"Strong Girl Bong-soon" (Korean: 힘쎈여자 도봉순) is a 2017 South Korean television series. Park Bo-young plays the main character, a woman with superhuman strength, alongside Park Hyung-sik and Ji Soo. The show aired on JTBC from February 24 to April 15, 2017.
The series was well-received by viewers. Its final episode had a rating of 8.96% nationwide, making it the JTBC drama with the highest viewership rating at that time.
Synopsis
Do Bong-soon (Park Bo-young) was born with superhuman strength, which is inherited only by women in her family. She wants to create a video game where she is the main character. She hopes to become soft and graceful, like In Guk-doo (Ji Soo), a police officer and her childhood friend, who is her crush. Because of her strength, she works as a bodyguard for Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik), the CEO of a gaming company called Ainsoft. Kidnappings occur in Dobong-dong, the neighborhood where Bong-soon lives, and she is determined to find the person who kidnapped her best friend. With help and training from Min-hyuk, she learns to control her strength to help others. As they work together and solve the case, their relationship grows stronger. Their time at work and solving the kidnappings lead to funny and risky situations that bring them closer.
Cast
- Park Bo-young plays Do Bong-soon. Shin Bi plays the younger version of Do Bong-soon.
- Park Hyung-sik plays Ahn Min-hyuk. Choi Seung-hoon plays the younger version of Ahn Min-hyuk.
- Ji Soo plays In Guk-doo. Choi Min-young plays the younger version of In Guk-doo.
- Kim Won-hae plays Oh Dol-ppyeo.
Production
The drama was written by Baek Mi-kyung, who previously wrote Beloved Eun-dong, and directed by Lee Hyung-min of Ms. Temper and Nam Jung-gi. Filming began in October 2016 and ended on April 11, 2017.
The drama brought together again Park Hyung-sik and Yoo Jae-myung, who worked together before in the KBS2 drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, as well as Kim Won-hae.
Adaptation and spin-off
On November 9, 2018, it was announced that a version of the series was being created by The CW, with support from CBS Television Studios and writer Melissa Scrivner-Love. Ronda Rousey and Ben Silverman were also set to help lead the project. The series, called Strong Girl, would follow a former war photographer named Rayna who discovers she cannot be harmed and may be the strongest woman in the world. After telling her Special Operations fiancé about her new ability, he leaves her. Rayna is later hired as a bodyguard by a billionaire named Oliver, who sees her potential. On February 8, 2019, it was reported that the script was not chosen to move forward as a pilot.
In February 2024, it was reported that a version of the series would be made in Malaysia. No details about the broadcasters or release date were shared at that time.
A spin-off of the series titled Strong Girl Nam-soon, starring Lee Yoo-mi, Kim Jung-eun, Kim Hae-sook, Ong Seong-wu, and Byeon Woo-seok, began airing on JTBC on October 7, 2023. Park Hyung-sik and Park Bo-young made special appearances in Strong Girl Nam-soon as characters named Min-hyuk and Bong-soon.