The new It girls: 6 rising K-drama female leads shaping the future of Hallyu

From breakout supporting roles to commanding the spotlight as full-fledged leading ladies, a new wave of K-drama female leads is reshaping the future of Hallyu. Often referred to as part of the MZ generation of actors, these rising stars are making their mark in your favourite Korean dramas.

From Kim Min-ju’s quietly magnetic turn in Still Shining to Roh Yoon-seo’s emotionally layered performances in Crash Course in Romance and The Frog, these actresses are no longer “ones to watch”—they are fast becoming the faces of next-generation Korean storytelling. Blending youthful charm with surprising depth, they are redefining what it means to be a K-drama female lead.

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Kim Min-ju: ‘Beauty in the Beast’ (2027), ‘Still Shining’ (2026), ‘Undercover High School’ (2025)

In ‘Still Shining’, Kim Min-ju quietly stole hearts as the K-drama’s female lead

Kim Min-ju, a rising K-drama female lead, was last seen in JTBC’s slow-burn romance Still Shining opposite Got7’s Jinyoung. Ever since her debut as the younger version of Moon Ga-young’s Choi Soo-ji in Tempted—the K-drama loosely based on Dangerous Liaisons—the former Iz*One member has been steadily building an acting career.

In The Forbidden Marriage, she secured the Best New Actress prize at the 2022 MBC Drama Awards for her role as Crown Princess Ahn Ja-Yeon. Two years later, she won Best New Actress once again, this time at the 2024 SBS Drama Awards, for playing the young Oh Yoon-jin in the Ji Sung-led crime thriller Connection.

She also gave a memorable turn in last year’s Undercover High School, starring alongside Seo Kang-joon and Jin Ki-joo. Next year, she stars as the female lead in the Netflix Original K-drama Beauty in the Beast with fellow up-and-comers Lomon (Park Solomon) and Moon Sang-min. Directed by Jin-hyeok (The Legend of the Blue Sea), the fantasy campus romance features Kim Min-ju as a werewolf navigating university life and a complicated love triangle.

See more: The Park Jinyoung watchlist: K-dramas that showcase the Baeksang Best Actor nominee’s acting range

Roh Jeong-eui: ‘Our Universe’ (2026), ‘The Witch’ (2025), ‘Hierarchy’ (2024), ‘Our Beloved Summer’ (2021–2022), ‘18 Again’ (2020)

From ‘18 Again’ to ‘Our Universe’, Roh Jeong-eui is carving a path as a rising K-drama female lead

Roh Jeong-eui is fast emerging as one of the most versatile young K-drama female leads today. Her breakout role was in the soul-swap rom-com 18 Again, where she played Hong Shi-ah, the main couple’s headstrong teenage daughter.

Working her way from supporting character to second female lead, she next starred alongside Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi in the beloved K-drama Our Beloved Summer as K-pop idol NJ. But it was her role as Jung Jae-i, the wealthy and troubled high school queen bee, in the Netflix Original series Hierarchy, that proved to be a career turning point.

Jung Jae-i was her first major leading-lady part and allowed her to explore more mature themes. The drama cast a who’s who of young actors, including up-and-coming leading men Lee Chae-min (Bon Appétit, Your Majesty) and Kim Jae-won (Yumi’s Cells 3).

She followed up Hierarchy with another lead role in The Witch by celebrated webtoon writer Kang Full, where she co-starred with Still Shining’s Jinyoung. Most recently, she played a woman navigating a chaotic cohabitation with her in-laws to raise their orphaned nephew in tvN's Our Universe. The buzzy rom-com family drama, which co-stars next-gen leading man Bae In-hyuk, is available for streaming on HBO Max.

See more: From ‘Inheritors’ to ‘Hierarchy’: a peek into the most elite high schools in K-drama

Cho Yi-hyun: ‘Head Over Heels’ (2025), ‘The Matchmakers’ (2023), ‘All of Us Are Dead’ (2022), ‘School 2021’ (2021–2022), ‘Hospital Playlist’ (2020, 2021)

Fans are eager to learn what becomes of Cho Yi-hyun’s Choi Nam-ra in the second season of the Netflix global hit ‘All of Us Are Dead’

Cho Yi-hyun first gained widespread attention in the slice-of-life medical K-drama Hospital Playlist, where she starred as one of a pair of fraternal twins—with promising young actor Bae Hyun-sung playing her twin brother—who are both hospital interns. Despite taking on a supporting role in a large ensemble cast, Cho Yi-hyun’s memorable performance left a lasting impression on viewers.

Her global breakthrough role, however, came in the Netflix Original series All of Us Are Dead. In the post-apocalyptic zombie thriller, she played Choi Nam-ra, a high school student who turns into a powerful halfbie (half-human, half-zombie) by the end of season one. Next came a leading lady role as a young widow who secretly works as a matchmaker, opposite Rowoon, in the period rom-com The Matchmakers.

Her most recent K-drama is the supernatural rom-com Head Over Heels, which reunites her with her School 2021 co-star—and one of the most celebrated “MZ generation” actors—Choo Young-woo. The two were praised for their chemistry and the nuance they brought to their characters as a shaman (Cho Yi-hyun) doing everything in her power to save her possessed boyfriend (Choo Young-woo).

Next up for the talented rising star is the second season of All of Us Are Dead, which arrives next year.

Roh Yoon-seo: ‘The East Palace’ (2026), ‘The Frog’ (2024), ‘Black Knight’ (2023), ‘Crash Course in Romance’ (2023), ‘Our Blues’ (2022)

Rising K-drama female lead Rob Yoon-seo returns to Netflix later this year in ‘The East Palace’, appearing opposite Nam Joo-hyuk and Cho Seung-woo (Photo: Netflix)

Rookie actress Roh Yoon-seo has quickly built a reputation as a promising K-drama leading lady. Fans first caught a glimpse of her talent in the slice-of-life Jeju-set drama Our Blues, where she held her own against the show’s star-studded ensemble cast that includes veteran actors Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Han Ji-min and Kim Woo-bin.

In her follow-up role in Crash Course in Romance, she won a Baeksang Best New Actress Award for her grounded portrayal of Nam Hae-e, a teenage student navigating intense academic pressure. Roh Yoon-seo then starred in two Netflix Original series: in Black Knight, she reunited with Our Blues co-star Kim Woo-bin, while in the gripping psychological thriller The Frog, she matched lead actress Go Min-si scene for scene.

She’ll be returning to Netflix this year in the period horror K-drama The East Palace, alongside Nam Joo-hyuk and Cho Seung-woo, playing a court lady who can hear dead spirits.

Oh Ye-ju: ‘Phantom Lawyer’ (2026), ‘In Your Radiant Season’ (2026), ‘Love Your Enemy’ (2025), ‘Under the Queen’s Umbrella’ (2022)

Oh Ye-ju gave an impressive performance alongside fellow MZ Gen actor Moon Sang-min in ‘Under the Queen’s Umbrella’

Oh Ye-ju has steadily carved out a name for herself as one of the most promising next-gen K-drama leading ladies. She made a memorable debut playing the young version of Shin Min-a’s character in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, but it’s her performance in Under the Queen’s Umbrella that established her as one to watch.

As the bright and cheerful Yoon Cheong-ha in Under the Queen’s Umbrella, she not only showcased swoon-worthy chemistry with fellow up-and-coming actor Moon Sang-min, but she shared the screen effortlessly with acting powerhouse Kim Hye-soo. She also caught viewers’ attention in tvN’s Love Your Enemy. Playing the young version of Jung Yu-mi’s character, her natural charm and palpable chemistry with Hong Min-gi left fans wanting to see more flashback scenes.

This year, Oh Ye-ju starred in two K-dramas. She played the youngest of the Song sisters, together with Lee Sung-kyung and Han Ji-hyun, in In Your Radiant Season, making the most of her warm and charismatic screen presence. Meanwhile, despite only having a guest-starring role in Phantom Lawyer, Oh Ye-ju still proved herself a scene-stealer.

Jung Chae-yeon: ‘The Miracles of the Namiya General Store’ (2027), ‘Beyond the Bar’ (2025), ‘Family By Choice’ (2024), ‘The Golden Spoon’ (2022), ’The King’s Affection’ (2021), ‘My First First Love’ (2021)

Jung Chae-yeon’s most recent K-drama ‘Beyond the Bar’ marks her shift from youthful roles to more mature characters

Jung Chae-yeon has successfully transitioned from K-pop idol to rising K-drama female lead. Her first significant leading lady role was in My First First Love, a youthful drama that also starred Ji Soo and Jin Young. Soon after, she joined Park Eun-bin and Rowoon in the International Emmy Award-winning historical Korean series The King’s Affection, bringing a gentle charm to the naive No Ha-kyung.

Her breakout role, however, came in the fantasy coming-of-age drama The Golden Spoon, where she was cast as Na Ju-hee, a chaebol heiress who goes against her family’s expectations to follow her own path. Going beyond the usual chaebol-with-a-heart-of-gold portrayal, Jung Chae-yeon gave the character depth and nuance.

Her more recent roles include the bubbly Yoon Joo-won in Family by Choice, the Korean remake of the hit C-drama Go Ahead and Beyond the Bar, a legal procedural co-starring Lee Jin-uk, which marks a shift from youthful first-love roles to more mature characters.

Up next is the Disney+ Original live-action adaptation of the Japanese novel The Miracles of the Namiya General Store. Jung Chae-yeon will be joining a star-studded cast including fellow MZ-generation actors such as Lee Chae-min, Moon Sang-min, Bae In-hyuk, Kang You-seok, along with established talents like Ryu Seung-ryong, Kim Hye-yoon, Yoon Kyung-ho, Park Hee-soon and Kim Min-ha.

From streaming hits to upcoming prestige projects, these rising K-drama female leads are no longer on the cusp of stardom—they are already shaping it. With each new role, they are cementing their place as the defining faces of a new generation.

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The new It girls: 6 rising K-drama female leads shaping the future of Hallyu