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These are our 5 favorite actresses from Korea!

by Helen Bosch
Korean actress park min young
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K-Pop Blog > Overview > K-Drama

Have you seen our list of the top 5 actors that make a K-drama worth watching? Then it's time for the women in the K-drama world!

Just like the male actors, they take us to another world and convince us with their performance every time. No matter if they play a stubborn reporter, a shy schoolgirl or a priestess; they convince us in every role!

These are our personal top 5 that we just can't get enough of. Is your favorite actress included?

  • 5th place
  • 4th place
  • 3rd place
  • 2nd place
  • This is our number 1!

Chae Soo Bin

Born: July 10, 1994

korean actress chae soo bin: profile photo

Chae Soo Bin started her acting career in 2014 and is the youngest actress on our list. But she quickly worked her way up. As soon as she finishes a series, we're already craving for a new one!

Did you know that Chae Soo Bin was born as "Bae Soo Bin"? However, she adopted the new name early in her career to avoid being confused with the well-known male actor Bae Soo Bin, who has been active since 2001.

The fact that we can regularly admire her in K-dramas today is thanks to a casting director who handed Chae Soo Bin a business card on her way home. She then signed a contract with Toin Entertainment and made her acting debut in the film "My Dictator" (2014).

The very next year, her career got rolling, as after a minor role in the action series "Spy", Soo Bin landed her first major role in the romantic comedy "House of Bluebird".

korean dram Love in the Moonlight: Chae soo bin character poster

In her next two series "Cheer Up!" (2015) & "Love in the Moonlight" (2016), she did not play the female lead, but was part of the main cast. Especially her portrayal of a noble lady in the historical series "Love in the Moonlight" was a great success. The series won several awards and Chae Soo Bin herself was nominated for an award at the KBS Drama Awards.

The young actress already celebrated her breakthrough in 2017 with the historical melodrama "The Rebel". Chae Soo Bin played the female lead and received the Excellence Award at the 26th MBC Drama Awards! Since then, she has continuously starred in leading roles, such as "Strongest Deliveryman" (2017), "I'm Not A Robot" (2017/ 18), and "Where Stars Land" (2018). The latter earned her the Excellence Award at the SBS Drama Awards.

korean drama Rookie Cops Poster

Most recently, Chae Soo Bin starred in the Disney + series "Rookie Cops", which, among other things, ranked No. 1 in the list of the top 10 TV shows on Disney + in South Korea and also won several awards.

On December 23, her new series "The Fabulous," in which she co-stars with SHINee's Minho, is also already set to kick off. We will definitely be watching it!

If you're still looking for something for your watchlist, here's a list of Chae Soo Bin's best series for you:

The Rebel (Alternate Title: Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People) (2017).
I’m Not A Robot (2017 / 18)
Where Stars Land (2018)
Rookie Cops (2022)

Our personal favorite is The Rebel! At 30 episodes, the series is almost twice as long as the usual K-dramas, so you'll get something out of it for a while. It revolves around "Hong Gil Dong," the son of a slave who steals from the rich to help the poor.

Kim Ji Won

Born: October 19, 1992

Korean actress Kim ji won

Kim Ji Won, like Chae Soo Bin, was discovered on the street and also signed a contract with an entertainment. She trained not only acting, but also singing and dancing, but finally decided to pursue an acting career. She made her debut in 2008 in a drama called "Mrs. Saigon".

Afterwards, Kim Ji Won shot several commercials before releasing her first movie Romantic Heaven in 2011, in which she plays one of the main roles. A year later, she got another leading role in a movie - Horror Stories (2012) - to which there was even a sequel in 2013, in which Ji Won starred again.

She has also been a regular in the main cast of K-dramas since 2011. Her role as a haughty heiress in the hit series "The Heirs" (2013) earned her the New Star Award!

Korean drama Descendants of the sun: kim ji won character poster

In 2014, Kim Ji Won landed the female lead in the mini-series "One Sunny Day" and in 2016, she increased her fame thanks to the K-drama's "Descendants of the Sun," in which she plays a military doctor who falls in love with a soldier and overcomes all challenges to stay with him. The drama was a massive success, reaching audience ratings as high as 40% in South Korea! Kim Ji Won was nominated for four different awards and won one of them.

After starring in movies and a mini-series, Kim Ji Won finally got her first real series lead role in 2017! In "Fight for My Way" she plays the quick-witted Choi Aera, who dreams of becoming a news anchor and suddenly develops feelings for her childhood friend. The series was a huge success and earned the actress four different awards!

This was followed by many more leading roles in successful series such as "Arthdal Chronicles" (2019) and "Lovestruck in the City" (2020/ 21).

korean drama Arthdal Chronicles: Kim Ji Won character poster

These are Kim Ji Won's most successful series:

Descendants of the Sun (2016)
Fight For My Way (2017)
Arthdal Chronicles (2019)
Lovestruck in the City (2020 / 21)
My Liberation Notes (2022)

We especially recommend "Arthdal Chronicles." The drama stands out because it is set at a time when cities are not yet a given and many people live in tribes. The life of Kim Ji Won's character named Tanya takes an unexpected turn when her tribe is enslaved and she enters a city for the first time. There, she becomes embroiled in power games and must learn to adapt.

In 2023, the second season is scheduled to air. However, Kim Ji Won is unfortunately not in the sequel.

Son Ye Jin

Born: January 11, 1982

korean actress Son Ye Jin

Son Ye Jin has the longest career of all the actresses on our list, having starred in her first series, "Delicious Proposal", back in 2001. In the next few years, she continued to be offered leading roles in series and movies and received several awards for her acting performance.

In 2006, just five years into her career, Son Ye Jin was considered the highest paid Korean actress in South Korea! In fact, for the series "Alone in Love" (2006), she received 50 million Korean won (about 36,000 euros) per episode! The series, like her previous works, was a great success and earned Ye Jin three awards.

Her next projects were also all hits and several of her films - "The Tower" (2012), "The Pirates" (2014) and "The Last Princess" (2016) - are still among the top 100 highest-grossing films in South Korea!

Son Ye Jin hasn't slowed down in the last few years, either, and continues to thrill viewers worldwide. "Something in the Rain" (2018) revolves around a woman in her 30s who suddenly falls in love with her best friend's younger brother. The drama was so successful that the cast and crew were rewarded with a three-day trip to Japan.

korean drama Crash Landing on You Poster

This was followed in 2019 by the romantic drama "Crash Landing on You," which follows the love story of a North Korean soldier and a South Korean businesswoman. It is the highest-rated drama in the history of Korean TV channel tvN and is also one of the most successful dramas on South Korean cable TV.

It looks like nothing can stop the actress!

Everything is also going well in her private life, because in 2022 Son Ye Jin married the equally famous actor Hyun Bin, who starred with her in Crash Landing On You. The two even have a son now!

These are a few of Son Ye Jin's works that you should definitely check out:

korean movie The Last Princess poster

Personal Taste (2010)
Spellbound (2011) - Movie
The Tower (2012) - Movie
The Pirates (2014) - Movie
The Last Princess (2016) - Movie
Something in the Rain (2018)
Crash Landing on You (2019)
Thirty-Nine (2022)

We can especially recommend the movie "The Last Princess". It is based on a true story and revolves around the last Korean princess, who was born in 1912. She was forced to move to Japan at a young age after Japan occupied Korea and was not allowed to return to her homeland. The film is very emotional, so better get some tissues ready!

Park Min Young

Born: March 4, 1986

korean actress Park Min Young

Park Min Young first appeared in an advertisement for Sk Telecom in 2005 and starred in her first series, the comedy "High Kick!" just one year later. Since then, she has shown in countless roles that she can be funny as well as elegant or intimidating!

Min Young starred in four more dramas over the next four years: For example, "I Am Sam" (2007) or "Ja Myung Go" in 2009. Finally, in 2010, she landed her first leading role in the historical series "Sungkyunkwa Scandal" and already had a big breakthrough! The series revolves around an intelligent young woman who disguises herself as a man in order to enter "Sungkyunkwan," the most famous learning institution of the time.

The next year, she starred again in a hit series, City Hunter. This earned Park Min Young five award nominations! By then, she had already received seven awards in her career, three of them for Sungkyunkwan Scandal.

The actress continued to win awards over the next few years. Besides Sungkyunwan Scandal, she received the most awards for "Healer" (2014/ 15 - 3 awards) and "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim" (2018 - 4 awards).

korean drama Whats Wrong with Secretary Kim: Park min young character poster

In South Korea, Healer performed rather averagely, but it won many fans outside the country and strengthened Park Min Young's notoriety in China, among others. What's Wrong with Secretary Kim was a hit with high ratings! It led to Min Young holding a fan meeting for the first time since her acting debut.

She was last seen in 2022 in the romantic comedy Love in Contract . In the series, Park Min Young embodied a woman with an unusual job. For pay, she plays the wife of single men who need a partner for events or other occasions.

Do you still need recommendations for your next series night? If you want to see more of Park Min Young, we have some suggestions for you here:

Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010)
City Hunter (2011)
Glory Jane (2011)
Dr. Jin (2012)
Healer (2014/ 15)
Remember (2015/ 16)
Queen for Seven Days (2017)
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018)
Her Private Life (2019)
Love in Contract (2022)

Our favorites are "Healer" and "City Hunter"!

It was already hard to settle on a top 5 and a lot of actresses we care a lot about didn't make the list, because the competition is just too big! Let's briefly mention a few of our favorites who just barely missed the top 5: Song Hye Kyo (Descendants of the Sun), Seo Ye Ji (It's Okay to Not Be Okay), Gong Hyo Jin (It's Okay, That's Love) & Kim So Hyun (School 2015)!

We also had to think for a while when it came to the question of who would land in 1st place, because everyone on this list has wowed us with their roles very often. But in the end, our choice fell on:

Park Shin Hye

Born: February 18, 1990

korean actress Park Shin Hye

Park Shin Hye started out as a child actress and slowly but surely crept her way into our hearts! She first appeared on the big screen at the age of 13, in the melodrama "Stairway to Heaven" (2003). In it she played the young version of the female lead.

Having started very young, Shin Hye can already look back on a long career. She has been in front of the camera for 20 years!

In 2006, only three years after her acting debut, Park Shin Hye landed her first leading role in the Korean-Japanese drama "Tree of Heaven". In it, she plays Korean-Japanese schoolgirl Hana, who tries to befriend her new stepbrother Yoo Seo. That same year, she starred in her first film, "Love Phobia". After Tree of Heaven, Park Shin Hye got another big supporting role as an antagonist in Prince Hours.

korean drama Heartstrings: Still cut - Park shin hye with microphone

Since then, however, she has been continuously playing leading roles in dramas and also in movies!

In the next few years, the actress appeared in the musical series "You're Beautiful" (2009) and "Heartstrings" (2011), among others. In them, she showed the audience that she can not only act, but also sing well! Since 2009, Shin Hye has frequently sung soundtracks for series she starred in and even released two singles of her own in 2014!

The two musical series were well received by viewers, and especially won Shin Hye many fans in Japan.

In 2013, Park Shin Hye had a guest role as the adult version of the lead in the movie "Miracle in Cell No. 7". She won the "Best Supporting Actress" award for her performance. The movie is still one of the highest-grossing movies in South Korea! Afterwards, Shin Hye became the first actress to hold a tour of Asia, giving her fans the opportunity to meet her.

Although she has already celebrated some achievements, we can undoubtedly call her next series "The Heirs" (2013) a breakthrough for the actress. "The Heirs" reached viewer ratings of almost 30 percent and was also a big hit in China, for example. At the Chinese Anhui TV Drama Awards, Shin Hye was even awarded the "Popular Foreign Actress" Award!

Her next project, "Pinocchio," also wowed the masses, earning over $5.6 million in broadcasting rights in just one year! In the series, Park Shin Hye plays a schoolgirl who suffers from Pinocchio syndrome and gets hiccups when she lies.

korean drama The Doctors Poster

After a brief hiatus and a few guest roles, she returned in the successful medical romance drama "The Doctors" (2016). For this, she slipped into the role of a rebellious high school student who later becomes a doctor.

As you can see, it's almost a given that the series and movies Park Shin Hye stars in are successful. This is also true for her more recent projects: The fantasy drama "Memories of the Alhambra" (2018/ 19) is one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in the history of cable television, and the film "Alive" (2020) is among the top 10 highest-grossing films in 2020 in South Korea.

In 2021, Park Shin Hye announced that she is pregnant and has been dating actor Choi Tae Joon (Missing 9) for a year.

Park Shin Hye & Choit Tae Joon Wedding - instagram picture

The two got married in January 2022 and were happy to announce the birth of their son in May. We are happy for Park Shin Hye and are already looking forward to her returning to the big screen one day to enchant us once again.

As you can see, Park Shin Hye's career took off early!

These are the series and movies of Park Shin Hye you should definitely check out if you haven't already:

The Royal Tailor (2014) - Movie
#Alive (2020) - Film
The Call (2020) - Movie
Tree of Heaven (2006)
You’re Beautiful (2009)
Heartstrings (2011)
The Heirs (2013)
Pinocchio (2014/ 15)
The Doctors (2016)
Memories of the Alhambra (2018/ 19)
Sisyphus: The Myth (2021)

We're not even trying to settle on a favorite series in this selection, every one of them is one of our favorites!

Did any of our favorite actresses make it into your top 5 as well? Or even more than one? Who else belongs to it? Tell us!

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