#MetroBeautyWatch: 11 Hallyu Queens to Keep on Your Radar
All eyes are on these beauties, who are gracing our screens with their picture-perfect visuals right now—or will be very soon!
Keeping up with our favorite Hallyu queens can be quite the task—so many things are going on in the K-drama sphere these days—but updates are updates, and we love updates! Whether it’s a casting confirmation for a new drama or a new beauty campaign, we’re here for it.
While many of these beauties are currently in the limelight thanks to ongoing projects, some are making comebacks after a couple of years away from the small screen. They’re coming back strong with exciting dramas, and we’re looking forward to supporting their work once more.
Swipe through our gallery below for a list of beautiful Korean actresses who have new projects in the pipeline (you might even get a sneak peek of what they'll look like in their new roles)! Which unnie are you most excited to see?
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Kim Go-eun
Our favourite fresh-faced unnie is certainly one busy lady! It’s always a treat to see her grace Chanel’s stunning ads as one of the luxury brand’s muses, but we’ve missed seeing her on the small screen. She is currently serving as a lifeguard on JTBC’s Sea of Hope, a reality show where cast members operate a seaside bar and help customers unwind by serving food, drinks, and performing musical acts.
Photo Credit: @ggonekim
Kim Go-eun
We’ll be seeing her take on the titular role in Yumi’s Cells, a psychological romance drama based on a webtoon of the same name. Events will be switching between Yumi’s external world and her innermost thoughts, in which her “cells” represent her core emotions. The drama is slated for a September release and also stars Ahn Bo-hyun. We're obsessed with the blunt bangs and bob!
Photo Credit: tvN
Han So-hee
A K-drama darling and eternal hot topic thanks to her breakout role in The World of the Married, Han So-hee is making our heads spin and our hearts race in Nevertheless. She plays the fresh-faced Yoo Na-bi, an art student who has sworn off love due to a cruel experience with an ex. However, she finds herself caught in the web spun by Park Jae-eon (Song Kang), a handsome classmate who doesn’t believe in serious relationships. Though Nevertheless, is nearing its end, we’ll be seeing So-hee soon in My Name, a crime thriller that will show us a different side to her. She’ll be playing Yoon Jin-woo, an organized crime gang member that infiltrates the police force to investigate her father’s death. The series is currently in its post-production phase.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Jeon Mi-do
A theatre actress for most of her life, Jeon Mi-do instantly captured our hearts when she took on her first-ever television series role in Hospital Playlist. She plays Chae Song-hwa, the whip-smart associate professor of neurosurgery at Yulje Medical Center whose passion for camping nearly rivals her love of food. This role earned her a Baeksang nomination for Best New Actress. The drama’s second season is ongoing, and it’s been doing spectacularly in the ratings department. She will appear next as a sophisticated, sharply-made up lady in “Thirty-Nine,” a friendship-centric drama that revolves around the career, romance, and everyday life experiences of three women on the cusp of turning 40. Her character is Jung Chan-young, an acting coach described as opinionated with a straightforward manner.
Photo Credit: @mido_ring
Jung Eun-chae
This gorgeous actress turned heads as Kyo Seo-ryeong, the youngest and first female prime minister of the Kingdom of Corea, in The King: Eternal Monarch. Strong, smart, and fiercely independent, her deviousness and ambition knew no bounds. The make-up department definitely knew what it was doing when they decided on a bold red lip for her character’s signature look. Having endorsed brands such as Estée Lauder and Boucheron, she is currently one of the beautiful faces fronting Cle De Peau Beaute’s campaigns. Many, of course, showcase her rocking a red lip. The latest ad has the beauty promoting Cle De Peau’s UV Protective Cream, highlighting her flawless skin and radiant glow.
Photo Credit: @jungeunchae_
Song Hye-kyo
Ageless and forever stunning, it’s easy to see why so many brands—fashion, beauty, lifestyle, you name it—are eager to have Song Hye-kyo as an endorser. She was the talk of the town when Fendi appointed her as its first Korean global ambassador, looking as youthful as ever in easy braids. Last time we saw her on the small screen, she played wealthy hotel CEO Cha Soo-hyun opposite Park Bo-gum’s free-spirited Kim Jin-hyeok in the noona romance Encounter. She’ll be back in November with Now, We Are Breaking Up, a romance drama about breaking up and falling in love. Hye-kyo will be in the lead as Ha Yeong-eun, the design team leader of a fashion company. This will be her first project after a two-year hiatus—we’re definitely looking forward to having her back in the drama sphere!
Photo Credit: @kyo1122
Shin Min-ah
Who else is counting down to the premiere of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha? We definitely are! Very soon—by end August, in fact!—she’ll back on the small screen as Yoon Hye-jin, an ambitious dentist who moves back to Gongjin after an unfortunate incident. Seeing as she’s starring opposite Kim Seon-ho, it’s going to be dimples galore from here on out!
Photo Credit: Netflix
Shin Min-ah
Shin Min-ah first caught our eye when she starred as lawyer Kang Joo-eun—aka the Venus of Daegu—in the romcom Oh My Venus. Her pretty features make her the perfect Givenchy Beauty muse. She models both the Le Rouge Deep Velvet N37 lipstick and the Teint Couture Cushion foundation. The luxury brand often sends food carts to her film sets as a form of support.
Photo Credit: W Korea
Jun Ji-hyun
Recognized for her glamorous roles in My Love from the Star and Legend of the Blue Sea, the powerhouse actress had us on the edge of our seats as the cunning and ruthless Ashin in the standalone film Kingdom: Ashin of the North. It’s Jun Ji-hyun as we’ve never seen her before, and we’re here for the grace and grit only she can commit to screen. We look forward to seeing more of Ashin in the next season! And boy does she look stunning in that sleek bob+red lip combo! She’ll be taking up the role of an experienced ranger in Cliffhanger, a mystery thriller about the mountain and those who come to end their lives on it. As Seo Yi-kang, she can track down any lost hiker by simply examining a single leaf or blade of grass. She’ll be paired up with Kingdom co-star Ju Ji-hoon, a military academy graduate who decides to become a ranger. We can expect to get in on the action in October.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Park Min-young
This K-drama romcom queen has been keeping busy on both the endorsement and the drama front! Park Min-young’s fit frame and radiant features makes her the perfect endorser for Julie’s Choice, a Korean beauty and wellness brand that considers overall health and supports the environment. Recent ads have her showcasing the Pink Diet and Vitaglow Premium.
Photo Credit: @rachel_mypark
Park Min-young
Her next small screen project is JTBC’s Meteorological Agency People, an office romance drama. She stars as Jin Ha-kyung, a highly intelligent but aloof weather forecaster who keeps her personal and professional lives separate. It’s definitely different from the types of roles she usually takes on (although she still looks stunning with her flawless skin and enviable hair)—we’re excited to see her approach to this character!
Photo Credit: @rachel_mypark
Kim Ji-won
We were all too happy seeing her back in the drama scene as freelance marketer Lee Eun-oh in Lovestruck in the City. Kim Ji-won will be back in My Liberation Diary, which tells the story of three siblings and a mysterious stranger who long to break free from their current circumstances. She’ll be playing Yeom Mi-jung, the youngest of the three and a shy girl who wants more out of life. Lee El and Lee Min-ki will be playing her older siblings. It is slated to premiere in 2022.
Photo Credit: @geewonii
Kim Ji-won
Meanwhile, the internet is buzzing about her lovely visuals, shared to us by her agency SALT Entertainment through a series of new photographs. Ji-won also shared a new campaign for beauty brand Good Base on her personal Instagram account, highlighting some new sheet masks. We’re definitely keeping these products on our radars!
Photo Credit: @salt_ent
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Bae Doona
The Loius Vuitton muse has quite a few projects in the pipeline. First up is The Silent Sea, a long-awaited sci-fi mystery thriller where she stars opposite Gong Yoo and Lee Joon. Bae Doo-na will be playing Doctor Song Ji-an, an astrobiologist determined to uncover the truth behind an accident at an abandoned research station.
Photo Credit: @doonabae
Bae Doona
She also wrapped filming for Broker, the Korean language directorial debut of Palm d’Or winning director Hirokazu Kore-eda. The story revolves around the concept of baby boxes, allowing people who are unable to provide for their babes to give them up anonymously.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Son Ye-jin
The Queen of Melodrama is also making her small screen comeback! It’s been awhile since Son Ye-jin made our hearts flutter as stylish businesswoman Yoon Se-ri in Crash Landing on You, and we’ve really missed her onscreen. She’ll be taking on one of the lead roles in JTBC’s Thirty-Nine, which also stars Jeon Mi-do and Kim Ji-hyun.
Photo Credit: @yejinhand
Son Ye-jin
Ye-jin will play Cha Mi-jo, the head dermatologist of a clinic in Gangnam. She is a a warm-hearted character from a wealthy family that has everything she could ever want at her fingertips. This will be her first JTBC drama in three years.
Photo Credit: JTBC
Lead photos via @netflixph, @ggonekim, and @rachel_mypark
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