5 A-List Korean Actresses Gracing the Small Screen As of Late

The Hallyu Wave has taken the world in continuous tide, not only in the music scene, electronics, skincare (cosmetic-wise) but also in entertainment industry. The Philippines has its fair share of this wave and if truth be told, something made in Korea is now a staple in every home. 

My family and I have been so into "Koreanovelas" as of late (Korean TV series as we fondly call them in the Philippines). We find the plots more relatable, super-kilig, with the right amount of cheesiness here and there and most importantly not dragging. The most common series usually run for 16 episodes only and though there are occasions when the drama extends to one or more episodes such are usually due to public demand.

The fact that they are short as compared to the "Mexicanovelas" we grew up watching is the foremost reason why I'm partial to these TV series. It's sooo annoying when I watch local shows and the TV ads run longer than the show itself! Though there are also long Korean TV series with 50+ episodes or sometimes more than 100 such are usually family dramas or those that air on weekends.

Anyway, since we have been watching a lot of these series, we got familiar with the roster of Korean entertainers, from the comedians to singers turned actors, the newbies and the a-listers, etc. So, its safe to say that we're pretty much updated with the Korean entertainment. So just imagine our surprise when a lot of their sought-after actresses began gracing the small screen one after the other. Don't get me wrong, we were thrilled! We just noted that they've been well, pretty much "visible" and "felt" than what their a-list status entail. Still, it's been a really pleasant surprise.

So, here's some of the a-list Korean actresses popping in the small screen recently. (No specific order)

1.Choi Ji-woo 최지우 

image from wikiwand.com

Who would ever forget the lady everyone loved as Jung Yu-jin of "Winter Sonata" and virtually started my sister's addiction to Koreanovelas. Now that she's part of the YG family she has been more visible not just in advertisements, TV drama but also in variety show, not discounting that she had previously appeared in "Running Man" but that was ages ago!

Recently, she has appeared in "Three Meals a Day", "Grandpas Over Flower" and even made a cameo in Sandara Park's web drama (I forgot the title though). In the latter part of 2015, she starred in TVN's "20 Again" with Lee Sang-Yoo and Choi Won-Young.

She played the role of Ha No-ra, a 30+ years old woman who had missed out on her youth as she fell in love and got pregnant at 19 years old. She devoted her life to her husband and son since then. Now in the later part of their marriage, her husband found another woman with whom he can have "intelligent conversation" with, Ha No-ra was pushed aside prompting her to do what she had wanted to do pursue college and dance!

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image from kpopmusic.com

2. Kim Tae-hee 김태희
Well, she's pretty much been elevated to goddess status already. Not only is she pretty, she also got the brains to go with it. She attended freaking Seoul National University! It's among the prestigious schools in Korea and its really hard to get in!

She has been in the limelight since 1998 and has appeared in a number of dramas and movies such as "Love Story in Harvard", "My Princess", "Iris the Movie", among others.

Then in late 2012, dating rumor broke out about the actress and (then-enlisted) Rain. It was all over the news since both of them are known in their fields. Plus, Tae-hee is older than Rain by two years. Keep in mind, that they have a rather rigid thing about age / seniority, they adhere to "sunbae-hoobae" relationship strongly.

Aside form CFs (Commercial Films), she laid low for a time until 2015, when news broke out that she would be starring in a SBS medical-fiction series "Yong Pal", opposite Joo Won. She played the character of chaebol Han Yeo Jin, who has been in a medically-induced coma for three years and has quite a distraught past.

image from hancinema.net

Joo Won, on the other hand, is a superb doctor but has piled up debts and hounded by loan shark due to his sister's illness. So to make ends meet, he takes on a "private" practice by tending to patients of varied cases regardless of background as long as they can pay his exorbitant fee.

3. Song Hye-kyo 송혜교

image kpopmusic.com

She's also been around for quite sometime and has established a name for herself. She's also noted as one of the most private celebrities in Korea. She has not appeared in any variety shows ever!
Though, she had her fair share of intrigues, such did not dampen her a-list status.

On a personal note, I got to know her through the series Full House opposite Rain. It was a really popular TV series in the Philippines when I was in high school and we got to know the "three bears" song.

But aside from such, she also appeared in other noted drama series and films like "Autumn in My Heart", "That Winter the Wind Blows", "All In", "Hwang Jin Yi". "My Girl and I", "My Brilliant Life", "The Crossing" and "The Queens", etc. She is among the pretty-faced actresses and a sought-after product endorser. Furthermore, she has worked with really good actors such as Lee Byung-hun, Hyun Bin, Cha Taehyun, Kang Dongwon, Zo Insung and Song Joongki, just to name a few. She has also dated two of her co-stars (Lee Byung-hun and Hyun Bin) and good friends with Yoo Ah in (who I really like!).

image from en.wkipedia.com

Then in 2015, news of an upcoming KBS series entitled "Descendants of the Sun" with her as a lead broke out. It just wrapped its final episode recently, it was heart-stopping! My family and I tuned in and couldn't wait for Wednesdays and Thursdays to come! This drama is Song Joongki's comeback after his two-year mandatory military service. It was well-received by the audience locally and abroad. What's nice about this, is not only did the main protagonists' love connection was anticipated but as well as the supporting characters.

I initially had reservations whether or not to watch this since it struck me as a rather serious series and I preferred lighthearted storyline as of late. I am quite glad that I did watch it since it wasn't overly dramatic and heavy as I initially thought. There were a lot of funny scenes and the over-all chemistry of the cast was great. The last episode which aired in Korea on April 14, 2016 garnered the highest rating according to AGB Nielsen with 38.8% nationwide and 41.6% in Seoul National Capital Area.

4. Shi Min-ah 신민아 

image from tumblr.com

She began her career as a model in 1998 and appeared on music videos of the 90's boy band G.O.D. She then debuted as an actress in 2001 and rose to stardom. She initially played supporting characters and later on took the lead roles. She has worked with other noted actors such as Jang Hyuk, Lee Byung-hun, Rain, Zo Insung, So Jisub, Uhm Tae-woong just to name a few.

She is also a sought-after model and endorser and had been appeared in advertisements of Calvin Klein, Maxim T.O.P, Jinro Soju, LG Note, LG 3D, SK Telecom, Joinus, Vivien Bra, Hera and Giordano. It was through the latter where she met Kim Woo-bin, her current beau and five years her junior.

Some of the films she starred in are "Sad Movie", "Madeleine", "Volcano High", "The X'', "My Love, My Bride" and some of the TV series she appeared on are "Arang and the Magistrate", "A Love to Kill", "My Girlfriend is a Nine-tailed Fox" and the most recent is KBS' "Oh, My Venus".

Oh My Venus is a 16-episode series which aired from November 16, 2015 until January 5, 2016. Its about Kang Joo-eun who was once tagged as Daegu's beauty and amassed popularity in her school and the neighboring schools. She is not exactly the brightest of the bunch but she has won many due to her charm. Her father died and her mother was given unfair treatment by her father's former bosses. Because of this, she strove hard and studied law. She eventually became a lawyer but her health and appearance suffered. To make matters worse, her longtime boyfriend whom she got constant support, broke up with her and pursued her then-overweight friend. Said friend then turned out to be her new boss and regarded her quite bitchily to her further annoyance.

image from hancinema.net

She was then caught in many embarrassing encounters with her ex and boss but was often saved by Kim Young-ho, a famous personal trainer in Hollywood and a chaebol "on the run" from his family. He is not wanted or anything like that, in fact his arrival was most anticipated by his family, especially his maternal grandmother, as he is the only child of her late daughter.

Anyway, the story went on to show their unlikely association and their eventual friendship and romance. Their family issues and individual friendships also played a big part in the drama. There were a lot of heart-warming scenes, how they remained steadfast in their relationship and their unrelenting support for one another were also nice to see.

5. Gong Hyo-jin 공효진

image from pinterest.com

Like most of the actresses in South Korea, Hyo-jin started out as a model and ventured into acting in 1999. She went on to work on many significant TV series such as "Splendid Days", "Ruler of Your Own World", "Snowman," "Sangdoo! Let's Go to School!", "Hello My Teacher," "Pasta", "The Greatest Love", "Master's Sun", "Its Okay, That's Love", and her most recent "Producer".

I have loved Hyo-jin when I saw her in "Pasta", its among my favorite Koreanovelas. She renewed my love for her in "Its Okay, That's Love". I was really looking forward to "Producer" since I knew the caliber of acting she could deliver. Plus, she was co-starring with Cha Taehyun, Kim Soohyun and IU.

The "Producer" is a 12-episode series from KBS which documented the life of TV producers. Hyo-jin played the character of PD Yejin of Music Bank who is a childhood friend of Taehyun's character PD Joon-mo of 2 Days and 1 Night. Kim Soo-hyun played the character of the newbie producer Seung-chan who eventually developed feelings for PD Yejin whilst working as the maknae PD of 2 Days and 1 Night. On the other hand, IU played the role an idol Cindy, who despite her snotty and high-handed attitude is actually a lonely and overworked talent. She falls for Seung-chan as the latter often looked after her.

The drama aired from May-June 2015 and was shorter than I expected. I cannot say I loved this series but it was pretty entertaining in general. The plot was not like the others I've previously watched but it wasn't overly confusing. There were a lot of cameos and other noted entertainers also took part. Joongkook was there! Yes, Sandara Park was there. Haha.

image from dramabeans.com

Update: There has been talk of Hyo-jin appearing in another SBS drama. There is not much details yet but the working title is said to be "Incarnation of Envy" opposite Jo Jung Suk. The writer of the said rom-com is Seo Soo Hyang, who also penned the story for "Pasta".
 
I merely listed five actresses but that is not to say they were the only ones who graced the small screen lately. Since late last year to early this year, Ha Ji-won (The Time We were not in Love), Park Boyoung (Oh My Ghost!), Moon Geun-young (The Village: Achiara's Secret), Song Jihyo (Ex-Girlfriends Club), Lee Minjung and Honey Lee (Come Back Mister), Lee Miyeon (Reply 1988), Ku Hyesun (Blood), etc had been pretty much a staple in the small screen. Some even went on to guest in variety shows like Running Man: Lee Daehee (Episode 289-290), Lee Yo-won (episode 295) while Min Hyorin and Ra Miran  are in "Unni's Slam Dunk", even veteran actress Kim Soo-mi participated in the KBS' "A Look at Myself".

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Reference: Wikipedia, AsianWiki, Soompi Forum, Drama Fever, Han Cinema
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