Park Min-young plays a mastermind con artist in ‘Confidence Queen.’
Prime Video
Park Min-young played a timid wife seeking revenge on her cheating man in Marry My Husband. Her character in Confidence Queen also seeks justice, but with a lot more confidence. Her character Yun Yi-rang masterminds some complicated and often hilarious scams targeting villains. Park’s character in Confidence Queen Park sets one clever trap after another, fitting each scheme into a larger puzzle. The chance to play a very different kind of character was part of the attraction.
“I don’t really like endings that feel unresolved,” said Park (Her Private Life, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim). “So I tend to be drawn to stories that are thrilling, colorful, and satisfying—where justice is served and the audience feels a sense of catharsis.”
Why does Yi-rang pursue these particular villains? Viewers will have to watch the series to find out.
“Since it’s a central secret of our story, I think it would be best for viewers to discover the answer by watching the series,” she said.
Actor Joo Jong-hyuk had to wear plenty of disguises in ‘Confidence Queen.’
Prime Video
The cast also includes veteran actor Park Hee-soon (My Name, Trolley, The Bequeathed) as James and rising actor Joo Jong-hyuk (Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Trigger) as the friendly, optimistic Gu-ho. Together the trio will execute their detailed schemes. The drama also features several cameos made by well-known actors, including Song Ji-hyo, Rowoon, Oh Na-ra, and Lee Yi-kyung. Park Hee-soon’s character James (spoiler alert) was Yi-rang’s bodyguard when she was a child. When they meet again years later she enlists his help.
“After experiencing a kidnapping incident, he developed a strong sense of compassion, responsibility, and a feeling of debt toward her,” said Park Hee-soon. “Years later, living a mundane life and feeling disillusioned about his work, James reunites with Yi-rang as an adult when she proposes a new plan. The details of this will be revealed in the flashback scenes of the series.”
Park Hee-soon’s resume includes far more films than TV dramas, but he couldn’t resist this particular drama.
Park Min-young’s plans in “Confidence Queen’ are enacted with the help of Gu-ho, played by Joo Jong-hyuk.
Prime Video
“The comedy genre, combined with a character who constantly transforms, felt extremely appealing,” he said.” I also felt it would be a fresh challenge for me, which is why I chose to take it on.”
The scam scenarios naturally involve lots of costume changes. In each episode, Park Hee-soon plays one or two characters, which he describes as a lot of fun. It was fun walking around in costume, he said, and having no one recognize him. Joo wore several disguises. In one episode his disguise as a female character took about two and a half hours to realize.
According to Joo, his character gets involved in Yi-rang’s plans. He won’t say exactly how that happens or what those plans are as it would give away something central to the story plot.
“ Yi-rang is moving toward a clear goal, and I become entangled in that,” said Joo. “In the end, it’s all part of Yi-rang’s bigger plan.”
The drama, which pairs fast-paced heist action with comedy, is adapted from the original hit Japanese series Confidence Man. At a recent press conference director Nam Ki-hoon explained how the drama stayed true to the original while still having a distinctly Korean touch.
“We focused more on the reasons for the cons and we also tried to focus more on Yi-rang’s backstory,” said Nam. “I think those are some things that set our series apart from the original.”
There are villains in every episode and the story uses them to showcase some societal issues.
“The story is like a puzzle with different pieces,” said Nam. “So I think it’ll be fun if you consider that while watching.”
Confidence Queen airs on Prime Video in the U.S. starting Sept. 6.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2025/09/06/park-min-young-hilariously-scams-villains-in-confidence-queen/
