Ko reportedly decided to return to acting as she empathizes with the main character of the series, Sim Jae-bok, who she will portray. The actress herself is a wife and mother who experiences everyday problems.

Ko married fellow actor Jang Dong-gun in 2010 in a high-profile wedding, and the two were dubbed “the couple of the century” by local media.

“The Perfect Wife” will focus on the lives and hardships of Korean ajumma, a word that describes housewives, but is commonly used as a pejorative term for married women who are seen as unduly aggressive in their roles as mothers and wives.

“Anyone who has the experience of forgetting what one really wants will sympathize with (the characters) of the drama, not just wives and mothers represented by the word ajumma,” KBS said.

Ko’s long awaited comeback made headlines as she is considered a not-so-prolific actress. Rumors about her imminent return started circulating in entertainment circles in November, when her agency said that she was “contemplating” the matter.

Blossoming into superstardom in the 1990s, Ko only appeared in two TV dramas and four movies in the 2000s, the last of which was in 2007.

The decadelong absence coincided with the births of her two children in 2010 and 2014.

Chief producer Lee Geon-jun of the new drama series said that Ko’s experience raising children and living as a housewife will contribute to the show.

“Ko herself said after reading the script that she felt (her character) reflected herself a lot and the lines felt very natural,” Lee told a local media outlet.

By Yoon Min-sik
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)