Since 2016, Netflix has worked hard to gain a strong foothold in the South Korean market. Signing multiple long-term partnerships in 2019, Netflix has gained major distribution and production rights for a wide array of Korean media, such as variety shows, movies, and dramas. In recent news, it was revealed that Netflix would invest $2.5 billion in Korea to further increase the creation of original series and foster a new generation of creatives.
In combination with the growing investments in the South Korean entertainment market, there have been many actors who have gained both national and international recognition for their work in various Netflix projects. Actors and actresses who have multiple credits tied to the streaming platform have often been dubbed as “sons” and “daughters.” EnVi breaks down Netflix’s growing family tree and presents nine actors to look out for!
The First Big Production: Sweet Home
Sweet Home was the first major Korean drama to come out after the announcement of the partnerships. Renowned director Lee Eung-bok, who was unfamiliar with the genre, took on the challenge of bringing the action-filled webtoon to life. Lee’s previous works include hit romance series Descendants of the Sun and Guardian: The Lonely Great God.
Lee wanted to make sure the details of the webtoon remained when it was translated over to the screen, so he teamed up with international visual effects company Legacy Effects. Aside from visual effects, there would also need to be an amazing cast to breathe life into the characters. Nobody knew it at the time, but Sweet Home was ground zero for the birth of Netflix’s “sons” and “daughters.” Many of the actors, like Song Kang, Go Min-si, Lee Do-hyun, Park Gyu-young, and Kim Si-a appeared in the series have gone on to star in several Netflix series.
Song Kang
2019
The “eldest son,” Song Kang, starred in Love Alarm, alongside Kim So-hyun and Jung Ga-ram in 2019. Song auditioned against 900 others and landed the lead role playing as Hwang Sun-oh.
2020
2020 marked a turning point in Song’s career with him appearing in Sweet Home. Lee Na-jeong, the director of Love Alarm, recommended Song to audition for the role of Cha Hyun-soo. In the series, Hyun-soo is a depressed high school student who moves into an apartment on his own after his family passes away in an accident. Along with the other residents, Hyun-soo tries to survive after a mysterious outbreak of monsters threatens humanity. Following the end of the first season, Song received four nominations for his role. He won the ACA Excellence award at the Asia Contents Award and the Character of the Year award at the Seoul International Drama Awards.
2021-22
Aside from Sweet Home and Love Alarm, the majority of Song’s Netflix projects are produced with outside networks. In 2021, Song starred as the lead in tvN drama Navillera alongside Park In-hwan. His second drama of the year was JTBC drama Nevertheless starring Han So-hee. Song only starred in one project for 2022, which was the JTBC drama Forecasting Love and Weather.
2023-24
His most recent project was SBS drama My Demon where he starred alongside Kim Yoo-jung. Song played as 200-year-old demon, Jeong Gu-won, who loses his powers after getting involved with Do Do-hee (Kim Yoo-jung). Kang received two nominations at the SBS Drama Awards for his work in My Demon. He won the Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Romance/Comedy Drama, and Best Couple Award.
My Demon marks Song Kang’s last airing project before his military enlistment. Season three of Sweet Home is set to be the only Netflix project airing after his enlistment.
Go Min-si
2019-21
Go Min-si landed her first Netflix role with Love Alarm in 2019. She accepted a supporting role acting as Kim Jo-jo’s (Kim So-hyun) cousin. In 2020, she landed a role in Sweet Home alongside Song Kang. She played Lee Eun-yu, Lee Eun-hyuk’s (Lee Do-hyun) younger sister and aspiring ballerina. Go received two nominations for her work in Sweet Home and received the New Comer Actress award at the Asia Content Awards in 2021.
Upcoming Netflix Project
On February 20, 2023, Netflix announced the casting for upcoming series Alone in the Woods (working title). Alone in the Woods, also known as The Frog, marks Go’s third overall project with Netflix. The cast includes Kim Yun-seok, Yoon Kye-sang, and Lee Jung-eun. The series is directed by Mo Wan-il, who was behind the 2020 hit revenge drama World of The Married. The plot of The Frog follows a man whose life is turned upside down after a mysterious woman arrives at his pension. As of the time of writing, there are no further details regarding the plot, and the official release date has not yet been confirmed.
Taking Destiny Into Her Own Hands
In a promotional video for Sweet Home, Go revealed that she had worked as a wedding planner before pursuing acting. In 2016, she made her directorial and acting debut with her three-minute short film Parallel Novel. The film won her the Grand Prize at the Three Minutes Film Festival. From then on, she made appearances in web series, 72 Seconds season three and Absolutely Perfect Man and even made an appearance in a music video before making her television debut in 2017.
Lee Do-hyun
2021
The “second son,” Lee Do-hyun, made his Netflix debut in 2021 after landing a role in Sweet Home. He played Lee Eun-hyuk, Lee Eun-yu’s (Go Min-si) older brother and the leader of the residents in the Green Home apartment. He received three nominations for his work in the series and won Best Actor in Supporting Role at the Asian Academy Creative Awards.
Sweet Home Season 3 will mark Lee’s last appearance on Netflix for a while as he enlisted in the military on August 14, 2023.
2022
In 2022, it was announced that Lee was cast in The Glory alongside Song Hye-kyo. He played Joo Yeong-jeong, a plastic surgeon who offers Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) assistance as she plots revenge against her past bullies.
2023
Lee starred as the lead in JTBC drama The Good Bad Mother in 2023. He played Choi Kang-ho, the son of Jin Young-soon (Ra Mi-ran), a single mother who runs a pig farm. Kang-ho is a prosecutor who experiences amnesia and returns to a child-like state.
Always Showcasing Versatility
In an interview, Lee Dohyun revealed that the filming for The Glory, The Good Bad Mother, and Exhuma overlapped. He had to remember and analyze lines for various characters while being driven to each filming set. That might not sound difficult to pull off, but consider that his role in The Good Bad Mother required him to portray a 35-year-old and a 5-year-old Kang-ho.
Park Gyu-young
2020
Park Gyu-young, who has been acting since 2016, landed her first main role in tvN series It’s Okay to Not Be Okay in 2020. She played the role of Nam Ju-ri, a nurse at OK Psychiatric Hospital. Her character also has a one-sided crush on male lead Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun). Later that year, Park starred in Sweet Home as Yoon Ji-su, a musician who moved into Green Home apartment after her boyfriend died by suicide. She received one nomination for her performance in Sweet Home.
2023
In 2023, Park landed her first leading role in a Netflix series with Celebrity. She played as Seo Ah-ri, a makeup salesperson who was once from a wealthy family. Ah-ri and her mother were thrusted into the working class after her father passed away and his business went bankrupt. By chance. Ah-ri meets an old wealthy friend who invites her to join Gabin Society, an influencer group.
Upcoming Projects with Netflix
On June 29, 2023, Park was confirmed to join the cast of the second Squid Game season along with seven other actors. As of the time of writing, her role in the series is not confirmed.
Growing Confidence
Park revealed that she didn’t have high hopes of getting cast as Ji-su in Sweet Home. It wasn’t until she got a call back from the director that she believed it. Years later, she was able to gain confidence through her role in Celebrity. In an interview with The Korea Times, she stated, “…I felt a sense of accomplishment upon finishing which also boosted my confidence.”
Kim Si-a
2021
In 2021, 13-year-old actress Kim Si-a starred as young Ashin in Kingdom: Ashin of the North. She gained a bigger role at the end of the year with her role in The Silent Sea as Luna 073. The series features veteran actors Gong Yoo, Bae Doo-na, and Lee Joon as they gather samples from an abandoned research base located in space.
2023
2023 was a busy year for Kim as she had three Netflix projects under her belt. Her first project of the year was Kill Boksoon where she acted as Gil Bok-soon’s (Jeon Do-yeon) daughter Gil Jae-young. Jae-young is a closeted teen who is not aware of the fact her mother is a contract killer.
Kim’s second project of 2023 was See You in My 19th Life where she starred as Yoon Joo-won. See You in My 19th Life follows Ban Ji-eum (Shin Hye-sun), a woman who is cursed to remember all of her past lives.
Her final project of 2023 was Sweet Home, where she played as Seo Yi-kyung’s (Lee Si-young) child.
Han So-hee
2021
Han So-hee was not cast in Sweet Home, but she managed to make a path of her own. Han’s first connection with Netflix was through the JTBC drama Nevertheless, where she starred alongside Song Kang. She played the lead role of Yoo Na-bi, a university student who no longer believes in love after a relationship with her first boyfriend ended badly. Later in 2021, Han starred as the lead in crime noir My Name alongside Ahn Bo–hyun and veteran actor Park Hee-soon. She played as Yoon Ji-woo, who is seeking revenge on the person who killed her father. Han received five nominations for her performance and won the Actress of the Year Award (Domestic) at the Kino Lights Awards.
2023
After two years Han made her return to Netflix with a lead role in historical drama Gyeongseong Creature alongside Park Seo-joon. The drama is set in Gyeongseong (modern-day Seoul) during the Japanese colonial period in 1945, and Han plays Yoon Chae-ok, a person who has been searching for her lost mother for 10 years. Chae-ok teams up with Jang Tae-sang (Park Seo-joon) to infiltrate Ong-seong Hospital and the pair stumble across a sinister secret.
Season 2 of the series is set to be released in 2024 and it will be set in the present day.
From Humble Beginnings
In the YouTube series Nattering with Nah, Han revealed she planned to go to school in France instead of becoming an actress. She couldn’t go to school abroad as she needed 60 million won to obtain a visa and her financial situation was not ideal. To save money, she took on several part-time jobs including modeling and eventually booked a commercial with Ritz Cracker. From there, she caught the attention of a CEO who encouraged her to pursue acting.
The Newest Generation: Alchemy of Souls
Alchemy of Souls revealed the newest additions to Netflix’s “sons” and “daughters” lineup. The series takes place in a made up country known as Daeho. It revolves around several young mages who are trying to fight against fate and a forbidden magic spell known as “alchemy of souls,” which allows for souls to switch bodies. The series presented a new generation of sons and daughters in Netflix’s ever-growing family.
Lee Jae-wook
2020
In May 2020, Lee Jae-wook was cast as a lead in KBS drama Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol with Go Ara. The drama follows Go Ra-ra (Go-Ara) a pianist whose life went from riches to rags. She moves to a small town where she meets Sunwoo Joon (Lee Jae-wook), a guy who has several part-time jobs. Sunwoo vows to help Go get back on her feet.
2022
Lee starred as Jang Uk in the fantasy-romance Alchemy of Souls. This marked his second lead role in a drama series. In part one of the series, he played alongside actress Jung So-min, and in part two, he played alongside rising actress Go Youn-jung.
Following his performance in the series, Lee received three nominations and received three awards. He won the Best Actor Award at the Asia Artist Awards, Asia Special Award at the Asia Model Awards, and Global Excellence Award at the Korea Drama Awards.
Upcoming Projects with Netflix
Lee snagged another lead role starring in historical drama Hong Rang, which is set to premiere in early 2024. The story revolves around a wealthy family in the late Joseon Dynasty period who lost their son Hong-rang. Hong Rang (Lee Jae-wook), who disappeared at the age of eight, returns as an adult with no recollection of the past. His half-sister, Jae-yi (Jo Bo-ah), searches for answers on his disappearance and tries to confirm his identity.
Go Youn-jung
2020
Just one year after her acting debut, Go Youn-jung made her first Netflix appearance with a cameo role on The School Nurse Files in 2020. Later that same year, she landed the role of Park Yu-ri in Sweet Home. The character Park Yu-ri works as a caregiver for an elderly patient in the Green Home Apartments.
2021
Go landed a supporting role in legal drama Law School alongside leads Kim Bum and Ryu Hye-young. The story follows a group of law students and their professor who get involved with a strange case. Go plays the role of first-year student Jeon Ye-seul, who is caught in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend.
Upcoming Projects
In September 2023, it was announced that Go would be leading Wise Resident Life, a spinoff of the hit series Hospital Playlist. The series is set to revolve around the lives of young obstetrics and gynecology residents. The release date is yet to be confirmed at this time.
A Woman Of Many Talents
Go might surprise you with the amount of talents she has. From an early age she dabbled in ballet, figure skating, and swimming. In an interview with The Korean Herald, she stated that skills in different sports helped her passionately portray Hui-soo in Moving. For her role as Nak-su in Alchemy of Souls, she learned sword fighting. On top of that, she studied contemporary art at Seoul Women’s University and she even models on the side.
Yoo In-soo
2022
The “youngest son,” Yoo In-soo, made his official Netflix debut in 2022 where he starred in the main cast for horror coming-of-age series All of Us Are Dead. Starring alongside other young actors like Park Ji-hu and Yoon Chan-young, Yoo portrayed the main antagonist, Yoon Gwi-nam. Later that year, Yoo landed a supporting role in Alchemy of Souls where he played Park Dang-gu, the heir to the largest conglomerate in Daeho, Songrim.
2023
In 2023, Yoo was casted in The Good Bad Mother and season two of The Uncanny Counter. In The Good Bad Mother Yoo plays as Bang Sam-sik, a village boy who is rough around the edges. He also has a one-sided crush on female lead Lee Mi-joo (Ahn Eun-jin). He plays a similarly silly role in The Uncanny Counter as Na Jeok-bong, a new Counter on the team who has the ability to sniff the scents of evil spirits.
Rounding out his Netflix projects for the year, Yoo made an appearance in episode three of Daily Dose of Sunshine. He portrayed Ji Seung-jae, a trainee nurse who deals with a panic disorder.
A Growing Talent
In an interview, Yoo revealed that he didn’t think he would get the role of Gwi-nam in All of Us Are Dead. He also was very surprised that a lot of people liked his portrayal of the character and he was worried that people wouldn’t be as interested in his future acting.
Interested in learning about some more talented young actors? Check out our spotlight of Gen Z K-drama actors here!
