If one were to ask the general K-pop community who the all-time best K-pop girl group is without being biased, they’ll most likely claim it is Girls’ Generation. Since 2007, the group officially known as So Nyeo Shi Dae (SNSD) has been pumping out hits that make people dance, make them sing, and/or touch their hearts. Being the best for so many years also comes with perks, especially when it comes to television and film. Over those same years, Girls’ Generation has been featured in numerous Korean dramas, movies, and variety shows. Why, they were one of the first guests on Running Man when it first came on the scene back in 2010.
It should also be noted that certain members in Girls’ Generation have also branched out to start their solo careers in television and film, too. Yoona and Sooyoung are known to be actresses in K-dramas, especially the former since Yoona was technically an actress first before becoming a K-pop idol for Girls’ Generation. And Sunny has been a main cast member for numerous K-variety shows, including Infinite Youth, Roommate , The M , and Music Island .
Along with the aforementioned, Yuri is another member of Girls’ Generation breaking into acting, too, though she does not have the same repertoire. That may change now that she is taking on a lead role in the upcoming K-drama Local Hero, starring Lee Soo Hyuk And Park Shi Hoo. Just recently, she took to her Instagram to show Sones how it is on set.
Kwon Yuri, who is professionally known simply by her first name, made it known she is all smiles along with other cast members through her official Instagram account . She took two selfies with Lee Soo Hyuk, Jo Sung Ha, Jung Man Sik, and Park Shi Hoo. In the caption section, she lets Sones know that she is filming with a “happy heart,” and to look forward to Local Hero ‘s premiere on January 23, 2016.
As for the K-drama itself, Local Hero(also known as Neighborhood Hero) stars Park Shi Hoo as Baek Shi Yoon, a former secret agent well-trained to be a human weapon. Wanting to hide his past, Shi Yoon buys a local bar and runs it as its owner. Eventually, he gains regulars to whom he becomes close, especially a young man named Choi Chan Kyoo, who is played by Lee Soo Hyuk. Chan Kyoo wants to become a police officer, but Shi Yoon instead trains him to be a secret agent to fight against evil.
Yuri’s role in Local Hero is that of Bae Jung Yeon , a regular at the bar who is also a writer. According to KdramaStars , Jung Yeon spends a lot of time at the bar to study the regulars as a means to find inspiration. Her keen eye for human nature makes her the biggest threat for both Baek Shi Yoon and Choi Chan Kyoo in exposing them.
It should also be noted that Local Hero is the first K-drama role Yuri has taken in over a year. Not only that, this is the first time she takes on the lead female role though having been in a lead role previously in Fashion King back in 2012.
Local Hero will air on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 p.m. KST on the Orion Cinema Network (OCN). It will run for 16 episodes starting on January 23, 2016, to March 13, 2016. For those who do not have access to OCN, it might be available for viewing pending region restrictions for free (with ads) on both DramaFever and Viki .
[Image via Girls’ Generation/SM Entertainment Promotions For I Got A Boy ]