One of the most notable things about "Respond 1997" and its amazing fame is the fact that many of the cast members are singers. Jung Eun Ji, Seo In Gook and Hoya are all idol singers who have been assigned main or very big supporting roles. 

However, it's not fair to simply doubt their acting abilities because of where they come from. The audience is being shocked by their ability to pull off a natural accent and they are believing every single one of their dynamic expressions. 

The dramas in which idols are making themselves visible are everyehwere. Some of the idols are already being talked about just as often as some of the trained actors and many of them score lead roles not based on their popularity but on their acting skills.

Then who is the best idol turned actor? Kookmin News took a poll, asking 10 drama critics about who they think is the most impressive idol-turned-actor. They gave points to the first and second most named individuals. 

The one that got the most points was JYJ member Park Yoochun. Beginning with his appearance in "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" in 2010, he continued onto "Miss Ripley," and "Rooftop Prince," steadily building his filmography. He was voted #1 for this year's Most Popular Actor at the Seoul Drama Awards 2012. 

It seems that many experts are now accepting him as a skilled actor, rather than attach the label of singer to him. They said, "He is definitely the idol actor who no longer faces any sort of acting criticisms or questions." "He knows exactly what kind of acting he is good at." "He has the voice and pronunciation of a male actor."

If Park Yoochun has been steadily building his career, Jung Eunji, a member of A Pink, has risen to the top, acquiring 2nd place in the polls with her debut project, "Respond 1997." Though she does need more validation as an actress only after one project, it clearly shows that people are definitely sold on her acting abilities in this project. 

One critic said, "A lot of idols are very flat and one-dimensional actors but she, with amazing acting, has created a character that didn't exist before." Another one said, "I can see that she's really focused on her role. It doesn't seem like acting, which is utmost and foremost."

miss A Suzy and T-ARA Eunjung got 3rd and 4th place. The critics seem to believe that they both have potential to grow as actresses after looking at their first projects. 

There was a time in the past when almost all the idols were criticized for their lack of acting training but now the controversies seem to be dying down. For most of the idols who want to be cast, they must go through professional acting training before they actually start any kind of production. However, experts did say that it's still difficult to give them very good scores because this trend is only beginning. Experts also did recognize that Park Yoochun and Jung Eunji could have gotten roles that were very suitable for them. They are not sure if there are idols who can pull off great acting regardless of genre or role.