Beautiful K-Drama Actresses of 2026

Chae Soo-bin (채수빈; real name Bae Soo-bin, 배수빈) leads Netflix's fantasy romantic comedy Take Charge of My Heart (나를 충전해줘), released on October 9, 2026, as Na Bo-bae, a woman with electrical powers, opposite Kim Young-kwang.³

Her previous lead, MBC's When the Phone Rings (지금 거신 전화는, 2024–25), ended at 8.6% nationwide on the Nielsen Korea rating and spent eight weeks in Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10, four of them at No. 2.⁵⁷⁵⁸ It won her the Excellence Award for an actress in a miniseries at the 2024 MBC Drama Awards.⁵

Kim Ji-won (김지원) plays the title character, Gye Su-jeong, in SBS's Doctor X: Mafia in White (닥터X: 하얀 마피아의 시대), which premiered on October 9, 2026 at 11.4% nationwide, the highest opening rating of any miniseries in 2026.⁵⁹ Its second episode rose to 14.9%.⁶⁰

Her previous drama, tvN's Queen of Tears (2024), ended at 24.850%, the highest rating of any tvN series, and spent 15 weeks in Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10, reaching No. 1 in the week ending March 31, 2024.⁶¹⁵⁸

Kim So-hyun (김소현), a child actress from 2006, leads ENA's Between Steps (연애박사), which began airing on October 5, 2026, as master's student Lim Yu-jin.³⁹³⁷

In 2025 she co-led JTBC's action comedy Good Boy (굿보이) opposite Park Bo-gum; it peaked at 8.125% nationwide on Nielsen Korea.⁶² She won the Top Excellence Award for an actress at the 2021 KBS Drama Awards for River Where the Moon Rises.³⁹

Son Ye-jin (손예진; real name Son Eon-jin, 손언진) leads Netflix's The Scandal (스캔들), released on September 18, 2026, as Lady Cho.⁵¹ It was No. 1 on Netflix's South Korea TV chart for the week ending September 20, then No. 3 on the global non-English TV list for the week ending September 27, with 2.8 million views.⁶³⁵⁸

In 2025 she won Best Actress at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards for Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice.⁶⁴ Her four Baeksang acting wins place her in DabPop's ranking of actors with the most Baeksang acting wins.⁶⁵

Jin Ki-joo (진기주) plays inspector Im Han-rim in Netflix's Teach You a Lesson (참교육), released on June 5, 2026.²¹ It was No. 1 on Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10 for four straight weeks and spent ten weeks in that chart; its second week drew 21.1 million views.⁵⁸

She won the Top Excellence Award for an actress in a miniseries at the 2025 MBC Drama Awards for Undercover High School (언더커버 하이스쿨), which peaked at 8.3% nationwide.²³⁶⁶

Park Bo-young (박보영) won Best Actress (Television) at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards in May 2026 for tvN's Our Unwritten Seoul (미지의 서울), in which she played twin sisters Yoo Mi-ji and Yoo Mi-rae.⁶⁷ Its finale rated 8.413% nationwide, and it spent six weeks in Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10, peaking at No. 3.⁶⁸⁵⁸

She then led Disney+'s ten-episode crime thriller Gold Land (골드랜드, April 29 to May 27, 2026) as Kim Hee-joo.⁴²

Jeon So-young (전소영) signed with BH Entertainment in 2024 and made her screen debut in 2025.¹⁹²⁰ She led Netflix's If Wishes Could Kill (기리고, April 24, 2026) as track athlete Yoo Se-ah; it reached No. 1 on Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10 in the week ending May 3, 2026, with 7.5 million views.¹⁸⁵⁸

The role won her Best New Actress at the 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards.²⁰ She also played trainee reporter Jung Min-ah in TVING's The Legend of Kitchen Soldier (취사병 전설이 되다), adapted from a webtoon.⁶⁹

Go Youn-jung (고윤정) led two dramas in 2026. Netflix's Can This Love Be Translated? (이 사랑 통역 되나요?), released on January 16, was No. 1 on Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10 for two straight weeks, with 9.0 million views in its best week.⁷⁰⁵⁸ JTBC's We Are All Trying Here followed on April 18.⁶

She won Best New Actress at the 2024 Blue Dragon Series Awards for Disney+'s Moving.⁸

Kim Go-eun (김고은) returned as Kim Yumi in Yumi's Cells Season 3 (유미의 세포들 시즌3), which premiered on TVING on April 13, 2026 before airing on tvN.³¹ Her Netflix series The Price of Confession (자백의 대가, December 2025) reached No. 1 on Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10 in its second week.⁷¹⁵⁸

She won Best Actress (Film) at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards in 2024 for Exhuma.⁷²

IU (아이유; real name Lee Ji-eun, 이지은), a singer since 2008 and an actress since 2011's Dream High, led MBC's Perfect Crown (21세기 대군부인), which aired from April 10 to May 16, 2026.¹⁷¹⁵ By May 15 it had drawn more than 43 million hours viewed on Disney+ and Hulu.⁷³

Her 2025 Netflix series When Life Gives You Tangerines (폭싹 속았수다) reached No. 1 on Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10 twice and spent nine weeks in it.⁵⁸ It won her Best Actress at the 4th Blue Dragon Series Awards.¹⁷

BLACKPINK member Jisoo (지수; real name Kim Ji-soo, 김지수) led Netflix's Boyfriend on Demand (월간남친, March 6, 2026) as Seo Mi-rae, opposite Seo In-guk.²⁴ It entered Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10 at No. 4 and rose to No. 1 the next week, with 4.8 million views.⁵⁸

Her first lead role, Eun Yeong-ro in JTBC's Snowdrop (2021–22), won her Outstanding Korean Actress at the 2022 Seoul International Drama Awards, and she made her film debut in Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy (2025).²⁵

Park Shin-hye (박신혜) played the title role, Hong Keum-bo, in tvN's Undercover Miss Hong (언더커버 미쓰홍), which aired from January 17 to March 8, 2026.⁴⁵ Its 15th episode on March 7 set the series high of 13.1% nationwide, and it peaked at No. 4 on Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10.⁷⁴⁵⁸

She won the Top Excellence Award at the SBS Drama Awards for Pinocchio (2014) and Doctors (2016), and co-starred in SBS's The Heirs (2013), which peaked at 28.6%.⁷⁵⁴⁷

Han Hyo-joo (한효주) led Romantics Anonymous, a Japanese-language Netflix series released on October 16, 2025, as Hana Lee; it reached No. 3 on Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10.⁹⁵⁸

She won Best Actress (Television) at the 2011 Baeksang Arts Awards for the title role in MBC's Dong Yi, Best Leading Actress at the 2013 Blue Dragon Film Awards for Cold Eyes, and the first Best Actress (Series) prize at the 2023 Grand Bell Awards for Disney+'s Moving.¹¹

Jung So-min (정소민; real name Kim Yoon-ji, 김윤지) led SBS's fake-newlywed romantic comedy Would You Marry Me? (우주메리미) opposite Choi Woo-shik; it peaked at 9.1% nationwide in its November 15, 2025 finale.²⁹ The role won her the Top Excellence Award at the 2025 SBS Drama Awards.³⁰

Her previous lead, tvN's Love Next Door (2024), opposite Jung Hae-in, spent 11 weeks in Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10, peaking at No. 2.³⁰⁵⁸

Bae Suzy (수지; real name Bae Su-ji, 배수지), who debuted as a singer with Miss A in 2010 and as an actress in 2011's Dream High, led Netflix's Genie, Make a Wish (다 이루어질 지니, October 3, 2025) as Ki Ka-young.²¹ It was No. 1 on Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10 for the week ending October 12, 2025, with 8.0 million views.⁵⁸

She won Best New Actress (Film) at the 2012 Baeksang Arts Awards for Architecture 101, and Best Actress at the 2023 Blue Dragon Series Awards for Coupang Play's Anna.⁷⁶

Jun Ji-hyun (전지현; real name Wang Ji-hyun, 왕지현) led Disney+'s spy romance Tempest (북극성, September 10, 2025) as diplomat Seo Mun-ju, opposite Gang Dong-won. Written by Jeong Seo-kyeong, it was the first Korean series produced under a SAG-AFTRA contract.²⁶

She rose to fame with the film My Sassy Girl (2001) and won Best Actress at the Grand Bell Awards for it (2002) and for Assassination (2015). My Love from the Star won her the Grand Prize (daesang) for television at the 2014 Baeksang Arts Awards.²⁸

Girls' Generation member YoonA (윤아; real name Lim Yoon-a, 임윤아) led tvN's Bon Appétit, Your Majesty (폭군의 셰프) as Yeon Ji-young. Its September 28, 2025 finale drew 17.107% nationwide, and it spent 10 weeks in Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10, two of them at No. 1.⁵⁴⁵⁸

Her first lead role, in KBS's You Are My Destiny (2008), won her Best New Actress at the Baeksang Arts Awards, and JTBC's King the Land (2023) was No. 1 on Netflix's global non-English TV list for three weeks.⁵⁶⁵⁸ She renewed her contract with SM Entertainment for a third time in January 2024.⁵⁵

Moon Ga-young (문가영), a child actress from 2006, led tvN's Law and the City (서초동, 2025) opposite Lee Jong-suk; it peaked at 7.705% nationwide.⁴¹⁴⁰

She won Best Actress (Film) at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards in May 2026 for Once We Were Us.⁷⁷ Earlier she led tvN's True Beauty (2020–21) as Lim Ju-kyung, adapted from a Line Webtoon series.⁷⁸

Shin Min-a (신민아; real name Yang Min-a, 양민아) co-starred in Netflix's Karma (악연, April 4, 2025), which reached No. 2 on Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10 with 4.8 million views.⁴⁸⁵⁸

She takes the title role of Empress Navier in Disney+'s The Remarried Empress (재혼 황후), adapted from a web novel and set to premiere on November 4, 2026.⁷⁹ Her earlier lead roles include Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021) and Our Blues (2022).⁵⁰

Han So-hee (한소희; real name Lee So-hee, 이소희) plays Yoon Chae-ok, opposite Park Seo-joon, in Netflix's Gyeongseong Creature (경성크리처); its second season, released on September 27, 2024, spent its first two weeks at No. 2 on Netflix's global non-English TV Top 10.¹²⁵⁸

She played Yeo Da-kyung in JTBC's The World of the Married (2020), whose 28.371% finale was then the highest rating in Korean cable TV history.⁸⁰ Netflix's My Name (2021), in which she led, peaked at No. 2.¹⁴⁵⁸