What Do These 2021 K-Drama Leading Ladies Have In Common?

They’re four of the Korean actresses who truly made an impact last year

Metro.Style Team

January 18, 2022, 05:00 PM

There was a steady stream of K-dramas last year, with one memorable series after another. It was also a year that saw several historical/period dramas (or sageuks) that captured viewers’ hearts in different ways.

Interestingly, four sageuks that stood out in 2021 featured Korean actresses who have something in common: they’re all child stars-turned-leading ladies!

Kim So-hyun of River Where the Moon Rises, Kim Yoo-jung of Lovers of the Red Sky, Park Eun-bin of The King’s Affection, and Lee Se-young of The Red Sleeve. Trivia: Kim So-hyun and Kim Yoo-jung were together in the historical K-drama Moon Embracing the Sun; Kim Yoo-jung and Park Eun-bin both appeared in period dramas Queen Seondeok and Secret Door; and Lee Se-young was in the iconic K-series Jewel in the Palace that was also popular in the Philippines.

Check out the gallery below to see these Korean child stars-turned-leading ladies in the historical dramas they’ve appeared or starred in:

Sageuk Stars

By Metro.StyleMay 30 2023, 6:53 AM

Kim So-hyun

Kim So-hyun debuted as an actress in 2006, when she was just about seven. With her early achievements, she was fondly called “Nation’s Little Sister” (an informal title given to young female artists who are cute and innocent-looking) and “Sageuk Goddess” (considering the number of historical dramas she worked on). Her breakthrough project is the historical series “Moon Embracing the Sun” where she played the young version of actress Kim Min-seo’s character. She moved on to star in K-dramas like “Who Are You: School 2015,” “Bring It On, Ghost,” “The Emperor: Owner of the Mask,” “Radio Romance,” “Love Alarm” (seasons 1 and 2), “The Tale of Nokdu,” and most recently, “River Where the Moon Rises.”

Photo Credit: @yyoungbae via @wow_kimsohyun

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Kim So-hyun in “Moon Embracing the Sun” (2012)

Photo Credit: MBC

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Kim So-hyun in “Rooftop Prince” (2012)

Photo Credit: VIU

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Kim So-hyun in “The Emperor: Owner of the Mask” (2017)

Photo Credit: Sidus HQ

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Kim So-hyun in “The Tale of Nokdu” (2019)

Photo Credit: E&T Story Entertainment

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Kim So-hyun in “River Where the Moon Rises” (2021)

Photo Credit: KBS

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Kim Yoo-jung

Kim Yoo-jung, 22, also grew up in the public eye, and was likewise dubbed as “Nation’s Little Sister” and “Sageuk Fairy.” She’s been acting since she was four. And she was only about nine when she received her first acting award, the Best Child Actress recognition for period action series “Iljimae,” where she portrayed the young version of actress Han Hyo-joo’s character. Kim Yoo-jung moved on to work on a number of historical dramas until she landed a role in the 2012 sageuk “Moon Embracing the Sun” as the young version of actress Han Ga-in’s character, which boosted her popularity and earned her Best Young Actress and Best New Actress awards and nominations. From being a child actress and teen up-and-comer, she established herself as a leading lady with K-dramas like “Love in the Moonlight,” “Clean With Passion for Now,” “Backstreet Rookie,” and “Lovers of the Red Sky.”

Photo Credit: @you_r_love

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Kim Yoo-jung in “Iljimae” (2008)

Photo Credit: SBS

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Kim Yoo-jung in “Dong Yi” (2010)

Photo Credit: MBC

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Kim Yoo-jung in “Moon Embracing the Sun” (2012)

Photo Credit: MBC

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Kim Yoo-jung in “Love in the Moonlight” (2016)

Photo Credit: KBS

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Kim Yoo-jung in “Lovers of the Red Sky” (2021)

Photo Credit: SBS

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Park Eun-bin

Park Eun-bin has been acting since she was five, taking on roles as young versions of actresses like Kim Ha-neul, Han Ji-min, Song Ji-hyo, and many others in various TV series. Her first lead role was via the time-traveling romance series “Operation Proposal” in 2012 that paired her with actor Yoo Seung-ho who was also a child star like her. Now 29 years old, Park Eun-bin has successfully transitioned to being a leading lady with buzzworthy dramas like “Hot Stove League,” “Do You Like Brahms?,” and “The King’s Affection” which all earned her Best Actress awards.

Photo Credit: @eunbining0904

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Park Eun-bin in “The Iron Empress” (2009)

Photo Credit: KBS

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Park Eun-bin in “Queen Seondeok” (2009)

Photo Credit: MBC

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Park Eun-bin in “Secret Door” (2014)

Photo Credit: SBS

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Park Eun-bin in “The King’s Affection” (2021)

Photo Credit: KBS

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Lee Se-young

29-year-old actress Lee Se-young is one of the most buzzworthy Korean actresses today, thanks to her latest series, “The Red Sleeve.” But she has actually been a part of the entertainment industry since 1997 (that’s more than two decades now!). In the early years of her career, she played the young versions of Korean actresses like Lee Na-young and Jang Na-ra. After several supporting roles, she starred in 2013’s “Adolescence Medley” and continuously established herself as a leading lady with small screen projects like “Trot Lovers,” “The Vampire Detective,” “Hit the Top,” “The Crowned Clown,” “Doctor John,” “Memorist,” “Kairos,” and “The Red Sleeve.”

Photo Credit: @seyoung_10

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