Lee Bo Young Offered Lead Role In ‘Advance’ — SBS K-Drama First Acting Gig Since Having Baby Girl With Ji Sung

One of the more seasoned Korean actresses in the industry today is Lee Bo Young. Known for her roles in Becoming a Billionaire (also known as Birth of the Rich) and God’s Gift – 14 Days, Bo Young took some time off from acting when she and her husband Ji Sung were expecting a baby girl. Because of this, Bo Young’s last acting gigs happened back in 2014, a cameo as the voice of a car navigation system in Pinocchio and a guest appearance on two episodes of Healing Camp, Aren’t You Happy.

Since 2014, Lee Bo Young’s husband, Ji Sung, was the primary breadwinner especially in Kill Me, Heal Me, a K-drama in which he played multiple roles due to the fact that his character, Cha Do Hyun, suffered from dissociative identity disorder. Just recently, Ji Sung finished up Ddanddara (also known as Entertainer). That K-drama, however, did not do so well given all the criticism it received within its first four episodes which includes poor production and an unnecessary rape scene.

Nevertheless, Lee Bo Young is now ready to come back to acting but it seems she will be biding her time to make her return in January of 2017. Reason why is that Lee Bo Young has been offered the lead role in the upcoming Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) K-drama Advance.

Before moving forward on the news of Lee Bo Young being offered the lead role in Advance, it is probably best to explain what the K-drama is all about. Apparently, it is either a medical drama, which seems to be a genre SBS is sticking to ever since Yong Pal dominated the 2015 K-drama year, or a police drama depending on the source. Besides that, there isn’t much information on it. However, Drama Beans reports there is a lot of chatter going around on Advance because Park Hyung Soo, the writer of Punch and The Chaser, will also be writing the script for Advance. Also, Hyung Soo is known for creating suspenseful thrillers that expose those in positions of power such as prosecutors, chaebols, and politicians.

At this moment, Lee Bo Young has not committed to Advance, but she is positively considering the lead role. This is probably a sign that the K-drama might be a success given the fact that Bo Young is known for picking roles in K-dramas that do well. For example, she chose to act in SBS K-drama I Hear Your Voice. By the end of the year, she won the SBS Best Actress Award for her role in it.

And if that isn’t enough of a sign that Advance might be a hit, according to KdramaStars, Lee Byung Hun, known for Iris and Beautiful Days, is also considering a lead role and he too is known for picking to act in K-dramas that happen to be successful.

Ultimately, having Lee Bo Young (and Lee Byung Hun) play the lead roles in Advance is all dependent on writer Park Hyung Soo. He will deliver the script to the potential cast sometime later this month. Hyung Soo, along with SBS, will have to do their best to sway the potential lead actors in taking the roles given the fact that Advance will be pre-produced meaning it will be completed even before it airs next year.

[Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images]