Which of the Korean actresses is your favorite? Currently, the Korean pop culture has been expanding more and more around the world! And how can we talk about phenomena of Korean culture without mentioning the most famous actresses of dramas?! Let’s learn more about these artists and who knows, it might even guide you on which Asian drama to start with. Let’s look at the ranking of the 10 most popular actresses from South Korea.
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Son Ye-jin
Son Ye-jin is a very well-known Korean actress with over 25 years of career. She is 39 years old and was born as Son Eon-jin in South Korea. She kickstarted her career in 1999, but her first prominent role only came 3 years later in Chi-hwa-seon.
Son Ye-jin gained recognition for her roles in romance dramas, with some of her early works in this category being Lover’s Concert (2002) and The Classic (2003). From 2006 to 2015, she began receiving offers to act in various genres, thus shedding her sweet and gentle image. She started with a villain role in The Art of Seduction.
Son Ye-jin received her first award in 2008 for Best Actress for portraying a divorced woman in My Wife Got Married. Her first box office success was in 2012 with the film The Tower. The actress currently has a modest total of 49 awards won. Some of the most popular dramas in which Son Ye-jin stars are: Secret Garden, Something in the Rain, and Personal Taste.
Song Hye-kyo
Song Hye-kyo, also known as Lorraine Song. In addition to being a Korean actress, she is dedicated to her career as a South Korean model. Currently, she is 39 years old, and her acting career began in 1996. She was born in Daegu, South Korea.
Her first roles were in Meery Morning and First Love, both belonging to the KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) network. She has a total of 20 appearances in television series. Among these, the most watched are: Descendants of the Sun (2016), Encounter (Boyfriend) (2018), and That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013). Besides series, she has appeared in 10 films.
Song Hye-kyo’s success began in 2000, and during this period, one of her works that helped her rise was the romantic comedy Full House (2004). The actress entered the top 10 of the most well-known South Korean celebrities according to Forbes in 2017 and 2018.
Suzy
Bae Su-ji is the real name of the Korean actress who goes by the stage name Suzy or Bae Suzy. She is 26 years old and has 11 years of career. Suzy started her artistic journey as a model in an online shopping center. But she began to be recognized as a singer in the group miss A, along with three other members. The group officially disbanded in 2017.
Even as a singer, she started taking on acting roles. In 2011, she starred in the TV series Dream High. Other successes of the actress include Uncontrollably Fond, Vagabond, While You Were Sleeping, and High Stakes.
Suzy is also among the most beautiful actresses in Korea and earned the title of “queen of commercials” due to the numerous advertising deals involving brands that sought to have her as a feature. In 2016, she became the first Korean celebrity to receive a wax sculpture from the Madame Tussauds museum.
Park Shin Hye
Park Shin Hye is a Korean actress, model, dancer, and singer. She is 31 years old and was born in Paju. Her career began 18 years ago. As a child, she realized her passion for the arts and was hired by an agency, giving her the opportunity to learn singing, acting, guitar, and keyboard.
In 2003, her first character was in Stairway to Heaven, but she only gained notoriety in Tree of Heaven, which was also aired in Japan, thus becoming known worldwide. One of her successful dramas is You’re Beautiful, where she not only starred but also sang the soundtrack. She is currently filming Doctors.
Park Shin Hye is always involved in charity projects. In 2009, she made Christmas donations to a small village in Nepal. In 2010 and 2012, she collected food for the less fortunate, among various other forms of philanthropy. She continues to be successful as a singer and started her world tour “Park Shin-hye World Tour: Story of an Angel.”
Jun Ji-Hyun
Jun Ji Hyun began her career at 16 years old in 1997. She is a Korean actress and model. Her first job was modeling for Ecole Magazine. She became more widely known through a Samsung commercial. One of her biggest works is the romantic comedy My Sassy Girl.
Currently, the actress has received 17 awards, most of them in the Best Actress category. She has had 12 appearances on the big screen. Her TV series include The Season of Puberty (1997), Inkigayo (Popular Music) (1998), Fascinante My Heart (1998), Happy Together (1999), My Love from the Star (2013-2014), The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016-2017). She has also participated in 4 music videos.
Kim Tae-hee
Kim Tae-hee is 41 years old and started her career at 20. She began her journey by being invited to model for commercials. She has been married to singer Rain since 2017, with whom she has two children. She is considered one of the most beautiful faces in South Korea.
The Korean actress has participated in 5 films and 1 short film so far. In dramas, she has appeared in 13. The most well-known are Hi Bye, Mama!, My Princess, Iris, and Stairway to Heaven. She has also appeared in at least 5 music videos, including the song “Love Story,” which belongs to her husband.
Park Min Young
Park Min Young is 35 years old and has been acting since 2006. She was born in Seoul and attended Dongguk University. She has a total of 16 television works. The most acclaimed are Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010), Queen for Seven Days (2017), and What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018). She has only done the film “The Cat” in 2011.
She has also participated in 3 music videos. The Korean actress has won 13 awards as an actress and 1 as a model in 2007, the year of her first 3 awards. In that same year, she won 2 Best New Actress awards for the series “Unstoppable High Kick!” and “I Am Sam.”
Choi Ji-woo
Choi Jiwoo’s stage name is Choi Mi-hyang; although it may not seem like it, she is 46 years old and has been acting since 1994. She is originally from the city of Busan. The Korean actress studied at Pusan Women’s University in the field of aerobic dance. Choi has participated in 11 films, including voiceovers, and 27 television appearances, including dramas, shows, and special appearances.
Her first prominent role was in 1996 in the film The Gate of Destiny. In 2002, she starred in the drama Winter Sonata, which contributed to the popularization of Korean culture. She also dedicated some years to work in China and Japan. In 2009, she became one of the highest-paid South Korean actresses with her role in Star’s Lover.
Shin Min-a
Yang Shin Min-a is 37 years old, has also been a model since 1998, and her first work as a Korean actress was in 2001. As soon as she started her first appearances as a model, she became one of the most sought-after and well-paid South Korean models. She was even a spokesperson for LG Xnote, part of LG Corporation.
Shin began her acting career in Volcano High and in 14 subsequent films. She participated in 10 dramas and 13 music videos, mostly for the band g.o.d between 1999 and 2009. Currently, she has received 21 awards.
Ha Ji-won
Ha Ji-won, whose real name is Jeon Hae-rim, is 43 years old and was born in Seoul. She has always been fascinated by the world of television and graduated from Dankook University with a degree in Film and Television. In 1996, she made her TV debut in “New Generation Report: Adults Don’t Understand Us” in a supporting role.
In 2000, the Korean actress made her film debut with the movie Truth Game, for which she received the Best New Actress award. Ha Ji-won’s most well-known works include Secret Garden (2010), Hospital Ship (2017), and The King 2 Hearts (2012). She has 43 awards, including Best Actress for her role in Secret Garden.
Top 50 Famous Korean Actresses
To complement the article, we will leave a list of the 50 most famous Korean actresses below:
- Son Ye-jin
- Park Bo-young
- Park Min-young
- Kim Go-eun
- Kim So-Hyun
- Lee Sung-kyung
- Yoo In-na
- Bae Suzy
- Jun Ji-hyun
- Song Hye-kyo
- Seo Ji-hye
- Kim Young-ok
- Shin Min-a
- Kim Ji-won
- Kim Yoo-jung
- Jung So-min
- Park Shin-hye
- Seo Yea-ji
- Moon Ga-young
- Gong Hyo-jin
- Nam Ji-hyun
- Lee Jung-eun
- Park So-dam
- Kim Tae-hee
- Kim Da-mi
- Jang Na-ra
- Lee Bo-young
- Bae Doona
- Hwang Jung-eum
- Moon Chae-won
- Ha Ji-won
- Kwon Nara
- Kim Hee-sun
- Krystal Jung
- Han Ji-min
- Han Hyo-joo
- Shin Se-kyung
- Kim So-eun
- Jung Eun-chae
- Song Ji-hyo
- Kim Seo-hyung
- Im Yoon-ah
- Yoon Eun-hye
- Kang So-ra
- Kim Sae-ron
- Kim Hee-ae
- Choi Ji-woo
- Lee Young-ae
- Kim Hye-yoon
- Kyung Soo-jin
Of course, there are other actresses who are also great and popular worldwide, and I promise to bring more about the actresses who make dramas a success soon. Have you watched dramas with any of these actresses?
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