Kim Hyun-joo added to Boys Before Flowers

Add one more big name to the cast of Boys Before Flowers (Hana Yori Dango): the lovely Kim Hyun-joo, last seen in last year’s drama Insoon is Pretty, has been cast in the Tsubaki role, older sister to main character Doumyouji Tsukasa.

Kim Hyun-joo’s character is named Gu Jun-hee in the series and is the chaebol successor to the family enterprise, one of the nation’s top corporations. She lives in the States, but has taken care of her little bro, played by Lee Min-ho, since their youth, in the absence of their busy business-minded parents.

I’m a bit surprised, since Kim Hyun-joo’s image is a little softer than the sassy, kickass Tsubaki I saw in the Japanese version, but I don’t think this is necessarily a bad move. The older generation needs solid actors to back up their principal cast, which is on the green side, and she’s a stronger actor than her fellow “older” castmate, Han Chae-young (Han does fit her image to a tee, though, and plays Shizuka, Rui’s (Kim Hyun-joong) first love).

The new Monday-Tuesday drama will air on KBS in December.