Category: K-DRAMA

Admit it: You may be patiently waiting for a drama with your bias actor playing the lead, but the level of anticipation grows millionfold when you receive news that another actor will be making a cameo appearance in the same drama. But then, there’s nothing worse than your friends talking about so-and-so’s cameo in a show and all you can think of is, “Really? Why don’t I remember that?” So, here are some high-profile cameos so you can look for them and confidently add to the conversation the next time.   

1. Lee Jong Suk in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bokjoo

With his heart-fluttering performances in dramas such as Pinocchio, W, and While You Were Sleeping, Lee Jong Suk has captured the hearts of k-drama fans everywhere who won’t pass the chance at every opportunity to see him. Thus, it was a beautiful surprise when the Nation’s Boyfriend was seen in the second episode of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. This was a chance for fans to see LJS reunite with W castmate Kang Ki Young, who played the uncle of the titular character in Weightlifting. As the show was also Lee Sung Kyung’s first leading role, Lee Jong Suk also decided to lend his support to his friend who he has known since their modeling days in 2010. 

2. Lee Kwang Soo in Descendants of the Sun

Not only is Lee Kwang Soo a constant mainstay in so many of Korean TV’s most popular reality shows, he is also a popular friend to so many Korean celebrities. Thus, when Song Joong Ki cast him to appear in a cameo for his 2015 drama Descendants of the Sun, the all-around entertainer said yes at a drop of a hat. Appearing in the first episode of the Song-Song drama, Running Man’s forever cast member and resident Giraffe played a gaming arcade worker dressed as a soldier who lectures the Special Forces captain and sergeant on military knowledge after the two used the shop’s toy guns to catch a motorcycle thief. 

3. Kim Soo Hyun in Crash Landing on You and Hotel del Luna 

From king to alien, what can Kim Soo Hyun not do?

Even before he was Moon Gang Tae taking care of Moon Sang Tae in 2020’s It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, Kim Soo Hyun has been one heck of a scene-stealer. For a time, after his military service ended in 2019, he was absent from the small screen save for two brief but quite memorable appearances in two hit shows: Crash Landing on You and Hotel del Luna. In CLOY, he played a much-fabled North Korean soldier who apparently has taken a cover as a restaurant delivery rider, while he appeared to be the new owner of the hotel for ghosts after Jang Manwol (played by his Dream High co-star IU) has given up ownership of the hotel. The HdL was a short but sweet reunion shippers of Samdong and Pilsook appreciated. 

4. Yeo Jin Goo in Start-Up

Fresh from the heels of the success of Hotel del Luna, Yeo Jin Goo was set to headline a JTBC show Beyond Evil. But not before appearing as a voice talent who sort of came to life in late 2020’s Start-Up. In the show, angel tech investor Han Jip Yeong (Good Boy, played by Kim Seon Ho in a breakout performance) has this pet project that is, however, buggy—a Siri of sorts, with the virtual assistant’s voice named Jang Young Sil. Jipyeong later had to meet this start-up business owner Hong Ji Seok, who he planned on seeing just for formality and will have to decline. However, when Mr. Hong started speaking, Jipyeong somehow instantly recognized the voice as he remembered his Young Sil, so he personally offered to invest in Hong Jiseok’s venture. 

5. Park Seo Joon in Record of Youth

Another actor who has made a killing on both cameo appearances and lead roles is Park Seo Joon. The Itaewon Class star previously made a cameo in the Oscar-winning Parasite before appearing in the Park Bogum-headlined Record of Youth. In the drama, PSJ essayed the role of Park Min Su, an actor who handed an award to Sa Hye Joon (Bogum), with the two knowing each other for years as they both started off as fashion models.

With so many dramas yet to be released this year, we can all look forward to more appearances by familiar faces, hopefully as soon as possible.

Feature image: Kim Soo Hyun cameo in Hotel del Luna. Photo: tvN D ENT/YouTube

After listing the gentlemen, it’s time to list down the ladies from third generation groups who have displayed some serious acting chops. But before we start, a few points on who are not included on the list:

1. Idols who have fully transitioned into acting and haven’t released new music for two years. Since this category is mostly applicable to the members of the iconic group IOI, it may be best to have a separate article for the IOI fandom, yes? Yes, I love it!
2. Idols who have only acted on one feature (movie, TV series, or web series) in a leading or supporting role (cameos not counted) or are slated to debut in a feature that has yet to be released. These include:

• • Oh My Girl’s Arin, who appeared only on tvN D’s The World of My 17 last year, although she is set to star in tvN’s Return later this year and the Netflix film Ghost Story, which doesn’t have a release date yet. 
  • Lovelyz’s Mijoo, who although has been establishing herself as a variety ace, has only appeared in Naver TV’s I‘m a Job Seeker five years ago.
  • Blackpink’s Jisoo, who has had numerous cameo appearances in television series and is set to be the main female lead in the controversial JTBC drama Snowdrop.

So, get your Netflix, Dramafever, Viki, OnDemandKorea, or KACAWA accounts ready and prepare for hours and hours of great performances from these third generation idol-actresses:

Red Velvet’s Joy

From a cameo in Descendants in the Sun, actress Park Soo-young‘s acting career has been on a steady rise with lead roles on The Liar and His Lover in 2017 and The Tempted (the reason Joy wasn’t able to join Red Velvet in a historic concert in North Korea – scheduling conflicts) in 2018. Next stop for Joy is Only One Person on JTBC with Ahn Eunjin of Hospital Playlist fame, scheduled for release before the year ends. 

AOA’s Seolhyun

AOA’s main visual has been on TV shows since 2012, but her film appearances are the stuff that can make anyone go wow. She has shared the big screen with some acting heavyweights, e.g., Lee Minho (in 2015’s Gangnam Blues), Sol Kyunggu and Oh Dalsu (in 2017’s Memoir of a Murderer), and Jo Insung and Nam Joohyuk (in 2018’s The Great Battle). Her involvement in ex-groupmate Mina’s bullying revelations may hurt both her singing and acting careers, and that would be such a shame considering she has had a solid run on both so far. 

Laboum’s Solbin

Thanks to national MC Yoo Jaesuk and his summer 2021 project group MSG Wannabe, the song Journey to Atlantis has returned to public consciousness, which has also reaped benefits for the song’s original artists, the much-underrated group Laboum. For the group’s face and visual Soblin, popularity has been easier though, thanks to her appearances in various movies and TV series since 2016. Best remembered for playing Kim Yoojung’s sister who wanted to be an… drumroll… girl group member in the romcom Backstreet Rookie and Last seen in a cameo appearance in MBC’s Oh! Master, Solbin is due to appear in Idol: the Coop later this year with the next idol-actress on this list.

EXID’s Hani 

Out of the iconic group EXID’s five members, two have made a comfortable transition into acting – Hani and Jeonghwa. While the group is still officially active in Japan and has not officially disbanded in Korea, the two visuals have also managed to slowly but surely establish their acting portfolio. For her part, Hani has proven to be a triple, if not quadruple threat: singer – reality show genius (remember the controversial Hani crying outbursts in Crime Scene 2 that divided the country?) – MC (with an unabashed bias for Oh My Girl’s maknae, Arin as declared in Weekly Idol where she displayed perfect chemistry with SuJu’s Heechul) – and finally, actress, with appearances in an episode of SF8 (Korea’s answer to Black Mirror), three web series (XX, How to be Thirty, and You Raise Me Up), and is set to star in the show mentioned above, Idol: The Coop on JTBC.

CLC’s Eunbin 

The Produce 101 alumna and late addition to Cube Entertainment’s second girl group CLC has been slowly but surely building her acting credentials with supporting and guest roles in drama series since 2018. Last seen in the first episode of the contemporary historical drama Youth of May and teen period drama At a Distance, Spring is Green, Eubin will be next seen in yet another teen drama Dear.M.

Cosmic Girls’ Bona 

Bona is one of those idols-turned-actresses who didn’t need to wait for years to snatch a leading role in a TV series. After playing a secondary role in the 2017 KBS drama Hit the Top, she went on to play Lee Junghee, the lead character in the coming-of-age drama Girls’ Generation 1979 released months after. She has since then been part of two other KBS dramas, Your House Helper with Ha Seokjin and Homemade Love Story with an ensemble cast. Next up for WJN’s visual is tvN’s Twenty-Five Twenty-One, where she will be sharing the spotlight with Nam Joohyuk and Kim Taeri.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive list, although the most accessible titles and idols have been listed for your reference. For the meantime, the only thing to do aside from searching for all those dramas would be to join the world’s Blinks in prayer for the immediate release of the Jisoo-Jung Haein drama.

Feature image: Red Velvet’s Joy in The Liar and His Lover. Photo: Stone Music Entertainment/YouTube

These days, a lot of members of third generation boy groups (groups that debuted from 2012 to 2016) have either started or about to start their military enlistment. This means that for the idols of this generation who moonlight as actors, their filmographies are currently on hold, and for those who still have a few years before they turn the big 3-0, Korean age, there’s still some time left for them to work on more entries to add to their portfolio. 

In the meantime, here are six third-generation idols who have established quite a filmography; one already finished with his enlistment, two currently serving their time, and three still having a few more years to go before the military beckons:  

ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo

For someone known as the “Face Genius” (IKR? Who knew a face can be a genius?),” it is inevitable for Cha Eun-woo to be an actor-idol. True, many critics rushed to ask that necessary question, “But can he act,” and for a time, Eun-woo had his birthing pains (read: awkward performances) at the start of his acting career. That he has been conveniently typecasted in pretty boy roles (in dramas entitled True Beauty and My ID is Gangnam Beauty at that) may not really help him establish his acting cred, but it is great to note that since his acting debut in the 2015 web series To Be Continued, netizens and the general public have agreed that there has been a remarkable improvement in the thespian skills of the generally accepted owner of the “most symmetrical face in Korea.”   

Acting debut: a cameo in the movie My Brilliant Life in 2014

Latest release: tvN’s True Beauty, which ended earlier this year

Where to catch him next: Decibel, a military action thriller that will mark his first major role in a film. No release date for the film yet.

EXO’s Doh Kyung-soo

A list of idol-actors will not be complete without EXO’s D.O. The thing about D.O is that, unlike most idols who have ventured into acting, any doubt of his acting skills were immediately quashed in his TV drama debut as Jo In-sung’s high school-aged fan in It’s Okay, That’s Love and his first major movie role in Cart, both released on the same year. From the get-go, actor Doh Kyung-soo has displayed versatility, sensitivity, and depth in his varied performances. He is such a great actor that he actually has some acting awards to show for his solid talents.    

Latest release: 2018’s Swing Kids, released while he was already in military service 

Where to watch him next: The Moon, a sci-fi thriller directed by Kim Young-hwa, who D.O has also worked with in the two Along With the Gods movies.

Got7’s Park Jin-young

By the time Jinyoung debuted as a vocalist in JYP Entertainment’s Got7 in January 2014, he already had two acting credits under his belt. As Ui-bong in Dream High 2 and Ddol-yi in When a Man Falls in Love (where he appeared with his fellow JYP trainee and future groupmate JB), he has a penchant for portraying characters that viewers can’t help but fall for. Since then, he has proven his acting chops with a film and numerous TV roles. 

Where else you can watch him: A Stray Goat, his film debut and He Is Psychometric, When My Love Blooms, The Legend of the Blue Sea, My Love Eun Dong, The Devil Judge, and Yumi’s Cells.

Future releases: Jin-young is set to star in two movies, Yaksha and High Five. 

SF9’s Rowoon (Kim Seok-woo)

In the group SF9, Chani may be the more established actor, having appeared in numerous TV series as a child actor. But this hasn’t stopped bandmate Rowoon from also establishing himself as another member with serious acting chops. Since debuting in MBC Every1’s Click Your Heart, RonVely has consistently delivered with “good boy” performances in series such as School 2017, About Time, and Where Stars Land. Here’s hoping we can see all 190.5 cm of him on the big screen soon. 

Where else you can watch him: Extraordinary You, She Would Never Know, and Yeonmo.

EXO’s Suho (Kim Jun-myeon)

Suho is one of those idols whose acting credentials, unlike D.O, have unfortunately been questioned from the start. From speculations of his getting roles solely because of his looks and his established fanbase to mediocre reviews of his performance, Kim Jun-myeon’s acting trajectory has been uneven. But then, with his two most recent roles as as haughty CEO in Rich Man, Poor Woman and as a pastry chef in the magic-infused How Are You Bread, Suho has found a niche in playing dazzlingly handsome characters. Exo’s leader is currently completing his military enlistment, so let’s see what the future holds for his acting career!

Where else you can watch him: the movies One Way Trip and Middle School Girl and 2017’s The Universe’s Star. 

BtoB’s Yook Sung-jae

BtoB’s maknae brings the quirkiness and excellence his group is renowned for in his acting performances. To hold your own against acting giants Gong Yoo and Lee Dongwook in the legendary Goblin is quite an achievement. He continued his pitch-perfect delivery in Mystic Pop-up Bar, where he played the innocent and simply adorable Han Kang-bae. The thing with Sung-jae is that his performances are so precise for the roles – any other actor with lesser skills can render the characters flat. 

Where else can you watch him: Reply 1994 and Who Are You: School 2015.

We know, you may be looking for some idols excluded from this list (read: V, Joshua, Jun), but then V and Joshua have acted in only one TV show so far and Jun has only been acting in Chinese projects. The good news is V still has a few years before his mandatory enlistment, which means he still has time to add some film and TV credits, while Chinese Jun and American Joshua won’t have to enlist at all. Besides, I’m still waiting for the day Mr. Kim Seok-jin gets bitten by the acting bug. Until then, we have a lot of catching up to do with all those movies and series listed above.