7 supporting Korean actresses who transformed into K-drama female leads, who is the most successful?
Many K-drama actresses started out with super minor roles, but over time, they managed to shine spectacularly as K-drama female leads.
In the K-drama world, many actresses started out with a leading role. However, this is not always the case, and some had to work their way up from the very bottom. Below are 8 Korean actresses who had got the grandest breakthroughs, and now draws attention via leading roles:
No. 8: Kang Han Na
Throughout her career, Kang Han Na has played numerous supporting roles in “Moon Lovers”, “Start Up”, “My Roommate Is A Gumiho”… and managed to impress the audiences through her shining visuals and natural acting.
Finally, after years of playing minor characters, Kang Han Na secured a role as the female lead in “Bloody Heart”, which is promising enough to become her breakthrough. Hopefully, Kang Han Na would be able to draw a lot of attention through this historical K-drama, and finally earned more leading roles.
No. 7: Lee Da Hee
Also well-regarded as a fashion model, Lee Da Hee delivered an unmatched aura via series like “I Hear Your Voice”, “Secret Love”, “Search: WWW”, and various more.
After years of determination, the outstanding Lee Da Hee finally rose to become the female lead of “LUCA: The Beginning” in 2019, but did not manage to achieve much success. However, she will soon star alongside famous actors Kim Nam Gil and Cha Eun Woo in the Netflix series “Island”, which hold great prospects of getting madly popular.
No. 6: Seo Ji Hye
Despite being one of the most gorgeous Korean actresses born in the early 80s, Seo Ji Hye’s career path was not too smooth, with mostly second leads and minor roles. It was not until 2019, after her impressive appearance in “Crash Landing On You”, that Seo Ji Hye finally managed to draw attention.
Finally, in 2020, Seo Ji Hye managed to become the female lead of “Dinner Mate”, where she starred alongside experienced actor Song Seung Hun. In addition, she also played the female lead in the Disney+ drama “Kiss Sixth Sense”, which was just released this year. However, both series didn’t manage to become viral.
No. 5: Moon Ga Young
With years of experience in the acting industry and a super alluring visual, yet Moon Ga Young had a difficult time establishing a stable footing in the K-drama world. The actress first started out with some female lead roles, before playing the second leads in “Tempted” and “Don’t Dare To Dream”, before finally exploding in fame with a leading role in “True Beauty”.
It took a lot of time, but Moon Ga Young seems to finally be getting her well-deserved recognition. Her ongoing series “Link”, where she became co-star with actor Yeo Jin Goo, is already looking promising.
No. 4: Shin Hye Sun
Not considered to be traditionally beautiful in Korea, Shin Hye Sun had to take slow steps to get to her current position. In fact, she had to act in various minor roles and second leads, before finally managing to secure a leading role. Thankfully, the actress managed to shine through her acting talent, and her role in “My Golden Life” made Shin Hye Sun a household name in Korea.
Finally, the success of “Mr. Queen” took Shin Hye Sun’s fame to the next level, and the actress’s versatile, hilarious, and somewhat “shameless” acting managed to totally wow international audiences.
No. 3: Lee Sung Kyung
Visual queen Lee Sung Kyung can shine even in minor roles, and this was exactly what happened in the actress’ career. Through notable works like “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo”, “Dr. Romantic 2”, “Doctors”, and “Cheese In The Trap”, Lee Sung Kyung rose to become one of Korea’s top actresses.
However, Lee Sung Kyung seems to be facing a slump, with her latest work “Shooting Stars” recording both mixed reactions and low viewership ratings.
No. 2: Kim Ji Won
Kim Ji Won never hesitated to challenge herself, and while she had starred in commercial K-dramas like “The Heirs” and “Descendants of The Sun”, the actress also managed to perform excellently in more philosophical series and play complicated roles.
While not all of her projects became great successes, Kim Ji Won’s abilities were well recognized. Her latest K-drama, “My Liberation Notes”, for example, slowly but surely won over the audience, while at the same time cemented Kim Ji Won’s place in the acting industry.
No. 1: Han So Hee
Having made her acting debut 6 years ago, Han So Hee started to gain attention after playing the female villain in “The World Of The Married”, before landing her first leading role in 2021 with “Nevertheless”. The actress’ popularity has sky-rocketed ever since, and all Koreans have heard of her name.
Han So Hee’s out-of-this-world visuals easily caught the eyes of viewers, and she also never hesitated to try out new roles. For now, she has only starred as the female lead of “Nevertheless”, “My Name”, and “Soundtrack #1”, but those were 3 completely different characters. In fact, Han So Hee is now being compared to and predicted to inherit the titles of Korea’s top beauties, which include Song Hye Kyo, Kim Tae Hee, Son Ye Jin, Jun Ji Hyun, and Han Ga In.
Source: Dienanh
