this time, both stars began to gradually disappear from the small screen, despite being at the peak of their careers. Audiences thought that Park Ha Sun and Ryu Soo Young had voluntarily stepped back to focus on their family, but that wasn’t the case.
Appearing on KakaoTV’s YouTube channel, Park Ha Sun opened up about the challenges of being a mother and the unforgettable experience of temporarily putting her career on hold. “I took a break for 2 years after dating and another 2 years after getting married and having a child,” Park Ha Sun surprised everyone by revealing the extended hiatus she took.
The most shocking revelation was that the 4-year hiatus from acting was a consequence of her dream-like love story and her happy marriage. It turns out that after getting married, Park Ha Sun was collectively rejected by producers and directors, simply because she was a married woman.
“What makes me sadder and more frustrated than anything is that even though these directors are older than me and have more conservative mindsets, and even though they are married and have children themselves, they told me that they only want to work with actresses who aren’t married. For a period of time, my name was consistently pushed down to the bottom of the casting list,” said Park Ha Sun.
Fortunately, Park Ha Sun finally secured a comeback project after several years, the drama “Birthcare Center.” Following that, Ha Sun found more potential projects such as “First Child” and “The Veil.” Her latest work, titled “Where Would You Like To Go,” is released this year.
It’s evident that after getting married, Park Ha Sun faced more limited roles, mostly portraying mothers and wives. Looking back at the difficult period, Park Ha Sun completely changed her perception and perspective on marriage. She hopes her daughter won’t have to go through the struggles she did and won’t be pressured to marry and have children.
“I know that many young people nowadays choose not to get married, and I believe that’s a wise decision. Giving birth is a painful process, and a part of me doesn’t want my daughter to go through such a difficult period. Of course, that journey is also very precious, but I think the decision should lie with my daughter herself,” Park Ha Sun shared during an interview for the movie “First Child.”
