Have you seen our list of the Top 5 actors who make a K-drama especially worth watching? Now it's the women's turn in the K-drama world!
Just like the male actors, they take us to another world and win us over with their performances every single time. Whether they play a tenacious reporter, a shy schoolgirl or a priestess; they convince us in every role!
These are our personal Top 5, of whom we simply can't get enough. Is your favorite actress on the list?
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Place 5
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Place 2
- That's our number 1!
Chae Soo Bin
Born: July 10, 1994
Chae Soo Bin began her acting career in 2014 and is the youngest actress on our list. But she has worked her way up quickly. As soon as she finishes one series, we already long for a new one!
Did you know that Chae Soo Bin was born as “Bae Soo Bin”? However, she took on her new name at the very beginning of her career so she wouldn't be confused with the well-known male actor Bae Soo Bin, who has been active since 2001.
We can admire her regularly in K-dramas today thanks to a casting director who pressed a business card into Chae Soo Bin's hand on her way home. She then signed a contract with Toin Entertainment and made her acting debut in the film “My Dictator” (2014).
Her career took off the very next year: after a smaller role in the action series “Spy”, Soo Bin landed her first big role in the romantic comedy “House of Bluebird”.
In her next two series, “Cheer Up!” (2015) & “Love in the Moonlight” (2016), she didn't play the female lead, but she was part of the main cast. Her portrayal of a noble lady in the historical series “Love in the Moonlight” was a big success in particular. The series won several awards, and Chae Soo Bin herself was nominated for an award at the KBS Drama Awards.
The young actress had her breakthrough as early as 2017 with the historical melodrama “The Rebel”. Chae Soo Bin played the female lead and was awarded the Excellence Award at the 26th MBC Drama Awards! Since then, she has been seen continuously in leading roles, for example in “Strongest Deliveryman” (2017), “I’m Not A Robot” (2017/ 18) or “Where Stars Land” (2018). The latter earned her the Excellence Award at the SBS Drama Awards.
Most recently, Chae Soo Bin was seen in the Disney + series “Rookie Cops”, which, among other things, ranked number 1 in the list of the Top 10 TV Shows on Disney + in South Korea and also won several awards.
Her new series “The Fabulous”, in which she stars alongside SHINee’s Minho, is set to premiere on December 23. We will definitely watch it!
If you're still looking for something for your watchlist, here is a list of Chae Soo Bin’s best series for you:
The Rebel (Alternative 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 it will keep you busy 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
Like Chae Soo Bin, Kim Ji Won was scouted on the street and also signed a contract with an entertainment agency. She trained not only in acting but also in singing and dancing, but ultimately decided on an acting career. She made her debut in 2008 in a drama called “Mrs. Saigon”.
Afterwards, Kim Ji Won shot several commercials before she released her first film, Romantic Heaven, in 2011, in which she plays one of the leading roles. A year later, she was again given a leading role in a film - Horror Stories (2012) - which even got a sequel in 2013, in which Ji Won starred again.
Since 2011, she has also been regularly part of the main cast of K-dramas. Her role as an arrogant heiress in the hit series “The Heirs” (2013) earned her the New Star Award!
In 2014, Kim Ji Won landed the female lead in the mini-series “One Sunny Day”, and in 2016 she raised her profile thanks to the K-drama “Descendants of the Sun”, in which she plays a military doctor who falls in love with a soldier and overcomes every challenge to stay together with him. The drama was a massive success and reached viewer ratings of up to 40% in South Korea! Kim Ji Won was nominated for four different awards and won one of them.
After already playing the lead in films and a mini-series, Kim Ji Won finally got her first real series lead 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 big success and earned the actress four different awards right away!
Many more leading roles in successful series followed, such as “Arthdal Chronicles” (2019) or “Lovestruck in the City” (2020/ 21).
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 in a time when cities were not yet a matter of course and many people lived in tribes. The life of Kim Ji Won’s character Tanya takes an unexpected turn when her tribe is enslaved and she enters a city for the first time. There, she gets caught up in power games and has to learn to adapt.
The second season is set to air in 2023. Unfortunately, Kim Ji Won is not part of the sequel.
Son Ye Jin
Born: January 11, 1982
Of all the actresses on our list, Son Ye Jin can look back on the longest career, as she already appeared in her first series in 2001: “Delicious Proposal”. In the following years, she continued to be offered leading roles in series and films and received several awards for her acting.
In 2006, only five years after the start of her career, Son Ye Jin was considered the highest-paid Korean actress in South Korea! For the series “Alone in Love” (2006), she received 50 million Korean won (about 36,000 euros) per episode! Like her previous works, the series was a big success and earned Ye Jin three awards.
Her next projects were all hits as well, and several of her films - “The Tower” (2012), “The Pirates” (2014) and “The Last Princess” (2016) - are still among the 100 highest-grossing films in South Korea today!
In the last few years, too, Son Ye Jin has not let up and has continued to delight viewers worldwide. “Something in the Rain” (2018) revolves around a woman in her 30s who suddenly falls in love with the younger brother of her best friend. The drama was so successful that the actors and staff were rewarded with a three-day trip to Japan.
This was followed in 2019 by the romantic drama “Crash Landing on You”, which tells the love story of a North Korean soldier and a South Korean businesswoman. It is the highest-rated drama in the history of the Korean TV channel tvN and is also one of the most successful dramas on South Korean cable television.
It looks like nothing can stop the actress!
Things are going well in her private life too, because in 2022 Son Ye Jin married the equally well-known actor Hyun Bin, who starred alongside her in Crash Landing On You. By now, the two even have a son!
Here are a few of Son Ye Jin’s works that you absolutely have to watch:
Personal Taste (2010)
Spellbound (2011) - Film
The Tower (2012) - Film
The Pirates (2014) - Film
The Last Princess (2016) - Film
Something in the Rain (2018)
Crash Landing on You (2019)
Thirty-Nine (2022)
We especially recommend the film “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 it's best to have tissues ready!
Park Min Young
Born: March 4, 1986
Park Min Young first appeared in a commercial for SK Telecom in 2005 and starred in her first series, the comedy “High Kick!”, just a year later. Since then, she has shown in countless roles that she can be funny as well as elegant or intimidating!
Over the next four years, Min Young was seen in four more dramas: for example “I Am Sam” (2007) or “Ja Myung Go” 2009. Finally, in 2010, she landed her first leading role in the historical series “Sungkyunkwa Scandal” and also celebrated a big breakthrough with it! The series revolves around an intelligent young woman who disguises herself as a man in order to enter “Sungkyunkwan”, the most famous institution of learning of that time.
The following year, she once again played the lead in a hit series: City Hunter. It earned Park Min Young five award nominations! By then, she had already received seven awards in her career, three of them for Sungkyunkwan Scandal.
In the following years, too, the actress was recognized again and again. Besides Sungkyunwan Scandal, she received the most awards for “Healer” (2014/ 15 - 3 awards) and “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” (2018 - 4 awards).
In South Korea, Healer performed rather averagely, but it won many fans outside the country and, among other things, boosted Park Min Young’s popularity in China. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim was a hit with high viewer ratings! It led to Min Young holding a fan meeting for the first time since her acting debut.
Most recently, in 2022, she was seen in the romantic comedy “Love in Contract”. In the series, Park Min Young portrayed a woman with an unusual job. For payment, she plays the wife of single people 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, here are a few suggestions for you:
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 agree on a Top 5, and many actresses who are very close to our hearts didn't make the list, because the competition is simply too big! Let us briefly mention a few of our favorites who only just 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 about who lands in first place, because everyone on this list has delighted us very often with their roles. But in the end, our choice fell on:
Park Shin Hye
Born: February 18, 1990
Park Shin Hye started out as a child actress and slowly but surely crept into our hearts! She was first seen 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.
Since she started very young, Shin Hye can already look back on a long career. She has been in front of the camera for 20 years!
As early as 2006, only three years after her acting debut, Park Shin Hye landed her first lead role in the Korean-Japanese drama “Tree of Heaven”. In it, she plays the Korean-Japanese schoolgirl Hana, who tries to befriend her new stepbrother Yoo Seo. In the same year, she appeared in her first film, “Love Phobia”. After Tree of Heaven, Park Shin Hye also got a big supporting role as an antagonist in Prince Hours.
Since then, however, she has continuously played leading roles in dramas and also in films!
In the following years, the actress was seen, among others, in the musical series “You’re Beautiful” (2009) and “Heartstrings” (2011). In them, she showed viewers that she can not only act but also sing well! Since 2009, Shin Hye has often sung soundtracks for series she starred in and even released two singles of her own in 2014!
Both musical series were well received by viewers and also earned Shin Hye many fans in Japan in particular.
In 2013, Park Shin Hye had a guest role as the adult version of the lead in the film “Miracle in Cell No. 7”. For her performance, she won the “Best Supporting Actress” award. The film is still one of the highest-grossing films in South Korea to this day! Afterwards, Shin Hye became the first actress to hold a tour through Asia and gave her fans the opportunity to meet her.
Although she had already celebrated several successes, 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 given the “Popular Foreign Actress” award!
Her next project, “Pinocchio”, also thrilled the masses and earned over 5.6 million dollars in just one year from broadcasting rights! In the series, Park Shin Hye plays a schoolgirl who suffers from Pinocchio syndrome and gets hiccups when she lies.
After a short break and a few guest roles, she returns in the successful medical romance drama “The Doctors” (2016). For it, she slipped back into the role of a rebellious schoolgirl who later becomes a doctor.
As you can see, it is almost a given that the series and films in which Park Shin Hye stars are successful. That also applies to 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 10 highest-grossing films of 2020 in South Korea.
In 2021, Park Shin Hye announced that she was pregnant and had been dating the actor Choi Tae Joon (Missing 9) for a year.
The two married in January 2022 and were able to celebrate the birth of their son in May. We are happy for Park Shin Hye and already look forward to the day she returns to the big screen to enchant us once again.
As you can see, Park Shin Hye’s career took off steeply from an early age!
You should definitely watch these series and films by Park Shin Hye if you don't know her yet:
The Royal Tailor (2014) - Film
#Alive (2020) - Film
The Call (2020) - Film
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 don't even try to pick one favorite series from this selection, each of them is among our favorites!
Did one of our favorite actresses make it into your Top 5 as well? Or even several? Who else is on your list? Tell us!
