These Korean Stars Have Same Or Similar-Sounding Names
Who's who? We list down some of the Korean celebrities whose names often get mixed up
Even die-hard Hallyu fans have a hard time pronouncing, memorizing, and spelling the names of Korean celebrities. Some of these stars debuted with the same names, prompting some to adopt a stage name, while others have similar-sounding names with only a few differences in terms of the positioning of the letters in their names. For some, the differences are even just a matter of spacing!
The current mainstream popularity of It's Okay to Not be Okay's (IOTNBO) Seo Ye-ji and Kim Soo-hyun as well as Backstreet Rookie's Kim Yoo-jung reminded of us their fellow Korean stars whose names sound like theirs: Crash Landing on You's Son Ye-jin, Love Alarm's Kim So-hyun, and The Running Mates: Human Rights' Kim Joo-young. Plus, the rest of these Hallyu celebrities whose names often get confused with another personality.
RELATED STORY:
20 Of Korea's Richest Actors And Actresses, Ranked
RELATED STORY:
15 Famous Korean Celebrities With Stage Names
Read more about these Korean celebrities with the same or similar-sounding names in the gallery below:

Korean Stars: Same Or Similar Names
Korean Stars: Same Or Similar Names
By Metro.StyleMarch 01 2021, 12:22 PM
Son Ye-Jin
Son Ye-jin, dubbed as the Queen of Melodrama," has been a part of the Korean entertainment industry since 1999. The 38-year-old actress prides herself in a wide array of projects both on the big and small screens. Her most recent phenomenal K-Drama is "Crash Landing on You," opposite Hyun Bin. Her other more recent must-see projects include K-Drama "Something in the Rain" and movies "Be With You" and "The Negotiation."
Photo Credit: Ma:nyo
Seo Ye-Ji
30-year-old Seo Ye-ji, on the other hand, is becoming more and more popular with each new episode of the ongoing series "It's Okay to Not be Okay." She debuted in 2013 via a sitcom called "Potato Star 2013QR3," and has since appeared and starred in numerous films and TV shows including "Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth," "Save Me" and "Lawless Lawyer."
Photo Credit: Gold Medalist
Seo Ji-Hye
Meanwhile, after her popularity soared through "Crash Landing on You," Seo Ji-hye was blessed with her own K-Drama called "Dinner Mate." The 35-year-old actress debuted in 2003 and has appeared in K-Dramas like "Don't Dare to Dream," "Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me," and "Heart Surgeons."
Photo Credit: MBC
Kim So-Hyun
Slated for a small screen comeback via "Love Alarm 2," 21-year-old Kim So-hyun has her humble beginnings in the Korean entertainment industry as a child actress. With over 30 TV shows under her name since she started acting back in 2006, she's indeed one of the most successful actresses of her generation. The K-Dramas she has starred in include "The Tale of Nokdu," "The Emperor: Owner of the Mask," "Hey Ghost, Let's Fight," and "Who Are You: School 2015."
Photo Credit: E&T Story Entertainment
Kim Soo-Hyun
"It's Okay to Not be Okay" star Kim Soo-hyun, 32, is the highest-paid Korean actor. A sought-after celebrity, who debuted in 2007, he has become popular for K-Dramas like "Dream High," "Moon Embracing the Sun," "My Love from the Star," and "The Producers." He also starred in films like "Secretly, Greatly" and "Real."
Photo Credit: Gold Medalist
Kim So-Eun
It was in 2004 when Kim So-eun entered the Hallyu scene. K-Drama fans may remember this 30-year-old actress as Chu Gae-eul, the best friend of Ku Hye-sun's character Geum Jan-di in hit series "Boys Over Flowers." She has since done K-Dramas wherein she's the lead star, and that include "Evergreen," "Our Gap-soon," "The Scholar Who Walks the Night," and "Liar Game."
Photo Credit: IMDb
Jun Ji-Hyun
Considered the highest-paid Korean actress, Jun Ji-hyun has maintained her relevance and importance in the Korean entertainment scene through the years. She started out as a commercial model in 1997 and moved on to become a well-known celebrity not just in Korea but in Hollywood as well. Her notable projects include movies like "My Sassy Girl" and "Windstruck" and K-Dramas "My Love from the Star" and "Legend of the Blue Sea."
Photo Credit: Shinsegae
Ju Ji-Hoon
The star of recent K-Dramas "Kingdom" and "Hyena," 38-year-old actor Ju Ji-hoon debuted as a fashion model in 2003 and ventured into acting about three years later. His must-check out movies are "Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds" and "Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days," while his K-Dramas include "Princess Hours," "Five Fingers," "Medical Top Team," "Mask," and "Item."
Photo Credit: SM Entertainment
Kim Hee-Ae
Veteran actress Kim Hee-ae gained a lot of fans for her recent hit series "The World of the Married." This 53-year-old award-winning actress has been in the Korean entertainment scene since 1982. If you want to see how great of an actress she is, check out K-Dramas like "My Husband's Woman," "Secret Affair," and "Mrs. Cop."
Photo Credit: @yg_stage
Kim Tae-Hee
One of the most beautiful and ageless actresses in Korea, Kim Tae-hee is the wife of another Hallyu star, singer and actor Rain. She's 40 years old, but it doesn't show in her looks. Recently, she starred in the K-Drama "Hi Bye, Mama!" Debuting in 2001, Kim Tae-hee has done several notable projects, like TV shows "Stairway to Heaven," "Love Story in Harvard," "Iris," and "Yong Pal."
Photo Credit: tvN
Ji Soo
Ji Soo was born as Kim Ji-soo, but he adopted a two-syllable stage name. The 27-year-old actor made his acting debut back in 2009. Last year, he had his first lead role in a K-Drama via "My First First Love." He will also star in the upcoming series "When I Was the Prettiest." K-Drama fans may also recall him for his roles in "Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon" and "Bad Guys 2."
Photo Credit: Netflix
Lee Da-Hee
This model/actress is currently making headlines for her upcoming drama titled "Luca." The 35-year-old actress, who debuted in 2002, previously starred in K-Dramas like "Search: WWW," "The Beauty Inside," "Mrs. Cop," "Big Man," "Secret Love," and "I Can Hear Your Voice."
Photo Credit: Grazia
Lee Da-Hae
The 36-year-old Korean-Australian actress debuted in 2001. Old K-Drama fans will easily remember her as the star of "Green Rose" and "My Girl," which had remakes in the Philippines. She's also best known for her roles in "Miss Ripley," "Iris II: New Generation," and "Hotel King."
Photo Credit: topstarnews.net
Park Jin-Young
Park Jin-young, 25, is known as a member of the South Korean boy group Got7 and duo JJ Project, debuting in 2014 under JYP Entertainment. Aside from being a K-Pop idol, he has also ventured into acting via "Dream High 2," "He Is Psychometric," and "When My Love Blooms."
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Park Jin-Young (aka J.Y. Park)
Park Jin-young of Got7 has the same name as the head of JYP Entertainment which launched their boy group's career. Famously known as J.Y. Park, this Korean personality is a singer and songwriter, record producer, and reality TV show judge. He's known for forming and managing successful K-Pop artists such as Rain, Wonder Girls, 2PM, Miss A, and Twice.
Photo Credit: checkersaga.com
Kim Yoo-Jung
This child actress-turned-leading lady currently stars in the K-Drama "Backstreet Rookie." At only 20, Kim Yoo-jung, who's been acting since 2003, has done more than 20 films and more than 30 TV shows. She previously starred in K-Dramas like "Clean With Passion for Now," "Love in the Moonlight," "Angry Mom," and "Moon Embracing the Sun."
Photo Credit: Sidus HQ
Kim Woo-Bin
Kim Woo-bin is currently on a hiatus as he's receiving treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer, a rare type of cancer that affects the head and neck regions, for which he was diagnosed back in 2017. His last K-Drama was "Uncontrollably Fond," but he's also known for his roles in "The Heirs" and "School 2013."
Photo Credit: Giordano
Won Bin
We surely miss seeing actor Won Bin, who's one of the OG oppas. The 42-year-old actor has been on a long hiatus. His fans haven't seen him in a project since 2010, when he starred in the action thriller film "The Man from Nowhere." He became popular for starring in the classic K-Drama "Autumn in My Heart." He's married to fellow Korean celebrity Lee Na-young (who starred in the series "Romance is a Bonus Book" last year).
Photo Credit: Elle
Lee Joo-Young
After her supporting roles in K-Dramas like "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo," "Something in the Rain," "The Ghost Detective," and "Itaewon Class," Lee Joo-young recently starred in the series "Baseball Girl." The 28-year-old actress made her acting debut in 2011 via the short film "Behinds."
Photo Credit: @i_icaruswalks
Moon Ga-Young
Born in Germany to South Korean parents, Moon Ga-young was 10 years old when she and her family moved to South Korea. Shortly after that, she debuted as a child actress in 2006. Now 24 years old, she has starred in K-Dramas like "Find Me in Your Memory," "Welcome to Waikiki 2," and "Tempted."
Photo Credit: Keyeast
Moon Geun-Young
Like Moon Ga-young, she also started out young in the entertainment industry, debuting as a model at 12 years old. She had her first big break in acting as Song Hye-kyo's young version in the iconic K-Drama "Autumn in my Heart." She's now 33 years old, and her dossier features K-Dramas like "Painter of the Wind," "Cinderella's Sister," "Marry Me, Mary," "Cheongdam-dong Alice," "Goddess of Fire," "The Village: Achiara's Secret," and "Catch the Ghost."
Photo Credit: Soompi
Kim Hyun-Joong
This actor became popular for his role in hit K-Drama "Boys Over Flowers." He was one of the biggest Hallyu stars at the time, but because of the controversies he had figured in from 2014 to 2017, he had to go on a hiatus. His last K-Drama was the 2018 series "That Time When Time Stops." He continues to produce music; early this year, he launched a full-length Japanese album titled "The Moon, The Sun and Your Song."
Photo Credit: Koreaboo
RELATED STORY:
Good-Looking Korean Actors As Doctors In Medical Dramas
Lead photos from Ma:nyo (Son Ye-jin), Gold Medalist (Seo Ye-ji and Kim Soo-hyun), IMDb (Kim So-hyun), and Ferdinand Stohr via Unsplash
Top Stories

Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin Are Dating—Confirmed!
PEOPLEJan 01, 2021
