K-dramashave captivated an international audience in recent years with their compelling stories, entertaining characters, and talented cast. While well-written storylines, characterizations, and conflicts are major factors in making amasterpiece K-drama, skilled actors are essential for bringing the words and emotions to life. From dark crime thrillers to heartwarming romantic comedies, K-dramas are elevated by the cast’s portrayal of their characters and the chemistry between them.
The performances ofthe best K-drama starscan either make or break the show.Several iconic K-dramas boast remarkable and compelling characters that are only brought to life when perfectly cast,making it impossible to imagine any other actor in the role. Outstanding performances from actors can make the emotional and dramatic scenes especially unforgettable. K-dramas with perfect casting ensure that audiences can best enjoy tremendous portrayals of beloved characters.
10What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018)
Park Min-young As Kim Mi-so
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kimis a romantic comedy K-drama following the narcissistic boss Lee Young-joon (Park Seo-joon) and his highly skilled secretary Kim Mi-so (Park Min-young), who unexpectedly resigns after nine years of hard work. The office drama revolves around their burgeoning relationship, and the dynamic is perfectly portrayed by Park Seo-joon and Park Min-young. DespiteWhat’s Wrong with Secretary Kim’sflaws, the romance between Young-joon and Mi-so, the undeniable chemistry between the actors, and the comedic scenes made the show a hit.
10 Best K-Dramas Like What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim has become a classic K-drama series, so it’s no surprise that countless similar dramas have followed its footsteps.
Park Min-young often serves as the foil to Park Seo-joon’s charming and hilarious personality, elevating the humorous aspects of the show. SuchK-drama couples' onscreen chemistryis only possible because of stars like Min-young and Seo-joon’s acting prowess. Park Min-young flawlessly portrays the long-suffering secretary of an infuriating boss who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself.Despite Mi-so being a dedicated employee and workaholic who is focused on maintaining her professional image, she is a surprisingly charismaticand entertaining character. Min-young managed to bring life to the serious character and turned her into a lovable lead.
9A Korean Odyssey (2017)
Lee Seung-gi As Son Oh-gong
A Korean Odysseyis afantastical romance K-dramarevolving around the immortal Son Oh-gong (Lee Seung-gi) and his savior Jin Seon-mi (Oh Yeon-seo). Lee Seung-gi portrays a selfish and mischievous immortal who is desperate to reinstate his status as a powerful being. At the beginning, the actor had a hard task ahead of him, playing the self-serving and duplicitous immortal being who is disconnected from humanity Son Oh-gong as a character audiences could root for.
Lee manages to bring a lighthearted and endearing energy to his on-screen persona, making the egotistical immortal a beloved character.
Lee seamlessly highlights Oh-gong’s growth as he adapts to the human worldand opens his heart up to Seon-mi. WhenA Korean Odysseyis filled with plot twists, betrayal, and characters undertaking shady behavior, Son Oh-gong is central to the chaos that unfolds in the show. Lee manages to bring a lighthearted and endearing energy to his on-screen persona, making the egotistical immortal a beloved character.
8Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016)
Lee Sung-kyung As Kim Bok-joo
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joois a hilarious K-drama with a beautifully heartwarming story following Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-kyung), a young athlete working towards her goal of becoming a professional weightlifter while juggling her friendships and love life. The coming-of-age story follows Bok-joo’s journey as she chases her dream while struggling with the hardships of being an athlete and falling in love;it is Lee Sung-kyung’s expressive acting and facial expressions that showcase Kim Bok-joo’s strengths and fears.
Lee’s Bok-joo is a relatable character who deals with issues ranging from unrequited love to self-image issues elevated by a performance that makes her feel grounded and realistic. Lee manages to balance the lighthearted romantic comedic scenes with the heavy emotional scenes. The K-drama star’s acting emphasizes the difficulties of her mission to become an athlete despite the hardships setting her back. Lee can perfectly portray the sweet and strong Bok-joo’s journey as she grows as a person and athlete.
7Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
Gong Yoo As Goblin/Kim Shin
Guardian: The Lonely and Great Godis a fantasy K-drama following Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), who is cursed to become an immortal goblin. After more than 900 long years of helping people and grieving his past, Shin lives a lonely life and is hoping for eternal rest, conveyed through Gong Yoo’s portrayal of his tragic existence. However,Gong plays Shin with charm and a deep tiredness that slowly fades as he falls in love.
5 Ways Goblin Is The Best K-Drama (& 5 Better Alternatives)
Goblin is undoubtedly one of the most popular K-Dramas around, but that doesn’t automatically make it the best.
No actor other than Gong could have encapsulated the exhaustion and isolation Shin experiences as an immortal goblin. Shin’s growing desire to end his immortality after 900 years motivates him to find his bride, the only person who could break the curse. Gong Yoo has to portray Kim Shin’s inherent loneliness and his desire for death, while also showcasing Shin’s journey of finding a reason to live again and falling in love with Ji Eun-tak (Kim Go-eun).
6Vincenzo (2021)
Ok Taec-yeon As Jang Joon-woo/Jang Han-seok
Vincenzois a crime thriller K-drama following a Korean-Italian mafia lawyer’s mission to take down a large corrupt corporation, the Babel Group. Ok Taec-yeon plays the role of the main antagonist of this K-drama, the mastermind behind the Babel Group’s illicit dealings.Vincenzointroduces the terrifying yet charming villain Jang Han-seok as a dim-witted intern at Wusang Law Firm, before the facade is dropped,and he reveals himself to be a narcissistic and sadistic criminal who happily tortures and kills anyone who gets in his way.
A majority of the credit goes to Ok for making Han-seok a terrifying and formidable, and thereforeperfect K-drama villain. Ok effectively portrays Han-seok as the happy-go-luck and energetic intern before revealing the character’s dark and violent true nature. The actor’s skills make audiences root for the seemingly naive character before horrifying them with his abhorrent violence. Ok makes Jang Han-seok a charming villain, despite his vicious behavior.
5Strong Girl Bong-soon (2017)
Park Bo-young As Do Bong-soon
The action K-dramaStrong Girl Bong-soonfollows Do Bong-soon (Park Bo-young), a woman who was born with superhuman strength and avoids using it. Beneath Bong-soon’s sweet smile and kind demeanor is a heroic and unfathomably strong woman. The popular K-drama actorPark Bo-young faithfully and realistically portrays Bong-soon’s growth from a woman who is ashamed and scared of her super strength to someone who fully embraces her family’s heritage and unique abilities.
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Park’s acting prowess helps highlight how Bong-soon’s insecurities are slowly turned into strengths. The character truly shines when the kidnapper terrorizing the town’s women learns of her powers and makes her lose her superpower. Park’s portrayal of Bong-soon’s sense of helplessness and panic here is heartbreaking to witness. Yet Bong-soon is a strong and relatable character, with Park’s charming and lovable portrayal of the superpowered woman making her compelling.
4Prison Playbook (2017)
Park Hae-Soo As Kim Je-hyuk
Prison Playbookis a unique and enthrallingslice-of-life K-dramarevolving around the lives of the convicts and staff at a prison. The drama focuses on Kim Je-hyeok (Park Hae-soo), a baseball star whose life is turned upside down after he ends up in prison for assault when he protects his sister from assault. Park Hae-soo plays the role of Kim Je-hyeok with a sense of charm; his kind-hearted nature along with his willingness to get violent when protecting others makes him a captivating character.
Park flawlessly depicts Je-hyeok’s struggle to adjust to prison,the loss of his bright future, and his status as a fallen hero. Despite the bleak setting, Park manages to bring life and joy to the show with his clueless yet endearing depiction of the lead. It is a difficult task to portray the lovable criminal Je-hyeok with a penchant for righteous violence and protectiveness; however, Park’s performance is convincing.
3Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)
Park Eun-bin As Woo Young-woo
Theheartwarming and inspiringExtraordinary Attorney Woois one of thebest legal K-dramas, following Woo Young-woo, played by Park Eun-bin, an autistic attorney who is seen as awkward and odd by her neurotypical peers. While Young-woo faces challenges as the first autistic attorney in South Korea, her undeniable intelligence and photographic memory solidify her as a talented lawyer.
Top 30 Badass Female Leads From K-Dramas
While K-dramas are often enjoyed for their sometimes-saccharine romances and dramatic plots, there are more than a few iconic female leads, as well.
It’s hard to imagine any actor other than Park playing the role of the rookie lawyer in the highly-ratedExtraordinary Attorney Woo. Park skillfully portrays Young-woo as she adapts to the world around her and the high-stress world of working as an attorney. Watching Young-woo overcome challenges and her peers and boss’s prejudice against her is gratifying and poignant to witness, andPark’s electrifying portrayal of Young-woo is the highlight of the K-drama.
2Hotel Del Luna (2019)
Lee Ji-eun As Jang Man-wol
Hotel del Lunastars actor and singer Lee Ji-eun, also known by her stage name IU, who steals the show as Jang Man-wol. Lee plays the mysterious and powerful hotel owner condemned to that fate due to her forgotten past sins magnificently. As complex as the role is,Lee effortlessly portrays the 1,000-year-old jaded and weary Man-wol,shifting between detached, standoffish, and short-tempered to showing warm moments of vulnerability and lightheartedness.
Jang Man-wol is a sophisticated, otherworldly, and powerful morally gray person who is perfectly depicted by Lee.
Jang Man-wol is a sophisticated, otherworldly, and powerful morally gray person who is perfectly depicted by Lee. Despite being an enigmatic multidimensional character filled with contradictions, Lee can play her realistically. Lee’s subtle facial expressions and body language expertly reveal the mysterious Man-wol’s feelings and inner turmoil without having to say a word.Hotel del Lunarevolves around a fascinating modern perversion of a fairy tale plot, with Man-wol gloriously at the center of it all as the tired witch or heroine.
1It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)
Oh Jung-Se As Moon Sang-Tae
It’s Okay Not to Be Okayis a heartening romantic comedy K-drama following two orphaned brothers and an antisocial children’s book author learning and healing together. Praised for its impeccable casting and the performances of that cast,Oh Jung-se’s performance as Moon Sang-tae is the K-drama’s showstopper.Moon Sang-tae is Moon Gang-tae’s (Kim Soo-hyun) autistic older brother who is traumatized by witnessing his mother’s murder. Sang-tae is also an aspiring illustrator who is a big fan of author Ko Moon-young (Seo Yea-ji).
This very author follows Gang-tae to the fictional city Seongjin and forms a lovely bond with the brothers. Oh effortlessly displays Sang-tae’s loving nature and kindness while depicting how his past trauma casts a shadow on his life. It’s heartwarming to witness Sang-tae heal from his childhood trauma and grow as a person, becoming independent. Oh’s portrayal of Sang-tae makes it impossible to not be endeared by the character andK-dramashow.
