Here are the top leading ladies of South Korea. While every gorgeous lady, we’re ranking the most talented Korean actresses of all time. Whether you’re searching for the highest-paid stars or the prettiest Korean actresses, this rundown of popular Korean actresses includes older actors over 40 as well as new and young celebrities.
1. Son Ye-jin
Son Ye-jin (born Son Eon-jin on January 11, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She got fame in romance-themed movies and TV series like The Classic (2003), Summer Scent (2003), A Moment to Remember (2004), and April Snow (2005) for which she was given the title “Nation’s First Love”. She has won acting recognition for her versatility in diverse genres, notably in Alone in Love (2006), My Wife Got Married (2008), Personal Taste (2010), The Pirates (2014), the 2016 films The Truth Beneath and The Last Princess, and The Negotiation (2018).
2. Jun Ji-hyun
Jun Ji-hyun (born Wang Ji-hyun on 30 October 1981), also popular by her English name Gianna Jun, is a South Korean actress and model. She has got many awards, including two Grand Bell Awards for Best Actress and a Daesang (Grand Prize) for TV at the Baeksang Art Awards. Jun got fame for her role as The Girl in the romantic comedy My Sassy Girl (2001), one of the highest-grossing Korean comedies ever. Other notable movies include Il Mare (2000), Windstruck (2004), The Thieves (2012), The Berlin File (2013) and Assassination (2015). She likewise featured in the TV series My Love from the Star (2013–2014), The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016–2017) and Jirisan (2021), as well as the Netflix series Kingdom (2020–present).
3. IU
Lee Ji-eun (born May 16, 1993), professionally famous as IU, is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress. While still in middle school, IU auditioned for different talent agencies with a desire of becoming a singer. She signed with Kakao M (formerly LOEN Entertainment) in 2007 as a learner and started her career at the age of 15 with her debut album, Lost and Found.
4. Park Bo-young
Park Bo-young (born February 12, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She is popular for her leading roles in the hit movies Scandal Makers (2008), A Werewolf Boy (2012) and On Your Wedding Day (2018), and the television series Oh My Ghost (2015), Strong Girl Bong-soon (2017), Abyss (2019) and Doom at Your Service (2021).
5. Park Min-young
Park Min-youthful (born March 4, 1986) is a South Korean actress. She got to fame in the historical coming-of-age drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010) and has since featured in TV series City Hunter (2011), Glory Jane (2011), Dr. Jin (2012), A New Leaf (2014), Healer (2014–2015), Remember (2015–2016), Queen for Seven Days (2017), What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018), Her Private Life (2019) and When the Weather Is Fine (2020).
