Korean actors

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.

Soo-Hyun Kim is one of the brightest stars in East Asia. He became a household name in South Korea in 2011, playing a country bumpkin who turned out to be a musical genius in the teen-age drama 'Dream High'.

His popularity sky-rocketed in 2012 when he starred in as the young king Lee Hwon in the drama 'Moon Embracing the Sun', which achieved a peak recorded viewer rating of 42.2 per cent and earned the 'national drama' status.

In 2014, Soo-Hyun Kim enjoyed so much popularity all over East Asia after playing the leading role of Do Min Joon in the drama 'You Who Came from Star', which got an average viewer rating of 24.02 per cent in South Korea, and had over two billion hits on the Chinese streaming site Iqiyi.

Park Hae-jin was born on 1 May 1983. He is an actor, known for Cheese in the Trap (2016), Bad Guys (2014) and My Love from Another Star (2013).

Han Hyo-Joo (born February 22, 1987 Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province) is a South Korean film and television actress. She is best known for her leading roles in television drama series: Spring Waltz (2006) (2006); Shining Inheritance (2009) (2009); Dong Yi (2010)(2010) and W (2016) (2016) as well as the film Cold Eyes (2013) (2013), for which she won Best Actress at the 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards. Her mother was an elementary school teacher before becoming an inspector for public schools, and her father was an air force officer. As a child, she was good in sports, particularly track and field. In her sophomore year of high school, she moved to Seoul and attended Bulgok High School, despite the objections of her strict and conservative father. She then entered Dongguk University, where she joined the theater and film department. She chieved the grand prize for the Miss Bing-Geure (Korean food company) contest in 2003, which attracted the attention of the entertainment world. Then she began to appear in a minor role in the sitcom titled Nonstop (2000) in 2005. She even continued with a stint in 2006's Spring Waltz (2006). In 2006, she became popular through her brilliant acting and got signed by the popular independent filmmaker known as Yoon-ki Lee, who cast her in his film Aju teukbyeolhan sonnim (2006). The movie became a success and was listed in festival favorite and brought several honors to the director and of course Han. After her debut, she won the Best New Actor honor at the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards. Her success let her star in two big TV series, Il Ji Mae (2008) and Dong Yi (2010). Both series became hit, and she even achieved good ratings from Korean viewers. Later, she appeared in another indie film known as Ride Away (2008) and earned a lot of respect from the series cinema-goers for her performance. In the year 2010, she established her as one of the best mainstream actresses of that year. She played a lead role in the series Shining Inheritance (2009). The series was so hit that it increased the endorsements deals for Han. She even received big drama awards at the South Korean award function. Han appeared as a blind telemarketer in the emotional drama film known as Always (2011) in 2011. Her acting skills went on to open the Busan International Film Festival that year. She played the role of a queen in her next film which was a period action drama Masquerade (2012). The drama series went on to become the highest grossing South Korean film of that time. She had also played an action thriller film Cold Eyes (2013), the film received good response from the critics and slowly became one of the top-grossing films of the year. Han was also awarded as Best Actress awards at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Buil Film Awards for her performance. Moreover, she had played many movies including, Miracle: Devil Claus' Love and Magic (2014), The Beauty Inside (2015), Golden Slumber (2018) and many more. She returned to the small screen with series W (2016), an MBC's fantasy suspense alongside actor Lee Jong-suk. She has also achieved and won the Top Excellence award at the 5th APAN Star awards and also MBC Drama Awards for her well performance. Recently, she also starred in the thriller, Golden Slumber (2018) in 2018, with Gang Dong-won. Moreover, she was cast as the female lead in sci-fi action thriller Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018).

Ji Jin-hee was born on 24 June 1973 in Seoul, South Korea. He is an actor, known for The Great Seer (2012), I Have a Lover (2015) and The Man Who Can't Get Married (2009).

Lee Yeong-ae was born on 31 January 1971 in Seoul, South Korea. She is an actress, known for Lady Vengeance (2005), Joint Security Area (2000) and Jewel in the Palace (2003). She has been married to Jeong Ho-young since 24 August 2009. They have two children.

Gillian Chung Yun Tung is a Hong Kong pop singer and actress. She resides in the affluent Midlevels district in Hong Kong with her younger sister. Standing at just over five feet tall, Chung is a graduate of the Kowloon True Light Middle School and attended RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. While at RMIT, she also worked as a part-time model.

In 2001, Chung was approached by Emperor Entertainment Group to form a singing group, Twins, with Charlene Choi, to whom she is not actually related. Initially, people did have difficulty telling the two apart, but they have since developed their own distinct personalities.

Chung made her film debut in U Man which was released in 2002 and has since proven her acting skills in a number of films like Beyond Our Ken which has earned her critical acclaim. Outdoing herself in every martial arts sequence, Chung has established herself as the up and coming action star.

In the film Beyond Our Ken released in 2004, Chung played as Chan Wai Ching, a spurned girlfriend of the eponymous Ken, where she managed to brings both a charming girlishness and an opaque resolve to the character, and handles her despondency with believable vulnerability. Chung occasionally gives off the same sweet likability that has characterized her earlier performances, but shows far more than that in this particular film. The film managed a box office taking of HK$ 3,886,355 and it has its World Premiere in Toyko International Film Festival.

Lee So-yeon was born on 16 April 1982 in South Korea. She is an actress, known for The Birth of a Family (2012), Dong Yi (2010) and Dr. Jin (2012).

Bae Soo-bin was born on 9 December 1976. He is an actor, known for My Heart Twinkle Twinkle (2015), Fly High (2009) and The King's Affection (2021).

Julia Lim is a well-established actor, news anchor woman, a television variety/home shopping show host and VO artist from South Korea. She has appeared in over 25 television shows as a series regular on S. Korean National Broadcasting Networks, 10 films and 10 theatre productions. She has also led numerous national campaigns and industrial commercials as a name celebrity. Julia Lim is well known for her accomplishment as a first female anchor to visit and conduct a live televised show in North Korea. She did an Off-Broadway musical show, "Green Card" in 2016. She studied at Ewha Womans University graduating with a Bachelor degree of Arts in English Education and studied at Yonsei University graduating with a Master degree of Arts in Broadcasting and Media. She had taught at Baekche Arts College for 11 years. Julia Lim is fully bilingual in Korean and English(w/slight accent). She is a native of South Korea, lives now in New York City.

Lee Bo-young was born on 12 January 1979 in South Korea. She is an actress, known for I Hear Your Voice (2013), A Dirty Carnival (2006) and Hooray for Love (2011). She has been married to Ji Sung since 27 September 2013. They have two children.

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).

Lee Da-hee was born on 15 March 1985 in South Korea. She is an actress, known for Mrs. Cop (2015), I Hear Your Voice (2013) and Big Man (2014).

Jing Tian graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy and Beijing Film Academy, Department of Chinese Film and Television.

In 2006, Jing Tian released the music EP Who are you with King Sweet music.

Tian starred in 13 episodes of the TV show Yi ge nü ren de shi shi (2009) in 2010. Her acting career flourished and she appeared in movies such as My Belle Boss (2010) and The Warring States (2011). She was awarded a role in Police Story: Lockdown (2013) in 2013 alongside Jackie Chan. In 2014 Jing Tian starred in the costume drama The Glory of Tang Dynasty (2017).In 2016 she starred in The Great Wall (2016). Jing Tian accepted the role of Lin Mei, commander of the Crane Troop because she wanted to work with Yimou Zhang. As part of her preparation for the role Jing Tian lived for a year in the United States to learn English, which she now speaks fluently, and went through an extensive training in martial arts.In 2017 Jing Tian stars as San in Kong: Skull Island (2017) with Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson. In 2018 Jing Tian stars in Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) alongside Cailee Spaeny.

Song Joong Ki is an actor in the Republic of Korea. His debut was in the 2008 film 'A Frozen Flower'. He familiarized himself with the public through TV shows such as 'My Precious You (2008)', 'Triple (2009)', 'Will it snow for Christmas? (2009)', and 'Obstetrics and Gynecology Doctors (2010)'. At the same time, he displayed talent in diverse areas by starring in films such as 'Five Senses Of Eros (2009)', 'Where the Truth Lies (2009)', and 'Hearty Paws 2 (2010)', as well as broadcasting shows such as 'Music Bank (2009)' and 'Running Man (2010)'.

In 2010, the TV show 'Sungkyunkwan Scandal' propelled the freshly debuted actor Song Joong Ki into becoming a teen star. In the TV show 'Deep Rooted Tree (2011)', he displayed outstanding acting skills and birthed an impressive 'young King Sejong' despite being in just 4 episodes of the show, after which he was awarded the Producer Award in the 'SBS Acting Awards' at the end of the year and imprinted himself as a next-generation star that can act as well.

Thereafter, he shocked the world by being cast as the protagonist in the TV show 'The Innocent Man (2012' and the film 'A Werewolf Boy (2012'. He solidified his position as a star in both TV and the box office thanks to his excellent acting skills.

In particular, in the TV show 'Descendants of the Sun (2016)', he played the character of 'Yoo Shi Jin', a lieutenant in the Special Forces, and gained unprecedented popularity, creating a 'Song Joong Ki Syndrome'. He established himself as a global star by gaining popularity in not just Korea but all around the world.

Through his recent works in the film 'The Battleship Island (2017)', the TV show 'Arthdal Chronicles (2019)', the film 'SPACE SWEEPERS (2020)', and TV show 'Vincenzo'(2021), he is expanding his limits and breadth as an actor by playing diverse characters, eras, and genres.

In addition to dominating her own country, Song Hye-Kyo has left a lasting impression on the global scene thanks to her stunning beauty, extraordinary acting abilities, and captivating presence. As a model who transitioned into acting, Song has become one of Asia's most well-known and significant actors thanks to her gifts, attractiveness, and contributions to Korean entertainment. Over the years, she has established herself as one of South Korea's most attractive women and even gained recognition as the pinnacle of beauty in the nation of South Korea as a whole.

Song Hye Kyo was born on November 22, 1981, in Daegu, South Korea. She grew up in a middle-class family with her parents and older brother. Her parents divorced when she was a young girl and her mother raised her. They moved from her birthplace in Daegu to the Gangnam District in Seoul, where she trained as a figure skater in elementary school, but quit when she was in the eighth grade. From a young age, Song was interested in the arts, particularly in acting. In 1996, she began her career in modeling at the tender age of 14 as Song, who was back then a third-year junior high school student, won first place in the SunKyung Smart Model Contest, and she made her entertainment debut as a model for the school uniform company. This opportunity would lead to her being cast in a small role in her first television drama, First Love (1997).

Song Hye Kyo would go on to star in several different sitcoms and dramas, most notably "Soonpoong Clinic (1998)." But the actress wouldn't become well-known until 2000 when she co-starred with Song Seung-Hun and Won Bin in the lead part of the well-liked KBS drama "Autumn in My Heart (2000)." Because of the romantic melodrama's widespread appeal, Song became well-known in Korea and throughout Asia. The show was a big hit at the time and is now frequently regarded as a classic, setting off a trend in Korean melodramatic television that is now known as the "Korean Wave" and helping to pioneer the genre. In 2003, her popularity continued to climb when she played a leading role alongside Lee Byung-Hun in the gambling drama "All In (2003)", which drew solid viewership ratings nationwide throughout its run with a peak viewer rating of 47.7 percent. The following year, she co-starred with singer Rain in the hit romantic comedy series "Full House (2004)." The drama achieved pan-Asia success and established Song as one of the most well-known Korean actresses in Asia.

In early 2005, She went to San Francisco to study English and later traveled to Seattle. Song took time off to recharge herself after Full House. "I have had a good rest. It was a good opportunity to reflect on myself," said Song. She returned to Korea on March 5, 2005. The same year, She made her big-screen debut in My Girl and I (a Korean remake of Crying Out Love in the Center of the World), which was panned by audiences and critics alike. Vocal about her dissatisfaction with typecasting in the roles she was being offered, she took on different roles the following year.

She made her TV comeback in late 2008 with the Korean Drama "The World That They Live In (2008)" (also known as Worlds Within), a series set at a broadcast station in which Song and Hyun Bin played drama PDs who work together and fall in love. In 2010, she starred in "Camellia (2010)", an omnibus pic made up of three short films directed by three Asian directors. Each episode is set in the past, present, and future of the city of Busan. In the film's final segment 'Love for Sale', Song and Gang Dong-won play former lovers who forget their memories about each other which later leads them to a fatal destiny.

Song then played a documentary filmmaker who finds the strength to forgive the 17-year-old boy who killed her fiancé but instead of redemption, only finds greater tragedy in A Reason to Live, which was released in October 2011 after several delays. Song was a huge fan of director Lee Jung-Hyang and had actively sought her out. Though she had difficulty getting into character, she said she fell in love with the script and felt her acting had matured. She considers the film "a turning point" in her life.

In 2011, she became the first Asian actress to sign a contract with the French global agency Effigies, paving the way for her possible entry into the European market. She released a photo essay book in 2012 titled It's Time for Hye-Kyo.

Song reunited with the writer and director of Worlds Within in "That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013)", a 2013 remake of the 2002 Japanese drama Ai Nante Irane Yo, Natsu ("I Don't Need Love, Summer"). She played a blind heiress in the melodrama, opposite a con man pretending to be her long-lost brother (played by Jo In-Sung). That Winter, the Wind Blows placed number one in its time slot during most of its run, and Song and Jo were praised for their performances. Song won the Daesang (or "Grand Prize"), the highest television award, at the 2nd APAN Star Awards.

In 2014, Song reunited with Gang Dong-Won in My Brilliant Life (2014), E J-Yong's film adaptation of Kim Ae-Ran's bestselling novel "My Palpitating Life", about a couple who watched their son suffering from Progeria, grow old prematurely.

Jin Goo was born on 20 July 1980 in Seoul, South Korea. He is an actor, known for Mother (2009), Descendants of the Sun (2016) and A Bittersweet Life (2005).

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.

Moon Geun-Young was born on May 6, 1987 in Gwangju, South Korea. Her immediate family consists of parents and one younger sister. Moon Geun-Young began her acting career from a young age as a child actor. During the third grade of her elementary school, Moon Geun-Young performed in her school's play and became enthusiastic towards acting. After her performance in the play, Moon Geun-Young asked her parents to send her to an acting institute. At first her parents rejected her idea, but Moon Gun-Young did not give up. The following year, while in the 4th grade of elementary school, Moon Geun-Young asked her parents again. This time around, her parents replied if presidential candidate Kim Dae-jung won the election they would send her to acting school. Fortunately for Moon-Geun-Young, Kim Dae-Jung won the presidential election in 1997. By the 6th grade of Moon Geun-Young's schooling she enrolled in an acting institute in Gwangju. While learning acting at the institute her profile was sent by the institute to Seoul and in the following year she was cast as an extra for a few television dramas. After more CF roles, Moon Geun-Young made her proper TV drama debut in 1999 with the KBS children's drama "Potato". Moon Geun-Young also acted in the documentary "On the Way (2000)" directed by Jae-eun Choi. In 2000, her big break came while performing as the child character Eun-Seo in the KBS2 drama "Autumn in My Heart (2000)". With the drama's large following, she became recognized by the Korean public. In 2010, while promoting the theatrical play "Closer" Moon Geun-Young was asked what was her favorite performance and she stated that it was "Autumn in My Heart (2000)" due to her acting inexperience at the time and having to act on pure instinct. After acting in more dramas, Moon Geun-Young performed in the motion picture "Lover's Concerto (2002)". In 2003, Moon Geun-Young took on her first lead role in the critically praised and commercially successful horror film "A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)", directed by Kim Jee-woon. "A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)" helped display Moon Geun-Young's acting ability in a more dynamic setting. With Moon Geun-Young's romantic comedy "My Little Bride (2004)" in 2004, she perfected her cute wholesome image and found further commercial success at the box office. During this time, Moon Geun-Young picked up the nickname "the nation's younger sister" (Gukmin yeo-dong-saeng") due to her cute little sister image. Interesting to note, Moon Geun-Young mentioned that her management company was happy with her performance, but she was not. Her next films, 2005 "Innocent Steps (2005)" & 2006 "Love Me Not (2006)" were not as commercially successful nor did they receive favorable critical reviews. In 2006, Moon Geun-Young was accepted at Sungkyunkwan University and majored in Korean Language and Literature. During this time, Moon Geun-Young took a break from acting and did not perform in any titles. In 2008, Moon Geun-Young made her return to acting in the SBS period drama "Painter of the Wind (2008)". The role marked a departure for Moon Geun-Young as she played a woman who disguises herself as a man to become a painter. Primarily due to the risky decision to cast Moon Geun-Young in the lead character role, the production company were worried about the commercial viability of the drama series. Filming also came with some difficulties. On October 9th, Moon Geun-Young fractured her nose while filming a scene for "Painter of the Wind (2008)". Shooting for the series halted for one week while Geun-yeong recovered. As it turns out, "Painter of the Wind (2008)" received solid ratings and received favorable critical reviews. Moon Geun-Young also garnered the top prize (Daesang Award) at the SBS Drama Awards for her performance in "Painter of the Wind (2008)". In 2010, Moon Geun-Young made another bold step in her acting career by performing as the sometimes villain in the KBS2 drama "Cinderella's Sister (2010)".

Shin Sung Rok is a South Korean actor. He frequently appears in films and television series, but is better known and active in musical theatre. His most popular drama yet was the romantic comedy My Love from the Star (2013), in which he appeared as a villainous businessman. In June 2016, Shin married a non-celebrity office worker in Hawaii. In November the same year, Shin became a father to a baby girl.

Jang Na-ra was born on 18 March 1981 in Seoul, South Korea. She is an actress, known for Sky and Ocean (2009), Hello Monster (2015) and Oh! Happy Day (2003). She has been married to husband since 3 June 2022.

Han Ga-in was born on 2 February 1982 in Seoul, South Korea. She is an actress, known for Bad Boy (2010), The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) and Once Upon a Time in High School: The Spirit of Jeet Kune Do (2004). She has been married to Yeon Jeong-hun since 26 April 2005. They have one child.

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).

Choi Jin-hyuk was born on 9 February 1985. He is an actor, known for Gu Family Book (2013), The Divine Move (2014) and Heirs (2013).

Lee Elijah was born on 19 February 1990 in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. She is an actress, known for The Return of Hwang Geum-Bok (2015), Fight for My Way (2017) and The Good Detective (2020).