There are a lot of rookies or yet-to-be-known actors acting in K-Dramas that caught attention with good acting or/and with a special aura on screen. However, most of the time, it is hard for global fans to find detailed information about these actors.

At Kpopmap, we try our best to have articles about rookie actors that have little information accessible for international fans. For the past years, we have covered a lot of rookies or yet-to-be-known actors, and here is a selection of some of them. K-Drama fans should closely look at them as they have enough talent to earn more recognition and fame! We can tell you that the future top Hallyu stars are probably on this list.

The list has no particular order also. The article was first published back in 2019, we keep on updating the list (bookmark us not to miss updates).

For the detailed actor profile or their previous works, click on the links below each picture.

Are there any rookie actors you are curious about and are not on this list? Let us know in the comments, we will inform you about them!

 

1. Ko ChanBin

Age: Born in 2001

Instagram: @briller_01

Key dramas: "Love Revolution", "Oh! My Assistant"

Find more about him below.

 

2. Ryu EuiHyun

Age: Born in 1999

Instagram: @ui_hstagram

Key dramas: "Shopping King Louie", “A-Teen”, "Adult Trainee"

Find more about him below.

 

3. Kim SungHyun (Yoo JungWoo)

Age: Born in 1997

Instagram: @dggyang

Key dramas: “Mama Fairy And The Woodcutter”, "Secret Boutique", "The Temperature of Language: Our Nineteen"

Find more about him below.

 

4. Lee JungJun

Age: Born in 1999

Instagram: @right_jun_

Key dramas: "Best Mistake 2", "Kairos", "Cheer Up", "Celebrity"

Find more about him below.

 

5. Park TaeIn

Age: Born in 2000

Instagram: @ehoili_

Key dramas: "The Mermaid Prince", "Doom at Your Service", "Doctor Cha"

Find more about him below.

 

6. Han SeJin

Age: Born in 1996

Instagram: @ahoi_ing

Key dramas: “A Piece of Your Mind", "Phantom the Secret Agent", "Mr. Heart", "Nobleman Ryu's Wedding", "Hope or Dope"

Find more about him below.

 

7. Choe ChanYi

Age: Born in 1995

Instagram: @choechani

Key dramas: "Best Mistake", "Light on Me"

Find more about him below.

 

8. Kang Yul

Age: Born in 1993

Instagram: @_kangyul_

Key dramas: "Best Mistake"

Find more about him below.

 

9. Jung HaJoon

Age: Born in 1996

Instagram: @chjoooon

Key dramas: "Memorist", "Police University", "Café Minamdang"

Find more about him below.

 

10.  Kang Hui

Age: Born in 1991

Instagram: @kanghui_

Key dramas: "Ending Again", "Cherry Blossoms After Winter"

Find more about him below.

 

11. Kim GeonWon

Age: Born in 1993

Instagram: @gxbbang

Key dramas: "Ending Again"

Find more about him below.

 

12. Lee KiTaek

Age: Born in 1994

Instagram: @leekiitaek

Key dramas: "In Seoul 2", "One Fine Week 2", "The Devil Judge", "Moonshine"

Find more about him below.

 

13. Choi JaeHyun

Age: Born in 1995

Instagram: @choijaehyun7

Key dramas: "Love with Flaws", "Sweet Munchies", "Dalgona", "Run On", "Peach of Time", "The Heavenly Idol"

Find more about him below.

 

14. Choi KyungHoon

Age: Born in 1993

Instagram: @k__h_c

Key dramas: "Romance, Talking", "Trap", "Legally Dad", "Re-Feel: If Only", "Snowdrop"

Find more about him below.

 

15. Choi WooSung

Age: Born in 1997

Instagram: @c.woo_sung

Key dramas: "At Eighteen", "It's Okay to Not Be Okay", "Police University", "Melancholia"

Find more about him below.

 

16. Son HyeonWoo

Age: Born in 1996

Instagram: @sssonzino

Key dramas: "Not Alright, But It's Alright", "Standby Curator", "Trap"

Find more about him below.

 

17. Cheon SeungHo

Age: Born in 1996

Instagram: @xxurricane

Key dramas: "Where Your Eyes Linger", "Mr. Heart", "Jun & Jun"

Find more about him below.

 

18. Lee WonJung

Age: Born in 2001

Instagram: @jung_or__

Key dramas: "Real:Time:Love", "Live On", "Bio Homme", "Can You Deliver Time? 2002", "The World of My 17 2", "Hierarchy"

Find more about him below.

 

19. Ahn SeMin

Age: Born in 2000

Instagram: @saemings

Key dramas: "Let Me Off The Earth", "User Not Found", "School 2021"

Find more about him below.

 

20. Kim SeungHo

Age: Born in 2001

Instagram: @_s_ngho_

Key dramas: "My Fuxxxxx Romance", "Going to the Blue House Like This", "Rookie Cops"

Find more about him below.

 

21. Cho HanGyeol

Age: Born in 2002

Instagram: @cho.0910

Key dramas: "Let Me Off The Earth", "Love Mate", "Blue Temperature"

Find more about him below.

 

22. Yoo Jun

Age: Born in 2000

Instagram: @yyjjun_xx

Key dramas: "Color Rush" (1 and 2), "Crash Course in Romance", "Duty After School: Part 1"

Find more about him below.

 

23. Won TaeMin (Won HyungHoon)

Age: Born in 1993

Instagram: @one__tm_

Key dramas: "You Make Me Dance", "Unintentional Love Story"

Find more about him below.

 

24. Lim JiSub

Age: Born in 1998

Instagram: @leemjs

Key dramas: "The Eight Sense"

Find more about him below.

 

25. Lee ChanHyeong

Age: Born in 1997

Instagram: @nakktaa_ 

Key dramas: "Re-Feel", "Hospital Playlist", "My Sweet Dear", "Adult Trainee", "Gaus Electronics"

Find more about him below.

 

26. Kim DoMin

Age: Born in 2000

Instagram: -

Key dramas: "Arthdal Chronicles", "Twenty Twenty", "Hearts and Hani"

Find more about him below.

 

27. Lee SaeOn

Age: Born in 1995

Instagram: @leesaeon

Key dramas: "Light On Me", "Boss-dol Mart"

Find more about him below.

 

28. Oh JunTaek

Age: Born in 2001

Instagram: @ohjunt

Key dramas: "The Eight Sense"

Find more about him below.

 

29. (Byeon) SeongTae

Age: Born in 1998

Instagram: @bsvvt_

Key dramas: "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha", "Happy Merry Ending"

Find more about him below.

 

30. Min InGi

Age: Born in 1995

Instagram:  @min2kki

Key dramas: "Blue of Winter"

Find more about him below.

 

31. Jeon YuBin

Age: Born in 1997

Instagram:  @u_b.97

Key dramas: "Blue of Winter"

Find more about him below.

 

32. Lee JungMin

Age: Born in 2000

Instagram: @jungmin_0618

Key dramas: "Blue of Winter", "Why R U?"

Find more about him below.

 

33. Yoo YoungMo

Age: Born in 1998

Instagram: @___youngmo

Key dramas: "Blue of Winter"

Find more about him below.

 

34. Yoon HyunSoo

Age: Born in 1999

Instagram:  @hyvn_soo

Key dramas: "Racket Boys", "Juvenile Delinquency", "Kill Heel", "Hope or Dope", "Running Mate"

Find more about him below.

 

35. Song WonSeok

Age: Born in 1988

Instagram: @songwonseok88

Key dramas: "One the Woman", "Lovers of the Red Sky", "Entourage", "Business Proposal"

Find more about him below.

 

36. Park SungJoon

Age: Born in 1992

Instagram: @nujabes7479

Key dramas: "Rookie Cops", "Run On", "Eulachacha Waikiki", "Strongest Deliveryman"

Find more about him below.

 

37. Baek SeoHoo

Age: Born in 1996

Instagram: @seohoo._.b

Key dramas: "Color Rush 2", "Minamdang: Case Note", "IDOL: The Coup", "Love Revolution", "Heartbeat"

Find more about him below.

 

38. Min HyoGi

Age: Born in 1997

Instagram: @_minhyogi (private now)

Key dramas: "Color Rush 2"

Find more about him below.

 

39. Heo WonSeo

Age: Born in 2001

Instagram: @1hwesd

Key dramas: "Our Blooming Youth"

Find more about him below.

 

40. Ki HyunWoo

Age: Born in 2000

Instagram: @hywo.o

Key dramas: "Jinx", "Semantic Error: The Movie", "Jun and Jun"

Find more about him below.

 

41. Lee JungHa

Age: Born in 1998

Instagram: @jungha.km

Key dramas: "Moving"

Find more about him below.

 

42. Kim JaeWon

Age: Born in 2001

Instagram: @rlawodnjs_

Key dramas: "Stealer: The Treasure Keeper", "King The Land".

Find more about him below.

 

43. Park KangHyun

Age: Born in 1989

Instagram: @p_k_h_

Key dramas: "Heartbeat"

Find more about him below.

 

44. Yang JunMo

Age: Born in 2001

Instagram: @emdow_

Key dramas: "Jun &Jun"

Find more about him below.

 

45. Yoon DoJin

Age: Born in 1998

Instagram: @dzyunb

Key dramas: "Love Tractor"

Find more about him below.

 

46. Han GenU

Age: Born in 1992

Instagram: @kyunnnh

Key dramas: "Tale Of The Nine Tailed 1938",

Find more about him below.

 

47. Oh JinSeok

Age: Born in 1995

Instagram: @o.b.o.n

Key dramas: "The Heavenly Idol", "Sh**ting Stars"

Find more about him below.

 

48. Do Won

Age: Born in 1994

Instagram: @yokwans

Key dramas: "Love Tractor"

Find more about him below.

 

49. Cho HyunMin

Age: Born in 1994

Instagram: @c_hm11

Key dramas: "Love Mate"

Find more about him below.

 

50. Song JiHo

Age: Born in 1992

Instagram: @ziffffo

Key dramas: "Doctor Cha"

Find more about him below.

 

51. Jeong SooHyun

Age: Born in 1997

Instagram: @from.jsoohyun

Key dramas: "The Heavenly Idol", "Mokkoji Kitchen"

Find more about him below.

 

52. Lee SeungGyu

Age: Born in 1999

Instagram: @gyue_ing

Key dramas: "Our Dating Sim", "User Not Found"

Find more about him below.

 

53. Lee JongHyuk

Age: Born in 1997

Instagram: @zonyuk_

Key dramas: "Our Dating Sim"

Find more about him below.

 

54. Kim YoonWoo

Age: Born in 2000

Instagram: -

Key dramas: "Mimicus", "Deceitfully Delightful", "My Dearest"

Find more about him below.

 

55. Lee MinJae

Age: Born in 2000

Instagram: @__minnjaee_

Key dramas: "Oh! Youngsimi", "Cheer Up", "The Golden Spoon", "Crash Course In Romance"

Find more about him below.

 

56. Kim HyunWook

Age: Born in 1997

Instagram: @hyunvvk

Key dramas: "Cherry Blossoms After Winter", "Kill Heel", "The Uncanny Counter 2: Counter Punch"

Find more about him below.

 

57. Woo HyoWon

Age: Born in 1994

Instagram: @whyocircle

Key dramas: "You Raise Me Up", "Bad Girlfriend", "Love Class 2"

Find more about him below.

 

58. Lee GwangHee

Age: Born in 1997

Instagram: @gwang._.hh

Key dramas: "Love Class 2"

Find more about him below.

 

59. Choi YoonJe

Age: Born in 1999

Instagram: @cdbswp

Key dramas: "May I Help You?", "Snowdrop", "Search", "The Forbidden Marriage", "Under the Queen's Umbrella"

Find more about him below.

 

60. Yoo JungHoo

Age: Born in 1997

Instagram: @u_junghoo

Key dramas: "Durian's Affair", "Bitch X Rich"

Find more about him below.

 

62. Kim DoHoon

Age: Born in 1998

Instagram: @7imdohoon

Key dramas: "The Law Cafe", "Today's Webtoon", "Here's My Plan", "Moving"

Find more about him below.

 

63. Yeon Oh

Age: Born in 1995

Instagram: @yeonoh._.

Key dramas: "Alchemy Of Souls", "Revenge Of Others", "The Secret Romantic Guesthouse", 'Twinkling Watermelon"

Find more about him below.

 

64. Lee SiWoo

Age: Born in 1999

Instagram: lee__s.woo.

Key dramas: "Boyhood", "Pale Moon", "Here's My Plan", "Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol" and "Hi Bye, Mama!"

Find more about him below.

 

Actors previously on this list but who gained popularity and experience. They have left our list: Nam YoonSu, Tang JunSang, Byeon WooSeok, Lee JaeWook, Kim DoWan, Kim YoungDae, Song Kang, Hwang InYeop, Seo JiHoon, Kim DongHee, Jang DongYoon, Kim SungCheol, Bae HyunSung, Ki DoHun, Chae JongHyeop, Lee JongWon, Moon SangMin, Joo WooJae, Jang EuiSoo, Choi HyunWook, Song GeonHee, Park SangNam, Kim MinGi, Cho JunYoung, Baek SungChul, Park JiBin, Kang Hoon, Park JungWoo, Kim WooSeok, Choo YoungWoo, Kim SuGyeom, etc.

 

Is there any rookie actor you want to know more about? Let us know in the comments. 

 

Are you a fan of BL (Boys Love) drama?

Korean BLs made an impressive entry into the BL world back in 2020 with "Where Your Eyes Linger" and other releases that year. In 2021, plenty of other exciting dramas were released, check the list here. But the genre got more and more popular worldwide in 2022 with a lot of releases (check the list here). And again, 2023 seems to be a great year for BL fans.

We've gathered the Korean BL web dramas that were aired in 2023.

The dramas are not listed according to a specific order.

 

1. "Sing My Crush"

Cast: Jang DoYoon and Son HyunWoo

Summary: Follow the story of acquaintances BaRam and HanTae after an incident occurred during their school years. Now that they are adults, will BaRam be able to suppress the feelings for HanTae that he has harbored for so long?

When: August 2nd

You can watch it on: iQIYI

 

2. "Bon Appetit"

Summary: A romance between an office worker and his neighbor who cooks well.

Cast: Lee KiTaek, Yoo JeongHoon

When: September 27th

You can watch on: iQIYI

 

3. "Love Tractor"

The web drama is an adaption of the webtoon by the same name written by AngryMonster and HmmYongYong. To be produced by the same production of "Semantic Error".

Summary: A romance story where SeonYool, a man of the city who comes to the countryside for a while, meets YeChan, a country guy who loves the countryside so much.

Cast: Han SeungHo, Do Won

When: June 7, 2023

You can watch on: iQIYI

 

4. "A Shoulder to Cry On"

The web drama is an adaption of the webtoon by the same name written by DongMul.

Summary: Due to TaeHyun's joke, DaYeol gets falsely accused of scandalously attacking him. Among the archers, DaYeol's athletic path is in danger. DaYeol asks TaeHyun to explain the truth; however, he discovers that he is getting swayed by him.

Cast: OMEGA X's JaeHan and YeChan

When: March 14th

For more about the web drama, check our cast and summary here.

You can watch on: Viki

 

5. "Starstruck"

A BL based on the web novel "Starstruck" ("스타스트럭") by Ha TaeJin.

Summary: It tells the story of Jo WooJae and Seo HyunJun, who have been close friends since middle school. Seo HyunJun has been hiding his one-sided love for Jo WooJae for years, thinking that Jo WooJae will never love him back. But one day, Seo HyunJun saw his gift under Jo WooJae's feet and confessed to him his feelings from him out of anger.

Cast: SF9's ZuHo, Kim InSeong

When: May 18th

For more about the web drama, check our cast and summary here.

You can watch on: Heavenly TV OTT

 

6. "Unintentional Love Story"

The BL web drama "Unintentional Love Story"  is based on the webtoon “Unintentional Love Story” ("비의도적 연애담" in Korean) written and illustrated by PB.

Cast: B1A4’s GongChan, Cha SeoWon, Won TaeMin, DoWoo

Summary: “Unintentional Love Story” is a romance that tells the story of a relationship that starts with a lie but eventually blossoms into real love.

When: March 17th

For more about the web drama, check our cast and summary here.

You can watch on: TVING

 

7. "Happy Merry Ending"

The BL web drama "Happy Merry Ending" is based on the webtoon "Happy Merry Ending" ("해피메리엔딩" in Korean) produced by BOMTOON Webtoon.

Cast: KNK's Lee DongWon, Byeon SeongTae, Kim KyuJong, Sin MyungSung

Summary: It is a music drama that revolves around the 2 characters SeungJun and JaeHyun, who have known each other through music, and how they became close again through music to heal each others's wounds.

When: April 27th

You can watch on: Viki

 

8. "Individual Circumstances"

Cast: MYNAME's JunQ, Han JeongWan

Summary: The story revolves around Ha YeonWoo, Chungmuro's face genius movie director who was once a promising prospect in his field, and Sung WooJae, a writer who has wounds from his past when he had to disappear for the sake of breaking with his first love

When: January 19th

You can watch on: GAGAOOLALA

 

9. "Why R U"

Cast: Lee JungMin, Lee YeHwan, Park ChangHoon, Lee SangMin

Summary: This is a Korean remake of the Thai BL drama of the same title. The drama starts with the story of Zon who, after his sister made a wish for him to live in a BL world, starts to imagine he fell into a BL world and eventually ends up catching feelings for Saifah. However, most of the drama revolves around Tutor and Fighter, who starts as each other's arch-nemesis but develops a close relationship later.

When: August 24th

You can watch on: TBA

 

10. "Bump Up Business"

Cast: OnlyOneOf

Summary: The story revolves around a 5th year trainee and soon-to-debut idol, Eden and JiHoon, a celebrity from the same agency, and the love story between these 2 people who are not good at expressing what they truly feel.

When: October 20

You can watch it on: iQIYI

 

11. "Jun & Jun"

Cast: Ki HyunWoo, Yang JunMo, Jo ChanHyun, and Park HyeongSeop

Summary: It is an office romance story between an idol who became an intern, Lee Jun, and his office manager, Choi Jun.

When: July 20

You can watch it on: Viki

 

12. "Love Class 2"

Cast: Han HyeonJun, Kim TaeHwan, Lee GwangHee and BAE173's J-Min

Summary: This is the second season of "Love class", a love story between two classmates.

When: August 11th

You can watch it on: Rakuten Viki

 

13. "Wuju Bakery"

Cast: Jeff Satur, Barcode Tinnasit, Dion, and Q

Summary: Wuju Bakery is another Thai-Korean collaboration part of the Hanyang Studio project that is set to be filmed in Korea this summer. After a spaceship crash in a bakery, this one is ruined. The boss of the spaceship encounters the owner of the bakery and a chaotic life begins for the both of them. At the same time, other aliens who hid in different parts of the city are looking for them.

When: December

You can watch it on: TBA

 

14. "All The Liquors"

Cast: Kim JunHyung, Won DoHyun, Jeong HoGyun, and RoShin

Summary: This drama tells the story of two who cannot understand each other unless there is alcohol, and with that, they get to understand each other and help each other heal their pains.

When: March 2, 2023

You can watch it on: GagaOOLala

 

15. "Our Dating Sim"

Cast: Lee SeungGyu and Lee JongHyuk

Summary: This drama follows the story about what happens when two men who have been friends since school days meet again at work. Together, the create a dating simulation game.

When: March 9th

You can watch it on: Viki

 

16. "The Eighth Sense"

Cast: Lim JiSub and Oh JunTaek

Summary: A university romance about the confusion often felt by college youth regarding life and love.

When: March 29

You can watch it on: Viki

 

17. "Love Mate"

Cast: Cho HanGyeol and Cho HyunMin

Summary: A heart-fluttering office romance between Haram, a bold newcomer, and Seo YiJun, a person who doesn't believe in love.

When: May 26

You can watch it on: Viki

 

18. "Weather Forecast Love"

Cast: Shin JeongYou, Woo JiHan

Summary: Follows two people who thought they were meant for one another and knew everything about each other, although they didn't talk much. But just like the weather forecast, their love is unpredictable.

When: November 10

You can watch it on: iQIYI

 

Bonus:

"Boys' Voice" - Web Variety

Cast: Han GiChan, Jeong MinGyu, Newkidd's Lee MinWook, Oh JinSeok

Summary: "Boys' Voice" is a reality program featuring four amateur voice actors and professional, Park YoHan. Together, they will embark on a journey to improve their voice acting skills in preparation for the Bomtoon webtoon, "Art Of Taming A Tiger". Fans will be able to see how the four rookies progress and immerse themselves in the art of voice acting.

When: August 17th

You can watch it on: YouTube

 

Which 2023 BL drama was your favorite?

 

Continuing the long-standing tradition of thrilling the hearts of fans with amazing and quality updates, in the 2nd week of May, many of our favorite actors left us in a state of awe, amazement, and sheer appreciation with their Instagram posts. With contents that ranged from ad campaigns, event sightings, new drama stills, magazines pictorials, or just adorable pictures to make the hearts of fans swell with love, this week, like many fans, we just couldn't get enough of the updates shared by these stars, and thankfully, they kept sharing more and more!

With our Instabuzz Weekly series, we curate a list of the best Instagram updates (pictures or reels) shared by our favorite idols and actors during the week. At the end of this themed article, we also host a fun poll asking our readers to pick their favorite update in the selection.

Please note that this poll will run from the 12th of May till the 18th of May.

Here are our picks of the top 15 Instagram updates by K-Drama actors this week.

 

1. Lee DongWook

Several slides of amazing pictures that will make you go "he is so handsome", the famous actor has been all everyone could talk about this week. Have you seen "Tale Of The Nine-Tailed 1938" yet?

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 이동욱 (Official_Instagram) (@leedongwook_official)

 

2. Park BoGum

A Visual! Park BoGum makes hearts race with his alluring features in these pictures for BIOTHERM.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by PARK BO GUM (@bogummy)

 

3. Moon SangMin

Looking dapper and super handsome, its all eyes on the rising actor as he graces the DIOR beauty event in Seoul.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 문상민 (@_sangmxn_)

 

4. Lee MinHo

The famous Hallyu actor celebrated his 17th year debut anniversary this week. We join the host of fans in wishing him a hearty congratulations.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 이민호 leeminho (@actorleeminho)

 

5. Im Jiyeon

Pretty is yellow, the popular actress embraces the bright and cheerful vibe of the season!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lim ji yeon (@limjjy2)

 

6. Ahn EunJin

Lending her stunning visuals to Harper's Bazaar, even in black and white, the rising actress looks spectacular!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 안은진 (@eunjin___a)

 

7. Jung HaeIn

Jung HaeIn at fashion and beauty events is always an iconic moment as he always looks stylish and dreamy it causes the internet to melt down.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 정해인 (@holyhaein)

 

8. Girl's Generation's YuRi

Girls just want to have fun.... in Disneyland!!! The famous idol shares the most adorable pictures of her and her fellow members Tiffany and SooYoung.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 권유리 ʏᴜʀɪ ᴋᴡᴏɴ I’m GK (@yulyulk)

 

9. Shin YeEun

Speechless! There are literally no words that can be used to perfectly describe how perfect these pictures are! Let's just bask in the beauty of the rising actress.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by @__shinyeeun

 

10. Cho HanGyeol

We are falling so hard for these two! Are you watching "Love Mate"?

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 조한결 (@cho.0910)