My Favourite Korean Drama Actors and Actresses

Park Shin-hye was born in Gwangju, but raised in Paju, South Korea. Shin Hye Studied music, theater and singing in Chung-Ang University, Korea. Shin-hye made her acting debut in a Korean drama series, Stairway to heaven. She later on gained her popularity through another Korean series, You're beautiful with co-star Jang Keun-suk. She is best known for her leading roles in the television dramas, Heartstrings (2011), Flower Boys Next Door (2013), The Heirs (2013) and Pinocchio (2014).

Lee Minho is one of South Korea's most influential artists. He is an actor, producer, and creative director. With a combined 95 million social media followers on Instagram, Facebook and Weibo, he has a remarkable global reach. The Korean government's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has ranked Lee as the number one Korean actor amongst international audiences for four consecutive years from 2018 to 2021. In addition to being a critically-acclaimed actor he is also a filmmaker creating short form content and films on his YouTube platform, "leeminho film"

Lee is now starring as 'Hansu' the AppleTV+ multilingual international drama series Pachinko (2022). Pachinko is based the best-selling novel of the same name that chronicles the hopes and dreams of four generations of a Korean immigrant family. The series was shot in North America and South Korea, and is told in Korean, Japanese, and English.

Lee is best known for starring in the Netflix original series, The King: Eternal Monarch (2020), one of Netflix's most watched global series in 2020. Broadcast by SBS in Korea, the series set an all-time record in 2020 for SBS's highest Friday-Saturday drama premiere ratings and maintained the number one spot on the weekly drama chart for eight consecutive weeks. Other notable roles include the series Boys Over Flowers (2009), Heirs (2013), as well as films Gangnam 1970 (2015) and Bounty Hunters (2016).

As an actor, Lee has contributed substantially to the rise and success of Korean dramas worldwide. In 2013, the TV series The Heirs transcended the South Korean market and had millions of viewers from around the world. The following year, Lee received a commendation from the Korean government for his contributions in raising the profile of Korean content globally.

He is currently in a worldwide endorsement deal with Fendi and Hugo Boss.

In 2014, Lee founded PROMIZ, a fundraising platform which raises awareness for social and humanitarian causes. The organization was awarded the first ever "Sharing Happiness Award" by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare for his contributions to society.

Lee Minho was born in Seoul, South Korea where he began his acting career.

Lee Jong-suk was born on 14 September 1989 in Yongin, South Korea. He is an actor and executive, known for Romance Is a Bonus Book (2019), I Hear Your Voice (2013) and Pinocchio (2014).

Park Min-young was born on 4 March 1986 in Seoul, South Korea. She is an actress, known for The Good the Bad the Weird (2008), Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010) and Healer (2014).

Ji Chang-Wook is a South Korean actor who first gained fame for his role in 'Smile Again', a South Korean drama series where he played the lead role. He is also known for his role in the South Korean thriller film 'Fabricated City', which was a huge commercial success. After playing small roles in many television series, he played his first major role in 'Smile Again', a South Korean drama series. Directed by Kim Myung-Wook and Mo Wan-Il, the series was a success and won multiple awards. For his role as a short-track speed skater, he had to train for around four to five hours at the ice rink every day. Other works that earned him fame include his appearance in the TV series 'Warrior Baek Dong-Soo' where he played the lead role. The series won multiple awards. He also played a supporting role in the TV series 'Empress Ki', which earned a lot of popularity worldwide. Undoubtedly one of the most popular actors in South Korea, Ji Chang-Wook has won several significant awards throughout his career such as the 'China TV Drama Award' and the 'Annual DramaFever Award'.

Gong Ji-Chul (better known as Gong Yoo) was born in Busan, Korea on July 10, 1979. The actor is known for the movies Train to Busan (2016), Silenced (2011), Squid Game (2021), and The Age of Shadows (2016).

Gong Yoo graduated with a Bachelor's degree in theater at Kyung Hee University and worked as a model before entering show business as a video jockey with Mnet. Thereafter, he had several supporting roles in various Korean films and dramas before landing his first leading role with Hello My Teacher (2005) in 2005. His breakout role was with The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (2007), a romantic comedy drama series that was a hit with Korean drama viewers worldwide.

At the height of his career, Gong Yoo enlisted in the Korean Armed Forces in 2008 due to the mandatory military conscription. During his service, Gong did active front-line duty at the border and also served in the PR unit of the army, helming his own daily radio program at the Korean Forces Network. Upon his release from military duties, Gong Yoo's film career slowly took off with genre films such as Silenced (2011) and action-thriller The Suspect (2013). Silenced (2011), a film based on the true story of child abuse and sexual assault in a special school in Korea, was a project that Gong initiated since he read the story in military. The film sparked public outrage and led to widespread demand for legislative reform to impose heavier punishments for sex crimes against minors and the disabled. The final revised bill passed was also known as the 'Dogani Law' after the Korean title of the film. Prior to his military service, Gong Yoo was known as a romantic comedy male lead, but his portrayal of the teacher in Silenced and his transformation as a buffed-up North Korean spy in The Suspect (2013) established him as a more versatile actor.

In 2016, he had multiple hits with the success of zombie blockbuster Train to Busan, action-thriller The Age of Shadows and romantic fantasy drama series Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016), making him one of the most high profile South Korean actors for that year. Train to Busan was the top-grossing film in South Korea in 2016 and broke the box office record for Korean films in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. His return to television as the titular character in Goblin also broke TvN drama ratings and led the popularity index (CPI CJ Ent & Korea Nelsen) for all television platforms for weeks.

While the actor is often seen on television commercials, he is known to be rather private with no social media accounts. In 2013, He was appointed as an ambassador by the UNICEF in correlation to the 24th year since the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was adopted.

Kong Hyo-jin was born on 4 April 1980 in Seoul, South Korea. She is an actress, known for Crush and Blush (2008), Missing Woman (2016) and The Greatest Love (2011).

Kim Woo Bin wanted to become a model while he was in high school and didn't have much intention of becoming an actor. However as his modeling career grew bigger, and he started getting offers to do commercials he was soon told that some basic acting was required and he decided to take on classes. Right away he was amazed by his acting teacher Won-joo Moon who quickly became his role model, and fell in love with acting profession. His acting debut was in a TV series "White Christmas" where he played character called Mad Mireu, a red haired genius prankster and bully of bullies and quickly became audience favorite. After this, he and two other model turned actors from White Christmas moved on to do sitcom "Vampire Idol" in which he played lovable vampire Gabri Ratis who spent his life thinking he was ugly, and only upon moving to earth became interesting to girls, and women too. Sitcom was meant to have 120 episodes, but has failed to attract viewers and was abruptly ended after 79. He moves on to do "A Gentleman's Dignity" where he played a problematic high school kid with crush on his sociology teacher. His character was meant to be small, but as show progressed and his talent shined trough, writer Eun-sook Kim, wrote more material for him and his role grew. Similar thing happens with School 2013, where he only shows up by the end of third episode, and was meant to be supporting role, but he stole audience's hearts instantly and was given much bigger role. His acting in this drama was often described as brave, as there were many scenes of him crying with and his relationship with co-star Jong-suk Lee became infamous. Soon, He will play lead in Friend 2, sequel to Friend (2001) of which he said it's his favorite movie and he knows all the quotes by heart. He is also set to appear in a TV series Heirs (Inheritors) again written by Eun-sook Kim who now refers to him as "her muse", where he will play rich, spoiled, and genius Choi Young Do trying to get revenge on his childhood friend by stealing his girl. Kim Woo Bin usually has words "charismatic actor" attached to his name in Korean media.

Shin Min-A, born April 5th, 1984 with birth name Yang Min-A, is a popular South Korean actress & model. Her family consists of a father, mother, older sister & brother. In middle school, Min-A took a picture with her friends on a school picnic and sent the photo to teen magazine KiKi. From that picture she was chosen as a model for the magazine. Afterwards she would first appear in commercials and music videos. In 2001, Min-A made her acting debut in the movie "Volcano High" and would appear again two years later in "Madeleine". Her breakout performance would occur in the 2005 gangster film "A Bittersweet Life". Her character, Hee-soo, displayed a mixture of purity and maturity that captivated South Korean audiences. Since that time, Shin Min-A has received an assortment of acting offers from top Korean directors and expanded her acting repertoire by selecting various types of roles: from martial-arts comedy "My Mighty Princess" to 70's go-go dancer "Go Go 70s" to smaller independent film "Sisters on the Road".

More recently in 2009, Shin Min-A participated in the project "Miracle Blue," which is a collaboration between herself, the Korean alternative band Loveholic and fashion design company Calvin Klein. In the music video "Miracle Blue," in which Min-a Shin sings, she performs as various characters displaying child-like innocence to sexy blonde haired singer.

Lee Seung Gi is a South Korean singer, actor, host and entertainer. Known as the "Ballad Prince", Lee has had numerous hit songs such as "Because You're My Woman", "Will You Marry Me", and "Return". He has garnered further recognition as an actor and rose to international popularity around Asia with leading roles in popular dramas such as Shining Inheritance (2009), My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho (2010), The King 2 Hearts (2012), Gu Family Book (2013), You're All Surrounded (2014), and A Korean Odyssey (2017). He was a member of the first season of weekend variety show 2 Days 1 Night (2007) from November 2007 to February 2012, and the host of talk show Strong Heart from October 2009 to April 2012. Lee's success as a singer, actor and host earned him the title "Triple Threat" entertainer. He was first included in Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list in 2010 placing seventh, subsequently ranking fourth in 2011 and sixth in 2012 and 2015. The success of his television dramas throughout Asia established him as a top Hallyu star.

South Korean fresh face Ha Ji-won is a very talented actress. She first came to theater in 2000 and won an award for best new actress. Her big break was "Sex is zero" and "True or Dare". In 2003, she was cast as Chae-oak in the famous Korean TV drama "Damo" and was stated as South Korean's most promising actress. Ha Ji-won has just finished filming "Duelist" and "Daddy Long Legs". She is now planning to further her English studies in New Zealand.

Eun-Hye Yun was born on October 3, 1984 in Seoul, South Korea. She is an actress, known for The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (2007),Princess Hours (2006), Little Black Dress (2011) and The Man of the Vineyard (2006).Yoon successful performance in Coffee Prince, put her in the list of being one of the best actresses in Korean entertainment.

Versatile and Charismatic, Jun Ji-Hyun is one of the most loved and respected actresses in her homeland of South Korea. She has won numerous accolades, including two Grand Bell Awards for Best Actress and a Baeksang Art Awards Daesang (Grand Prize) for Television. Jun Ji-Hyun's success in film and television has established her as a top Hallyu star. She is also called one of "The Troika," along with Kim Tae-Hee and Song Hye-Kyo, collectively known by the acronym "Tae-Hye-Ji."

South Korea's Seoul is where Jun was born. Her brother is five years her senior. Because of her height and trim figure, her mother and her mother's friends urged her to pursue a career in modeling or acting. She had always wanted to work as a flight attendant, but after one flight, she had second thoughts. She started her career as a model for Ecole Magazine in 1997 at the age of 16, following in the footsteps of her high school senior classmate. On the advice of a producer, she made her acting debut in 1998 and took on the stage name Jun Ji-현.

Her movie debut came in White Valentine (1999). This was followed by a role in Il Mare (2000), which proved to be a success. However, Jun's biggest breakthrough was in My Sassy Girl (2001), a romantic comedy that won her the Best Actress award at the Daejong Film Festival in 2002 nonetheless sparked an international breakthrough for Korean cinema and became an enormous sensation throughout Asia. Her reputation as one of the top actresses of her generation was cemented by the movie, which gave her the title "Nation's First Love." Decades after the movie that catapulted her to new heights in her career came out, she has kept growing under this label.

As of her debut in South Korean films, Ye-jin Son became one of the stars of Chungmoore, the Korean Hollywood, notably appearing in the beautiful "Drunk on Women and Poetry" by the master Kwan-taek Im. In "April Snow", directed by Jin-ho Hur (2005), she questioned her pure innocent girl image, playing to perfection an ordinary housewife confronted to tragedy and to an unexpected love story.

Kim Nam-gil is a South Korean actor, producer, singer and philanthropist. He is best known from leading roles in disaster blockbuster Pandora (2016); crime thriller The Shameless (2015); adventure film The Pirates (2014); period drama Portrait of a Beauty (2008) and the crime-comedy television drama The Fiery Priest (2019). His breakthrough role was Bidam in the hit television period drama The Great Queen Seondeok (2009).

Kim Nam-gil first debuted on television with a minor role in the 1998 KBS drama "School 1" (as the character Min-soo). Five years later, Nam-gil would win the 31st audition for MBC Television. He then performed in various minor roles for MBC. Meanwhile, in 2005, Kim Nam-gil changed his name to the seemingly more exotic name of "Lee Han." In 2006, Kim Nam-gil made the bold decision to accept his first lead role in the controversial, but critically praised independent film, No Regret (2006). Kim Nam-gil played the homosexual character Song Jae-min in "No Regret". Although the film "No Regret" received high praise from movie critics & film festivals, it failed to boost Kim Nam-gil's popularity or lead to immediate stardom. Instead, Kim Nam-gil took more supporting roles in television dramas and commercial films. Prior to the release of the film Public Enemy Returns (2008), Kim Nam-gil stopped using his stage name "Lee Han" and reverted back to his birth name. Nam-gil made this decision after receiving advice from Kang Woo-suk (the director of "Public Enemy Returns"). In 2009, Kim Nam-gil was cast in the MBC drama The Great Queen Seondeok (2009) as Bidam. The production company felt the character of Bidam was somewhat the secret weapon in securing the success of the television series. The production company proceeded to promote his character to Korean media outlets and press agencies. Eventually, the drama series became the most watched drama series of 2009, regularly receiving ratings in excess of 40%. With the runaway success of The Great Queen Seondeok (2009), Kim Nam-gil's popularity also skyrocketed. He was frequently voted the sexiest man by Korean women, received many commercial endorsement offers, and flooded with scenarios for various upcoming films and drama series.

Kim is also the founder and CEO of a non-profit organization Gilstory that focuses on preserving cultural heritage, promoting arts and raising special purpose relief funds.

Suzy was born in Gwangju, South Korea on October 10, 1994. She attended Seoul Performing Arts High School. Before debuting, she was an online shopping model. In 2009, she auditioned for Mnet Superstar K and made it through the preliminary round but she was ultimately eliminated. However, she caught the attention of a scout from JYP Entertainment and soon became a trainee. After training for a year, she was paired with fellow members Fei and Jia. After the addition of Min into the group, the four of them prepared to debut as miss A.

Kim So-hyun was born on 4 June 1999 in Australia. She is an actress, known for River Where the Moon Rises (2021), Who Are You: School 2015 (2015) and The Tale of Nokdu (2019).

Park Bo-Yeong (Bo-Yeong Park), whose father is Sergeant Major of the Army, was born in Jeungpyeong in Chungcheong Province of South Korea. She started acting when she was in middle school as a member of video production club. She entered Dankook University, Department of Theater and Film. Her official television drama debut is 'Bimil-eui gyo-jeong' from EBS and her official debut film is 'If You Were Me 4'.

Born Kwak Tae Gun on February 27, 1977 he landed his debuting role in 1999 SBS Television Drama KAIST. It was through the suggestion of is then-manager that he took on the the stage name Chae Ji-sung and subsequently known as simply Ji Sung. His participating in following TV dramas such as All In(2003) and Save the Last Dance for Me(2004) as well as is first film Whistling Princess(2002) further launched his acting career. Ji Sung enlisted into mandatory military service in June 2005 as a soldier and later transferred and served as a public ambassador of military affairs until his discharge June of 2007. Following his discharge that same year he made is comeback in TV Drama New Heart(2007) as once again began to capture the attention of his audiences and continued to do so in later television dramas. He then signed with new management agency, Namoo Actors in February of 2010. From there, Ji Sung continued to add to his extensive resumé playing parts in TV Dramas such as The Great Seer(2012) and in adult rom-com film Whatcha Wearin'?(2012). He then stole the hearts of audiences again in 2013 KBS melodrama Secret. In the same year, Ji Sung announced and tied the knot with South Korean actress and Save the Last Dance for Me co-star Lee Bo-young. On November 24, 2014 Namoo Actors Agency revealed Ji Sung and Lee Bo-young to be expecting their first child mid-June to early July of 2015. He then continued the capture audiences reuniting with Secret co-star Hwang Jung-eum in 2015 MBC Television Drama Kill Me, Heal Me for which Ji Sung received much praise for his outstanding acting skills.

Hwang Jeong-eum was born on 25 January 1985 in South Korea. She is an actress, known for Secret Love (2013), Kill Me, Heal Me (2015) and Can You Hear My Heart? (2011).

Kim Ji-won is a South Korean actress. She gained attention through her roles in the television series The Heirs (2013) and Descendants of the Sun (2016) before taking on leading roles in Fight for My Way (2017), Arthdal Chronicles (2019), Lovestruck in the City (2020-2021), and My Liberation Notes (2022).

Kim was trained in singing, dancing and acting but eventually chose to pursue the latter. She was a background vocalist for the singer Younha, performing as a keyboardist and background vocalist in various performances as well as appearing in Younha's music video "Gossip Boy" in 2008. During this time there were plans for her to debut as a singer with the stage name "JessicaK". Prior to her official debut, Kim made an appearance in the drama Mrs. Saigon. Kim then officially entered the industry in 2010 in a commercial for LG Cyon's Lollipop 2 featuring the group Big Bang and thus became known as the "Lollipop Girl". She later appeared in a carbonated drink commercial in which she performed a song and dance number and became known as the "Oran C Girl". She was also called Little Kim Tae-hee due to her resemblance to the actress.

Kim's first role after her debut was the romance omnibus film Romantic Heaven, however, she first gained attention as an actress after starring in the 2011 sitcom High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged. She then appeared in another major television series the musical drama What's Up. Kim then starred in the high school drama To the Beautiful You and headlined the horror film Horror Stories, playing a kidnapped high school student. Kim also appeared in Baek Seung Heon's debut music video "Till the Sun Rises" alongside JYJ's Kim Jae-Joong

In 2013, Kim starred as one of the lead roles in the KBS Drama Special Waiting for Love, about how four different youths with different views toward love start seeing each other as well as the film Horror Stories 2, the sequel to the previous Horror Stories film, playing a student obsessed with black magic. The same year Kim co-starred in the teen drama The Heirs, in which she played a chic and haughty heiress. The Kim Eun-Sook-penned drama was viewed over one billion times on Youku and its popularity raised Kim's profile, winning her the New Star Award at the SBS Drama Awards.

In 2014, Kim starred in the crime thriller Gap-dong as a high school student and an artist. The same year, she played a supporting role in the KBS Drama special The Reason I'm Getting Married. In December 2014, Kim signed an exclusive contract with King Kong Entertainment. In 2015, Kim starred alongside So Ji-Sub in the romance web series One Sunny Day 2015. The same year, Kim made a cameo appearance in TVN drama Hidden Identity as Kim Bum's girlfriend.

In 2016, Kim co-starred in another project written by Kim Eun-Sook, KBS2's military romance drama Descendants of the Sun, playing an army surgeon. The drama was a pan-Asia hit with ratings peaking at 38.8% and winning the Grand Prize in television at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards as well as being declared the Most Popular Show of the Year by Korea Broadcasting Advertising Corporation. Its success brought Kim further recognition outside Korea. She hosted the year-end KBS Drama Awards with Park Bo-Gum and Jun Hyun-Moo, where she won the Excellence Award. Kim also won the Best Supporting Actress award at the APAN Star Awards.

In 2017, Kim was cast in her first leading role in KBS2's romance comedy drama, Fight for My Way alongside Park Seo-Joon; as a department store employee at the information desk who dreams of becoming an announcer. The series was noted for its realistic portrayal of struggling youths, friendship, and love, and closed with ratings of 13.8%, solidifying Kim's status as leading actress. Kim once again won the Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards.

Lee Yo-won was born on 9 April 1980 in Seoul, South Korea. She is an actress, known for Empire of Gold (2013), The Great Queen Seondeok (2009) and May 18 (2007).

Seo Ye-ji was born on 6 April 1990 in Seoul, South Korea. She is an actress, known for It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020), By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture (2019) and Recalled (2021).

Cho Jin-woong was born on 3 March 1976 in Busan, South Korea. He is an actor and director, known for The Handmaiden (2016), A Hard Day (2014) and Believer (2018).

Lee Joon-Gi was born in Busan, South Korea on April 17, 1982. He was raised by his parents and has one younger sister. He is an actor/model/singer. He started his career as a model and had minor roles in Korean dramas until he landed the role of Gong-Gil in The King and the Clown in 2005. After this film debut, he got many more chances to star in Korean dramas, including a supporting role in My Girl as a playboy named Seo Jung-Woo. Due to his diversity in acting, he sparked people's interest and soon gained popularity. In 2007, he became one of the top Korean actors. In 2008, Lee, starred in Iljimae as Ryung, a sort of Robin Hood-type Korean drama. In 2009, Lee released his second album, J Style, which included 5 new songs and 4 from his first fan meeting-Episode I. In May 2010, Lee enlisted in the South Korean military. While he was enlisted, he did numerous shows, which include Good Culture, Forcemap and other live performances. He was also the DJ for Friends FM radio show called Jumam, which airs 7 p.m. He continues to be involved with acting and other entertainment avenues. After being released from the Korean military on February 16, 2012, he held numerous fan meetings in Korea, Japan and China from February to March to announce his comeback. Upon his release from the military, he was in numerous photo shoots for Japanese and Korean magazines as well as a special magazine called "Episode J", which features photos and information on Lee Joon-Gi exclusively.