Park Ha-sun leaves radio after 6 years, "Focusing on acting as my main profession"

Actress Park Ha-sun is putting down the radio microphone she has held for six years. While the decision is said to be made to focus on filming her next project and appearing on the theater stage, public attention naturally turns toward her recent acting activities. Since being embroiled in acting controversy in the 2021 drama 'The Veil', she has rarely appeared as a lead in home drama series, leading to interest in whether this radio departure could serve as a new turning point for her as an actress.

Park Ha-sun will leave SBS PowerFM 'Park Ha-sun's Cinetown' after the broadcast on November 1. Her agency stated that she decided to step down to focus on acting, as she is currently performing in the play 'The Secret of Flowers' and has upcoming filming schedules for her next project. Since joining as a DJ on November 2, 2020, she has communicated with listeners for about six years, earning the nickname 'Candy DJ' for her uniquely friendly hosting style. This choice marks her intention to wrap up her long-running radio activities and place more weight on her main profession as an actress.

However, there is a reason why the news of her 'focusing on acting' does not sound entirely welcome. Since the 2021 MBC Friday-Saturday drama 'The Veil', Park Ha-sun's scope of activity has changed to the point where it is difficult to readily recall works where she appeared as a lead in terrestrial, general programming, or cable mini-series. Of course, a decrease in lead roles does not mean her acting activities have ceased. However, compared to her history of being active as a lead-level actress, it is clear that the weight of the roles she has taken in recent works has relatively diminished.

'The Veil' remains an important turning point in Park Ha-sun's acting career. At the time, she played Seo Su-yeon, a team leader at the National Intelligence Service Crime Information Integration Center, attempting to challenge herself with serious acting by breaking away from her existing bright and familiar image. However, from the early stages of the broadcast, criticisms regarding her styling and dialogue tone were raised. As criticisms continued that her character expression did not suit the atmosphere of the drama, it spread into a controversy over her acting skills. It appears that her attempt to show a new side through the work did not receive as much response as expected.

Furthermore, the controversy grew even larger when the character Seo Su-yeon, played by Park Ha-sun, was shot and killed only six episodes into the early part of the drama. Regarding the early exit of the female protagonist, some interpreted it in connection with the acting controversy. Although the production team clarified the related suspicions, the early exit in the work combined with the criticism of her acting left a burdensome label on the actress. However, one cannot conclude the background of an actress's departure or the production team's judgment solely based on the exit of a character in a drama.

Since then, Park Ha-sun has continued her acting activities in various works. She played a lead role in the KakaoTV 'Daughter-in-Law Season 2' (2022) and participated with voice acting in the Disney+ 'Call It Love' (2023). She also appeared in the KBS Drama Special 'Why Did the Lady Give Meat to the Servant?' (2023), made a cameo in the TVING 'The Scandal of Chunhwa' (2025), and had a special appearance in the tvN 'Filing for Love' (2026). However, as the form of appearance and the weight of roles varied in each work, it inevitably leaves a sense of regret for viewers waiting to see her leading the center of a mini-series as she did before 'The Veil'.

Recently, she has been expanding her field of activity into short-form dramas like 'A Love of No Use' and 'Psychopath Yeo Sun-jeong', as well as the theater stage. She is also meeting viewers as a panelist on variety programs such as 'Divorce Camp' and 'Hidden Eye'. Even in a situation where traditional TV drama lead roles have decreased, she continues her activities moving between acting and variety shows. The friendly image built as a radio DJ is also another asset for actress Park Ha-sun.

The core of this departure ultimately lies in her upcoming project to be released. If the choice to leave radio and focus on acting leads to an actual presence in her works, it could be an opportunity for Park Ha-sun to create a new flow as an actress. Conversely, if she fails to show a distinct change in her next project, the disappointment of viewers waiting for her return to lead roles is likely to continue. Attention is focused on how Park Ha-sun, who has put down the microphone that stayed by the listeners' side for six years, will return to the home screen this time.

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