Your Ultimate Kim Go Eun Drama Guide
Now starring in ‘Little Women’, we list the five dramas you can catch acting queen Kim Go Eun in!
Few actresses command presence like the inimitable Kim Go Eun, wouldn't you agree? The actress never fails to impress and wow us with any role and character she commits to, and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
Following the success The King: Eternal Monarch, this drama queen made us proud in two seasons of K-drama Yumi's Cells, where she plays an ordinary office worker named Yumi who has trouble expressing her feelings. The drama is shown from the point of view of her brain cells and will also star Ahn Bo-hyun, GOT7's Jinyoung, and SHINEE's Minho. We loved the feel-good series so much!
Kim first made her debut in movie, A Muse (2012), which garnered a lot of media attention, critical acclaim, and won her several Best New Actress awards that year. Having wanted to become a filmmaker after watching Chen Kaige's Together many times, she attended Kaywon High School of the Arts and took up Drama at the Korea National University of Arts. Shortly after A Muse, she took a hiatus to finish her studies, returning to film in 2014 starring in the thriller Monster where she played a developmentally disabled woman whose younger sister is murdered by a ruthless serial killer.
She has worked on many films since making debut, a total of 11 films and, now, five dramas—all of which were global hits. Below, we list all the K-dramas you can watch her in!
Your Ultimate Kim Go Eun Drama Guide
Your Ultimate Kim Go Eun Drama Guide
Cheese In The Trap (2016)
This drama depicts the delicate relationship between female college student Hong Seol (Kim Go-Eun) and her senior Yoo Jung (Park Hae-Jin).
Photo Credit: tvN
Cheese In The Trap (2016)
Hong-Seol is a typical college student who works part-time due to her family's poor background.
Photo Credit: tvN
Cheese In The Trap (2016)
All the while, she tries her best to get by in life despite being a part-timer, as well as a good daughter and older sister.
Photo Credit: tvN
Cheese In The Trap (2016)
One day, she meets Yoo Jung (Park Hae Jin). Yoo Jung is good looking, gets good grades, athletic and has a kind personality... however, he hides a dark side.
Photo Credit: tvN
Cheese In The Trap (2016)
She’s convinced he hates her, but then he suddenly asks her out.
Photo Credit: tvN
Cheese In The Trap (2016)
This drama is the first performance by Kim Go-Eun on the small screen. Prior to Cheese In The Trap, she had performed in feature films exclusively up to this point.
Photo Credit: tvN
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
The story behind this award-winning drama begins in ancient times where Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) was an unbeatable general in wars. However, the young King (Kim Min-Jae) was jealous of Kim Shin and decided to kill him. Kim Shin becomes Dokkaebi (Goblin), possessing an immortal life.
Photo Credit: tvN
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
At first he thinks that he is blessed, but he realizes that he is in fact cursed. Closer to the present day, Kim Shin has waited 900 years for a human bride to end his immortal life. One night, he saves a dying pregnant woman (Park Hee-Von) who is destined to die.
Photo Credit: tvN
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
Meanwhile, the Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-Wook) is unable to find the dead pregnant woman. The woman gives birth to a baby girl named Ji Eun-Tak, who grows up living with her mother and with the ability to see ghosts. Kim Go Eun plays Ji Eun-Tak.
Photo Credit: tvN
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
One night, Eun-Tak's mother suddenly dies. It is then that she meets the Grim Reaper. In the present day, Ji Eun-Tak is a high school student. She still sees ghosts and hears their whisper of “Dokkaebi’s bride.” She now lives with her aunt’s family, but is unfortunately mistreated by them.
Photo Credit: tvN
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
On her birthday, Ji Eun-Tak sits by the sea with a birthday cake with a candle lit. At that time, Kim Shin suddenly appeared in front of her. Kim Shin does not know why, but he can hear her voice and appears in front of her against his will.
Photo Credit: tvN
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
Coincidentally, Kim Shin lives with the Grim Reaper at the same house. Now, Kim Shin appears in front of her against his will, whenever she turns off the lights.
Photo Credit: tvN
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
One day, Ji Eun-Tak tells him that he is Dokkaebi and she is his bride. (She also tells him 'I love you' quite a lot, which we totally relate to because we'd be the same with Gong Yoo!)
Photo Credit: tvN
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
This drama was a hit worldwide and won big at the 2017 (53rd) Baeksang Arts Awards where it won the Daesang (Grand Prize) for its writer Kim Eun-Sook and Best Actor for Gong Yoo.
Photo Credit: tvN
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
We are still not over this drama! The fantasy, time-travel, romance drama begins in 1994 where the Kingdom of Corea encounters severe upheaval. The King (Kwon Yool) is murdered by his brother Lee Lim (Lee Jung-Jin) and the King's son Lee Gon (Jeong Hyun-Jun) is stabbed in the neck, but manages to survive. Lee Lim seeks to possess the Manpasikjeok, a legendary flute that holds supernatural powers.
Photo Credit: SBS
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
After a mysterious figure appears with a gun, Lee Lim slips away with only half of the now broken flute. The young Lee Gon holds onto a police badge he grabbed from the mysterious figure. The next day, Lee Gon is appointed the next ruler of the Kingdom of Corea and his first duty as king is to grieve and put his father to rest.
Photo Credit: SBS
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
25 years later, in the autumn of 2019, King Lee Gon (Lee Min-Ho) governs the Kingdom of Corea as its benevolent leader. He is still haunted by what happened when he was a child and the mystery behind the police badge left by his savior. The police badge he held was issued on November 11, 2019 for Lieutenant Jeong Tae-Eul.
Photo Credit: SBS
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
Then, it is Autumn 2019 in the Republic of Korea and we meet Jeong Tae-Eul (Kim Go-Eun), a detective in the Violent Crimes Division at the Seoul Jongno Police Station. She is working undercover to take down the operator of an illegal online gambling operation.
Photo Credit: SBS
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Corea, King Lee Gon chases after someone that is dressed like a rabbit with a clock. King Lee Gon has a feeling that this person is somehow connected to the incident from 25 years earlier. In his pursuit, King Lee Gon crosses over from the Kingdom of Corea into the parallel world of the Republic of Korea. King Lee Gon finally meets Detective Jeong Tae-Eul.
Photo Credit: SBS
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
As the story goes along, Detective Jeong Tae-Eul warms up to Lee Gon (and who wouldn’t?) and they fall in love against all odds.
Photo Credit: SBS
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
They face many trials and time and being from separate universes does keep them apart… but love prevails and no matter how difficult the situation, they find their way to each other. No spoilers here for the ending, but they do have a relatively happy and realistic one!
Photo Credit: SBS
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
This project marks a reunion for actress Kim Go-Eun and screenwriter Kim Eun-Sook who previously worked together in Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.
Photo Credit: SBS
Yumi's Cells (2021)
This is South Korea’s first drama combining animation and live-action, adapted from the popular Korean webtoon of the same name. Kim Go-eun plays the female lead, Yu-mi, an ordinary female worker who is not good at expressing her feelings. Ahn Bo-hyun (Itaewon Class) plays the male lead Koo Woong, Lee Yu-bi plays Yu-mi’s colleague Ruby, and GOT7 member Park Jin-young plays Yoo Ba-bi. Also, SHINee member Minho makes a special appearance in earlier episodes. There's just so much to love about it already!
Photo Credit: tvN
Yumi's Cells (2021)
31-year-old Yu-mi is an ordinary girl who lives in Seoul and works at a noodle company as an accountant. Her life is very dull and uneventful. However, Koo Woong barges into Yu-mi’s peaceful world and messes up the “cell town” in her body. Koo Woong, who is a nerdy game developer, appears to be a big introvert who is calm in everything he does. But in reality, he is surprisingly an innocent pretty boy. Yumi starts to develop feelings for him after their first blind date and the two’s “love cells” open up to each other, marking the start of a sweet love story!
Photo Credit: tvN
Yumi's Cells (2021)
We love experiencing Yumi's world through the perspective of the cells in Yu-mi’s brain. Yumi's Cells depicts the careers, romance, and dreams of ordinary workers in their 30s—something everyone can resonate with. The drama is available to watch exclusively on iQiyi.
Photo Credit: tvN
Little Women (2022)
When 70 billion won goes missing, an intriguing case is born and three poor sisters find themselves bravely facing Korea's richest family.
Photo Credit: tvN, TVING
Little Women (2022)
Kim Go-eun plays Oh In-ju, the eldest sister. She grew up in a terribly poor environment and is still poor. Ever since she was a young child, In-ju realized that money was the most important thing to protect herself and her family. She works as a book keeper, and works hard, giving everything she can to her sisters.
Photo Credit: tvN, TVING
Little Women (2022)
As In-ju, Go-eun shows the helplessness and sincerity of her actions, just showing a simple dream to live an ordinary life like other people. In this story, she gets involved in a case that could change her life... The current drama began airing on September 3, and has been an intriguing ride ever since.
Photo Credit: tvN, TVING
While Kim Go Eun has only starred in three dramas so far, each role was truly memorable. It's so hard not to love her. Which Kim Go Eun-starrer is your favorite drama? Let us know!
Top Stories
Metro Beauty Picks Of The Week
BEAUTYMar 14, 2023