“My ID is Gangnam Beauty” (2018), also called “Gangnam Beauty”, was a hit, with many overseas viewers falling in love with the K-Drama. Based on the webtoon of the same name by Gi MaengGi, it tells the story of MiRae who was bullied for her looks at school, leading her to get plastic surgery. She now enters her "new life" with a whole new face at university. While everyone is focused on what people look like, KyungSuk, MiRae’s fellow classmate, thinks differently, and MiRae learns what real “beauty” is.

While it is a rom-com, the story also touches on many deep topics such as lookism, sexism, the societal pressure to meet beauty standards, and the importance of realizing one’s inner beauty. The drama received a lot of positive reviews because of its various messages.

However, did you know that there is a Thai adaptation of the same webtoon and that with top Thai actors? Named "Beauty Newbie" (2024), the Thai drama is based on the same webtoon as the Korean drama. The airing just ended on April 2nd. Although the story largely remains the same, it focuses more on the female lead making her first-ever friend in her new life at university than the Korean show.

Let us introduce the cast to you:

MiRae (Im SooHyang) becomes Liu (Baifern), KyungSuk (ASTRO's Cha EunWoo) becomes Guy (Win), SooAh (Jo WooRi) becomes Faye (Jane), and WooYoung (Kwak DongYeon) becomes Saint (Great).

ChanWoo (Oh HeeJoon) becomes Mac (Mike), WonHo (Kim DoYeon) becomes Mok (Drake), and Eun (Park YooNa) becomes Ann (Emi).

Important Note: To avoid too many spoilers we will cover until episode 5 of the Thai drama. We can't cover all the points. Also, the comparison is done with the Korean drama and not the original webtoon. 

Here are a few differences we could notice between the Korean drama "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" (2018) and the Thai drama "Beauty Newbie" (2024) both based on the same webtoon.

 

Overall Differences

1. It's faster

The Korean drama consists of sixteen 60-minute episodes while the Thai drama only has fourteen 44-minute episodes, making it 344 minutes (or approximately 6 hours) shorter.

Since the Thai version is shorter, the drama starts way faster than the Korean drama, and all the main elements are quickly settled within the first minutes of the show. However, the Thai production still kept some key scenes, such as the face grading scenes (scenes where the female lead grades women's faces).

 

2. Its use of social media & cyberbullying

Like in some other GMMTV dramas such as “F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers”, the characters of “Beauty Newbie” are frequent users of social media. This leads to many cases of cyberbullying which were not present in the Korean drama.

The use of Instagram, X (Twitter), online messengers, online communities, and more are shown on screen and play an important role in the story and heavily impact the characters.

While both MiRae and Liu were victims of bullying in the past, Liu continues to struggle against online bullying at her university. Everywhere she turns, there are people talking behind her back or on the internet, not only in her department, but across the entire school

 

3. The fighting is more violent

Compared to the Korean drama, the Thai drama has more severe violence. The fight scenes are longer and taken to a higher level. If you don't like violence, don’t worry as it shouldn’t be anything that will stop you from watching.

KyungSuk does get into a few fights but the intensity of the fights is different from the ones Guy takes part in. We noticed more kicks, punches, and blood shown to viewers.

It might be a cultural difference or solely a choice to show that Guy is ready to be hurt for Liu.

 

Differences in the characters

4. Liu/MiRae: from a smart to a naive female lead

From the start, MiRae is quite smart and relatively quick-witted while Liu is much more naive. Their mental maturity seems different.

When Liu faces all the red flags of Faye, she still does not realize that she is being used and wronged. What is more, Liu does not side with Guy who is trying to help her. She keeps people who use her by her side and keeps the good ones far.

It seems that the Thai production wanted to make the growth of her character more significant and make her character more dependent on the two lead characters for their romantic interest.

 

5. Faye/SooAh: from a villain with flaws to a self-centered vicious lady

This character is one of the most striking differences between the two dramas, in its nature but also in screen time.

The Korean drama villain is SooAh even if some events later on seem to redeem her. SooAh is a liar, has ill feelings for MiRae, and manipulates guys for her gains.

However, in the Thai drama, Faye is more evil and vicious. You might wonder, "how is that even possible?".

Faye's mentality and behavior possess a darker edge, as she's prepared to go to any lengths to uphold her façade of the 'beautiful angel.' Despite her charming exterior, her actions are fueled by self-serving motives, leveraging her beauty and influence to manipulate situations in her favor, all while making any of her rivals hit low.

From the first episodes, she gets a lot of screen time and we know what she planning early while we know later for SooAh.

Liu is also much more under her manipulation, a real puppet. The first episodes portray how Faye is using Liu to give herself a better image. For example, after making sure everyone knows that Liu had plastic surgery and making people make negative comments about it, she would defend Liu. This whole plan makes her look like a "nice" person defending the weak, when really, she had planned it all.

Also, another difference is while SooAh hates being taken in pictures because of her trauma, Faye enjoys it and enjoys having her 'fanclub'/'followers' like Mok taking pictures of her, secretly or not.

The Thai production takes this character further to add more drama (read fun) and makes viewers even more engaged in hating Faye and hoping for Liu to listen to Guy. Also, the summary of the Thai drama mentions that Faye is Liu’s “first friend” ever, making her even more important to the story.

 

6. Saint/WooYoung: from a quick story use to a real second lead for a love triangle

In "My ID is Gangnam Beauty", WooYoung is a TA for the chemistry department and a neighbor of MiRae. He has a crush on her but this was mostly used to just move the plot forward and make MiRae date KyungSuk. He was not ever taken seriously as a potential boyfriend so there was never any real love triangle in the drama.

However, in "Beauty Newbie", Saint is much more than just "a oppa with a crush". He creates a love triangle, and makes some viewers feel the second lead syndrome. Furthermore, not only does he live in Liu’s neighborhood, he also lives next door. Living in the same building and floor, he always appears in her sphere.

Saint is also much more sweet and kind to the female lead than WooYoung. He also got the support of Liu's parents from the very first episode, while this happens later for WooYoung. Saint is one step ahead of Guy and a strong contestant for Liu's heart. He also has his own perfume lab on the rooftop of the building, which only makes Liu like him more and spend more time with him.

Saint is even on the main poster of the drama while WooYoung is not. The Thai drama has four characters while the Korean one has three.

The Thai production decided to make Saint a more important character to add more romance and make viewers invested in the love triangle. Also, Liu needed a real friend to help her mature and Saint gives her a lot of help on finding solutions and building self-esteem. The character of Saint is very much popular among the viewers.

 

7. Not as many friends for the female lead

MiRae makes a few close friends at school, adding on her already close friend and roommate HyunJung (Min DoHee). However, Liu is friends with Faye and her two friends and that is all. In the drama, she is mostly surrounded by men and them. Liu does not have a roommate/friend like HyunJung either.

We can guess that since the drama is shorter, the production decided to make Faye and Saint more present in the story. They had to make some choices on who to put the spotlight on in Liu's life.

 

8. Ann/Eun: quite similar but Ann is not Liu's friend but Guy's

Ann and (Yoo) Eun are quite similar. They are blunt and quick-witted. They are both quick to notice Faye/SooAh's true nature. Eun is the first one to know that SooAh was lying about living in Gangnam.

But we noticed that Ann is not as close to Liu than Eun is to MiRae. Also, unlike Ann, Eun is the representative of the department and much interest in what is happening among the students and doesn't hesitate to stand out.

Furthermore, Ann is a very close friend of Guy’s, whereas in the Korean drama, the characters of Eun and KyungSuk are not as close. The reason for this might be that there are no other students that match her mindset. This little twist is quite interesting. It seems that Ann is filling the void left by the character of Seo YooJin (Lee TaeSun), the male lead’s best friend, who is nowhere to be found in the Thai drama.

 

9. The "sunbae" vs Mac

You will mostly remember the "sunbae" named ChanWoo that annoys everyone and that includes Mirae. The Thai drama kept the character but changed a few things.

While in the Korean drama, ChanWoo grosses out everyone in the department with his actions and is not particularly attractive, Mac is just a senior who is physically attractive but has difficulties with dating.

Mac becomes interested in both Liu and Faye, and Faye, who he prefers, manipulates him by confessing to him. Eventually, he turns violent towards Liu, but luckily, she is saved by Guy. This is exactly like in the Korean drama. The cafeteria scene and the kick-out scene were both kept with each their own twists.

However, there are quite a few differences from the Korean drama. MiRae was never really interested in ChanWoo, who didn't quite have the charm – mentally or physically – and even showed some borderline aggression in the first episodes. On the other hand, Mac seemed like a much better fit from the start, which is why Liu decided to give him a chance.

We can't be sure of the reason for these changes, but we can guess that the impact on Liu's mental would be bigger if she was interested in this character but then threatened by him.

 

10. Guy's sister is free to do her broadcast

In "My ID Gangnam Beauty", KyungSuk's sister hides from her family to do her broadcast and covers her face with masks to keep secret her identity. But in "Beauty Newbie", Guy's sister is openly doing her broadcasts, face fully shown on camera, and is supported by both her father and brother. They even help her fix some of her props, something we would never see with KyungSuk’s family. Also in the Thai drama, the sister is a bit older.

We guess that since the Thai production had to shorten the story, they removed this element of the story that required more scenes in the Korean drama.

 

11. Professors are involved in the school tensions

In the Thai drama, professors (administrative professors) are involved in the trouble students are facing. If students fight, they are called and receive a punishment. The characters are more responsible for their actions and they are asked about it and face punishment for it. In the Korean drama, WooYoung is the TA and takes care of these.

As seen earlier, WooYoung and Saint are different in both dramas, so we can guess the Thai production did not want to give him this role at school in the drama. Saint is here to support Liu emotionally and as a man and not as a school authority. He also makes his stands clear in front of the professors when she is facing difficulties.

 

Differences in the story

12. A different level of the "bathroom kick-out" scene ft. kendo

One of the most famous scenes of "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" is KyungSuk kicking ChanWoo (or "the sunbae") in the bathroom to save MiRae. In this scene, everyone is scared to stop ChanWoo from screaming and threatening MiRae. KyungSuk jumps in and fights the sunbae putting him K.O. on the toilet seat.

Are you not curious how the Thai version portrayed this scene?

The fight scene was a bit different. Mac threatens Liu that he will reveal to everyone her pre-surgery picture by clicking on the remote if she does not agree with what he wants. Guy jumps in the room and intervenes. Since Guy does Kendo, he takes the broom from Mac's hands and makes a few moves. He ends up hurting his hand and bleeding but Mac is defeated.

While the two dramas use a broom, the result is different. Also, students were not helping Liu because they were curious about the picture while students were not helping MiRae because they were scared of the sunbae. The Thai version went for a longer scene for more impact and painted Guy as Liu's savior.

 

13. MiRae & KyungSuk vs Liu & Guy

In the first episodes of "My ID is Gangnam Beauty", MiRae and KyungSuk are not close but MiRae has no hatred towards him, whereas Liu as a deep resentment of Guy. Their relationships have different starting points. Even if Guy helps Liu at various times, she always has a reason to hate him even more and does not let him explain himself.

The Thai drama production team decided to put one more obstacle for Guy and Liu to get closer. It has a small taste of a "from enemies to lovers" trope.

 

14. Liu's dad is aware of her plastic surgery

In the Korean version, only MiRae's mom knows about her plastic surgery (and was the only one who agreed on it!). It's a big secret to her dad, who only finds out later on and is greatly impacted by it.

However, in the Thai drama, the dad knows about her plastic surgery just like the mom and is just as supportive from the start, which makes for quite a big difference in the story.

Just like KyungSuk's sister, this aspect of the drama has been omitted.

 

15. The whole school accessed Liu's pre-surgery picture

In “My ID is Gangnam Beauty,” MiRae’s department does know that she had plastic surgery but they don’t have access to her pre-surgery picture. However, in "Beauty Newbie", the whole school accessed it as it was spread through social media. The trauma for Liu and the hardships to overcome seem much bigger than MiRae with this element.

 

Bonus: Liu/MiRae pre-surgery face stay not shown to drama viewers

We were happy to see that the Thai production also chose to not reveal on screen the pre-surgery face of the lead character. She is seen with a blur or a mask.

The Korean drama never revealed her face, showing only her eyes or her back, because the production team did not want to create a standard for what is ‘ugly’ or not. The Korean director Choi SungBum talked about it before and highlighted that "it is unethical to create a fixed definition of ugliness in a drama that strives to find the real meaning of beauty" as translated by The Korea Herald (here). They left it up to the viewers' imagination to represent the "ugly"/"unattractive" face.

 

Bonus: The outfits for the school festival stay similar

Do you remember the scene when the girls of the department were forced to wear these revealing outfits to sell drinks at the uni festival? It stayed the same in the Thai drama.

To give you a bit of a spoiler, Liu is the victim of sexual harassment but the men in her department do not take her side because "it is her job to make customers satisfied".

Let us share one shocking line. Faye has customers staring at her chest and taking illegal pictures so she goes to ask for help from one of the men of the department. He then decides to send Liu to that table and says to Faye: "It's okay. She's all plastic. A bit of staring and touching wouldn't tarnish her, unlike a natural beauty like you."

 

You can watch the drama for free and officially with subs on GMMTV YouTube below:

Most of the Korean actors have Instagram and some have an impressive amount of followers! Some have been using Instagram actively while some do not really keep it updated. Some actors also just created their Instagram recently and are still gathering followers.

Here are the most followed Korean actors on Instagram and then a rough ranking of over 100 actors' Instagram accounts. If you are not following your favorite actors' Instagram, it is time to do so.

All data were updated on February 22 (latest update), 2024, at 3 PM KST. We regularly update as the numbers keep on increasing and the ranking is changing.

Important Notice: only a few acting-dols have been included according to our criteria (January 2022) made with readers. Check them down the page. 

 

1. ASTRO's Cha EunWoo - 42.6m followers - @eunwo.o_c

Note: Cha EunWoo has over 2 main lead roles including "Rookie Historian Goo HaeRyung" and "True Beauty".

 

2. Lee MinHo - 34.9m followers - @actorleeminho

 

3. Lee JongSuk - 26.5m followers - @jongsuk0206

 

4. Ji ChangWook - 26.8m followers - @jichangwook

 

5. Park SeoJun - 25.9m followers - @bn_sj2013

 

6. EXO's ChanYeol - 24.1m followers - @real__pcy

Note: ChanYeol was the lead actor in the movie "The Box" and had supporting roles in "Missing 9" and "Memories of the Alhambra".

 

7. Song Kang - 21.1m followers - @songkang_b

 

8. Hwang InYoup - 19.4m followers - @hi_high_hiy

 

9. Nam JooHyuk - 19m followers - @skawngur

 

10. Lee DongWook by his agency - 18.1m followers - @leedongwook_official

 

11. T.O.P - 17.7m followers - @choi_seung_hyun_tttop

Note: T.O.P was the lead actor in the movies "Commitment", "Tazza: The Hidden Card", and more.

 

12. Kim SooHyun - 14.5m followers - @soohyun_k216

 

13. Ahn HyoSeop - 13.6m followers - @imhyoseop

 

14. Park HyungSik - 12.4m followers - @phs1116

Note: Park HyungSik was the lead actor in "Strong Girl BongSoon", "Happiness", and more.

 

15. Song JoongKi by his agency - 11.9m followers - @hi_songjoongki

 

16. Jung HaeIn - 11.3m followers - @holyhaein

 

17. EXO's SuHo - 11.1m followers - @kimjuncotton

Note: SuHo was the lead actor in the drama "Rich Man" and the movie "One Way Trip", among other projects.

 

18. Wi HaJun - 10.8m followers - @wi__wi__wi

 

19. Lee DoHyun - 9.8m followers - @ldh_sky

 

20. SHINee's Key - 9.8m followers - @bumkeyk

Note: Key was the lead actor in the drama "The Guardians" and had supporting roles in the drama "Drinking Solo" and the movie "Hit-and-Run Squad".

 

21. Kim SeonHo - 9.8m followers - @seonho__kim

 

22. GOT7's JinYoung - 9.6m followers - @jinyoung_0922jy

Note: JinYoung was the lead actor in "He Is Psychometric", "The Devil Judge", and more.

 

23. Kim MinGue - 9.2m followers -  @mingue.k

 

24. Choi WooShik - 9m followers - @dntlrdl

 

25. SUPER JUNIOR's SiWon - 8.8m followers - @siwonchoi

Note: SiWon was the lead actor in "Revolutionary Love", "My Fellow Citizens!", and more.

 

26. SUPER JUNIOR's DongHae - 7.1m followers - @leedonghae

Note: Donghae was the lead actor in "Miss Panda and Mr. Hedgehog", "Oh! Young-shim", and more.

 

27. 2PM's JunHo - 7.1m followers - @le2jh

Note: JunHo was the lead actor in "Wok of Love", "The Red Sleeve", etc

 

28. Kim Beom - 6.9m followers - @k.kbeom

 

29. RoWoon - 6.7m followers- @ewsbdi

Note: RoWoon was the lead actor in "Extraordinary You", "She Would Never Know", and more.

 

30. Lee JoonGi - 6.7m followers - @actor_jg

 

31. Hwang MinHyun - 6.5m followers -@optimushwang

Note: Hwang MinHyun was the lead actor in the drama "Live On" and "Alchemy of Souls" (Parts 1 and 2).

 

32. Lee JaeWook - 6.5m followers - @jxxvvxxk

 

33. Lomon - 6.4m followers - @lomon991111

 

34. Ji Soo - 6.3 m followers -@actor_jisoo

 

35. Woo DoHwan - 5.8m followers - @wdohwan

 

36. Choi HyunWook - 5.3m followers - @_choiiii__

 

37. Kim WooBin - 5.1m followers -@____kimwoobin

 

38. Kim YoungDae - 5m followers- @youngdae0302

 

Here are more actors' Instagram followers numbers and accounts.

Over 4m followers

Lee KwangSoo (@masijacoke850714), Yeo JinGoo (@yeojin9oo), Yoon ChanYoung (@yooncy1), Lee SeungGi (@leeseunggi.official), Lee JungJae (@from_jjlee), Park JiHoon (@0529.jihoon.ig) [Park JiHoon was the lead actor in "Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency" and "At a Distance, Spring is Green"], Lee SooHyuk (@leesoohyuk), CNBLUE's Kang MinHyuk (@mr_kanggun) [Kang MinHyuk was the lead actor in the drama "Hospital Ship" and the movie "The Princess and the Matchmaker"], Seo InGuk (@seo_cccc), Gong Yoo (@gongyoo_official), Park BoGum (@bogummy), Byeon WooSeok (@byeonwooseok), Ahn BoHyun (@bohyunahn)

 

Over 3m followers

Ahn JaeHyun (@aagbanjh), Ong SeongWu (@osw_onge) [Ong SeongWu was the lead actor in "At Eighteen" and "More Than Friends"], BTOB's Yook SungJae (@yook_can_do_it) [Yook SungJae was the lead actor in "Who Are You: School 2015", "Mystic Pop-up Bar", etc], Ryu JunYeol (@ryusdb), Kim MyungSoo (@kim_msl) [Kim MyungSoo was the lead actor in "Angel's Last Mission: Love", "Royal Secret Agent", etc], Kim JongKook (@kjk76), Jang KiYong (@juanxkui), Kwak DongYeon (@kwakdongyeon0), Jung IlWoo (@jilwww), SHINee's MinHo (@choiminho_1209) [MinHo was the lead actor in movies "Derailed", "The Battle of Jangsari", and more], Seo KangJoon (@seokj1012), Lee HyunWoo (@hihyunwoo), 2PM's TaecYeon (@taecyeonokay) [TaecYeon was the lead actor in "The Game: Towards Zero", "Secret Royal Inspector & Joy", etc], EXO's D.O. (@d.o.hkyungsoo) [D.O. was the lead actor in "100 Days My Prince" and "Bad Prosecutor"]

 

Over 2m followers

CNBLUE's Jung YongHwa (@jyheffect0622) [Jung YongHwa was the lead actor in "Heartstrings", "Sell Your Haunted House", and more], Lee HongKi (@skullhong12) [Lee HongKi was the lead actor in "Bride of the Century", "Modern Farmer" and more], Jin Goo (@actor_jingoo), Song IlGook (@songilkook), Yoo AhIn (@hongsick), Park HaeSoo (@haesoopark_official), JinYoung (@jinyoung0423) [JinYoung was the lead actor in the movie "The Dude in Me", the drama "Police University" and more], Kim MinJae (@real.be), TVXQ's YunHo (@yunho2154) [YunHo was the lead actor in "Heading to the Ground", "Meloholic", etc], Kim HyunJoong (@hyunjoong860606) [Kim HyunJoong was the lead actor in "Boys Over Flowers", "Playful Kiss", etc], Kang TaeOh (@kto940620), Bae InHyuk (@inhyuk_bb), Yoo YeonSeok (@yoo_yeonseok), Lee JeHoon (@leejehoon_official), Yoo InSoo (@k.a_innsoo), Kim JaeJoong (@jj_1986_jj) [Kim JaeJoong was the lead actor in "Triangle", "Manhole", etc], Jo ByungGyu (@bk_arta), VIXX's N (@achahakyeon) [N or Cha HakYeon acted in "Tunnel", "Ms. Perfect", "Familar Wife", "Children of Nobody", "Mine", "Bad and Crazy", etc], RyeoUn (@_ryeoun)

 

Over 1m followers

Hong JongHyun (@hjonghyun), Sung Hoon (@sunghoon1983), Kim YoungKwang (@aksakfn12), Kim DongHee (@kim_d.he), NamKoong Min (@min_namkoong), Highlight's Yoon DooJoon (@beeeestdjdjdj) [Yoon DooJoon was the lead actor in "Radio Romance", "Let's Eat 3", etc], Lee SangYeob (@sangyeob), Ji Sung (@justin_jisung), Kim MinGi (@mingi_1122), Choi JinHyuk (@real_jinhyuk), Kim JungHyun (@jhkim0405), Song SeungHeon (@songseungheon1005), Choi TaeJoon (@actorctj), Gong Myung (@0myoung_0526), Im SiWan (@yim_siwang) [Im SiWan was the lead actor in "Misaeng: Incomplete Life", "Strangers from Hell", etc], Kim DoWan (@kimdwan_), Ham SungMin (@hsm_0314_vv), Chae JongHyeop (@chaejh_), Kim JaeUck (@jaeuck.kim), Nam YoonSu (@nam_yoonsu), Heo SungTae (@heosungtae), Kim SungCheol (@sungcheol2), Go KyungPyo (@kopular), Jo WooJae (@ophen28), Lee YiKyung (@luvlk89), Kim JiHun (@jiraishin99), Moon SangMin (@_sangmxn_), Kim JiHun (@jiraishin99), Shin SeungHo (@seungho__shin), Jung GunJoo (@jrjswn), Lee ShinYoung (@leesin_y), Jung KyungHo (@jstar_allallj), Kim HyunJin (@pat8mat), VICTON's ByungChan (@b__yccn) [ByungChan was the lead actor in "Live On" and "The King's Affection"], Highlight's Lee GiGwang (@gttk0000) [GiGwang was the lead actor in "Lovely Horribly" and "Circle"], Kim JaeWon (@rlawodnjs_), Lee TaeRi (@tae_rii_), Na InWoo (@10042n00), Zo InSung (@zoinsung_official),

 

Over 500k followers

Yoon HyunMin (@yoonhyunmin), Shin SungRok (@shin_sung_rok), Joo Won (@zu.won_moon.jun.won), INFINITE's SungYeol (@sungyeol_827) [SungYeol was the lead actor in "Hi! School: Love On" and "Love Returns"], Kim DongJun (@super_d.j) [Kim DongJun was the lead actor in the movie "A Way Station", the drama "More than Friends", and more], Lee TaeHwan (@leetaehwan0221), Ju JiHoon (@_jujihoon), Jang GeunSuk (@_asia_prince_jks), UKISS's Jun (@real_2junyoung) [Jun or Lee JunYoung was the lead actor in "Imitation", "Let Me Be Your Knight", and more], Im JuHwan (@uhwan__lim), Nam DaReum by his mother (@namdareum_mom), Lee TaeVin (@taevin.lee), Yoon JongHoon (@yoonjongactor_official), Kim JaeYoung (@darealkjy), Im JaeHyuk (@jhyuk.im), Ahn SeungGyun (@tmdrbs782), Son SangYeon (@02s_sy), Bae HyeonSeong (@baehyeonseong_), Choi SiHun (@choi_hun2), Park JungWoo (@jjung_woo_), Choo YoungWoo (@cu.young), Lee JongWon (@wonjong_), Park SungHoon (@boxabum), Yoon SeoBin (@seobin.1214), Shin JaeHa (@shin_jae_ha), Park JiBin (@impactorpjb), Choi MinYeong (@choi_minyeong), Kim SuGyeom (@su_gyeom_), Seo JiHoon (@jihux), Ahn JaeHong (@aahnjaehong), Lee ChanHyeong (@nakktaa_), Lee JungHa (@jungha.km), Yang SeJong (@bell.ysj), Yoo SeungHo (@dandyoo93_official), etc.

 

Over 250k followers

Lee HoWon (@isayhousayya) [Lee HoWon or Hoya was the lead actor in the drama "Reply 1997", the movie "HIYA", etc], Yoon ShiYoon (@moa_ent), Bong TaeGyu (@taegyu_bong), Um KiJoon (@werther777), Kang Hui (@kanghui_), Han GiChan (@han_gi_chan), Song GeonHee (@songgeonhee), Sung Jun (@thuggyduck), Lee WonKeun (@lilyjardin), Jang EuiSoo (@jesoo122), Han SeJin (@ahoi_ing), Yoo Jun (@yyjjun_xx), Lee SaeOn (@leesaeon), Ki DoHun (@kidohun), Song JaeRim (@jaelim_song), Soon WooHyun (@sonwoohyeon7), Kim KangMin (@______kangman), Kang InSoo (@insoo_casper), Jung GaRam (@rram_iiii), Kang YouSeok (@youseok_), Lee JungJun (@right_jun_), Ryu KyungSoo (@ryurudtn), Park HeeSoon (@park_hee_soon), Kim NamGil (@namgildaero), Yoon HyunSoo (@hyvn_soo), etc.

 

No Instagram

Kang DongWon, Won Bin, Yang SeJong, Hyun Bin, Lee SeoJin, Jo JungSuk, Lee JangWoo, Yoon KyeSang, Shin HaKyun, and more have no Instagram.

Yoon KyunSang and Park HaeJin accounts are no longer available.

So JiSub (@soganzi_51), Jang DongYoon (@dongyoon_0712), and Kang HaNeul (@kanghaneul_official) have Instagram too.

 

Acting-dols criteria (January 2022): 

Due to the huge number of idols in the acting field, we have tried to limit the list to idols genuinely active in acting and not to all the idols acting. At Kpopmap, we always prioritize the opinions of our readers first. That is why these criteria have been made out of readers' opinions. We held a poll (here) and we opened an open discussion on Reddit (here). You've asked us to be stricter in our criteria and so here are the new rules.

. In a K-Drama, Netflix Original drama, or a movie: 

• Two lead roles (was clearly one of the main characters)

or

• One lead role and 2 supporting roles

or

• More than 4 supporting roles

. Guest roles can't be considered supporting roles

. Only dramas over 6 episodes (special and short dramas are excluded)

. Only movies released in Korean theaters (not just online) (at the exception of Netflix original movies)

. No web dramas (exception for Netflix)

. Only Korean releases

Kpopmap's criteria for acting-dols are not absolute or the right answer. It is just criteria applied in the content of Kpopmap. And these criteria can change according to the trends or fans' opinions.

 

The other acting-dols have been included in the following article:

 

Did we miss anyone? Let us know in the comments!

On Kpopmap, the two rankings of the most followed actors and idols have received a lot of interest. A lot of idols have also been acting so we've decided to make a new ranking compiling all the male K-Pop idols and all the actors in one list.

Here are the most followed male Korean celebrities on Instagram and then a rough ranking of other celebs' Instagram accounts.

Data were retrieved on February 18, 2024, at 12:00 PM KST. We are updating the article regularly.

 

1. BTS' V - 64m followers - @thv

 

2. BTS' JiMin - 53.2m followers - @j.m

 

3. BTS' j-hope - 48.8m followers - @uarmyhope

 

4. BTS' Suga - 48.5m followers - @agustd

 

5. BTS' Jin - 48m followers - @jin

 

6. BTS' RM - 45.5m followers - @rkive

 

7. ASTRO's Cha EunWoo - 42.6m followers - @eunwo.o_c

 

8. Lee MinHo - 34.9m followers - @actorleeminho

 

9. GOT7's Jackson Wang - 33m followers - @jacksonwang852g7

 

10. Ji ChangWook - 26.8m followers - @jichangwook

 

11. Lee JongSuk - 26.5m followers - @jongsuk0206

 

12. Park SeoJun - 25.9m followers - @bn_sj2013

 

13. EXO's ChanYeol - 24.1m followers - @real__pcy

 

14. EXO's SeHun - 23.4m followers - @oohsehun

 

15. BIGBANG's G-Dragon - 22.3m followers - @xxxibgdrgn

 

16. EXO's BaekHyun - 22m followers - @baekhyunee_exo

 

17. Song Kang - 21m followers - @songkang_b

 

18. Hwang InYoup - 19.4m followers - @hi_high_hiy

 

19. Nam JooHyuk - 19m followers - @skawngur

 

20. Lee DongWook by his agency - 18m followers - @leedongwook_official

 

21. GOT7's Bambam - 17.7m followers - @bambam1a

 

22. T.O.P - 17.7m followers - @choi_seung_hyun_tttop

 

23. TXT's YeonJun - 17.3m followers - @yawnzzn

 

24. NCT's JaeHyun - 16.1m followers - @_jeongjaehyun

 

25. BIGBANG's TaeYang - 15.9m followers - @__youngbae__

 

26. EXO's Kai - 14.7m followers - @zkdlin

 

27. Kim SooHyun - 14.5m followers - @soohyun_k216

 

28. EXO's Lay Zhang - 14.2m followers - @layzhang

 

29. GOT7's Mark Tuan - 14.1m followers - @marktuan

 

30. NCT's JaeMin - 14.1m followers - @na.jaemin0813

 

31. Ahn HyoSeop - 13.5m followers - @imhyoseop

 

32. GOT7's YuGyeom - 12.4m followers - @yugyeom

 

33. NCT's Mark - 12.8m followers - @onyourm_ark

 

34. SEVENTEEN's MinGyu - 12.8m followers - min9yu_k

 

35. Lucas - 12m followers - @lucas_xx444

 

36. Park HyungSik - 12.3m followers - @phs1116

 

37. Stray Kids' Felix - 12.2m followers - (@yong.lixx)

 

38. NCT's DoYoung - 12.1m followers - @do0_nct

 

39. Song JoongKi - 11.9m followers - @hi_songjoongki

 

40. NCT's TaeYong - 11.5m followers - @taeoxo_nct

 

41. Jung HaeIn - 11.3m followers - @holyhaein

 

42. NCT's Ten - 11.3m followers - @tenlee_1001

 

43. EXO's SuHo - 11.1m followers - @kimjuncotton

Here are more Korean male celebrities' Instagram followers numbers and accounts.

Over 10m followers

Wi HaJun (@wi__wi__wi), NCT's Johnny (@johnnyjsuh), Stray Kids' HyunJin (@hynjinnnn)

 

Over 9m followers

GOT7's JinYoung (@jinyoung_0922jy), SHINee's Key (@bumkeyk), NCT's Yuta (@yuu_taa_1026), Kim SeonHo (@seonho__kim), Lee DoHyun (@ldh_sky), Choi WooShik (@dntlrdl), NCT's RenJun (@yellow_3to3)

 

Over 8m followers

Henry (@henryl89), EXO's Xiumin (@e_xiu_o), NCT's WinWin (@wwiinn_7), NCT's HaeChan (@haechanahceah), SUPER JUNIOR's SiWon (@siwonchoi), SEVENTEEN's The8 (@xuminghao_o), SEVENTEEN's Joshua (@joshu_acoustic), TXT's SooBin (@page.soobin)

 

Over 7m followers

NCT's XiaoJun (@djxiao_888), NCT's Kun (@kun11xd), NCT's Hendery (@i_m_hendery), NCT's YangYang (@yangyang_x2), SUPER JUNIOR's DongHae (@leedonghae), SEVENTEEN's S.Coups (@sound_of_coups), SEVENTEEN's SeungKwan (@pledis_boos), SEVENTEEN's Vernon (@vernonline), SEVENTEEN's Hoshi (@ho5hi_kwon), SEVENTEEN's WonWoo (@everyone_woo), SEVENTEEN's JeongHan (@jeonghaniyoo_n), SEVENTEEN's DK (@dk_is_dokyeom), 2PM's JunHo (@le2jh), Stray Kids' Bang Chan (@gnabnahc), Stray Kids' ChangBin (@jutdwae), Stray Kids' SeungMin (@miniverse.___)

 

Over 6m followers

GOT7's YoungJae (@333cyj333), WINNER's Mino (@realllllmino), SUPER JUNIOR's YeSung (@yesung1106_), GOT7's Jay B (@jaybnow.hr), Lee JoonGi (@actor_jg), Lomon (@lomon991111), Kim Bum (@k.kbeom), Lee JaeWook (@jxxvvxxk), NCT's Taeil (@mo.on_air), Hwang MinHyun (@optimushwang), RoWoon (@ewsbdi), SEVENTEEN's WooZi (@woozi_universefactory), Stray Kids' I.N (i.2.n.8), Ji Soo (@actor_jisoo)

 

Over 5m followers

ASTRO's MoonBin (@moon_ko_ng), SUPER JUNIOR's HeeChul (@kimheenim), SHINee's TaeMin (@xoalsox), SUPER JUNIOR's Lee Teuk (@xxteukxx), Woo DoHwan (@wdohwan), NCT's JungWoo (@sugaringcandy), Kim WooBin ( @____kimwoobin), Kim YoungDae (@youngdae0302)

 

Over 4m followers

Zico (@woozico0914), Kang Daniel (@daniel.k.here), Lee KwangSoo (@masijacoke850714), Yeo JinGoo (@yeojin9oo), Dawn (@hyojong_1994), Yoon ChanYoung (@yooncy1), Lee SeungGi (@leeseunggi.official), Eric Nam (@ericnam), B.I (@shxxbi131), Lee JungJae (@from_jjlee), Lee SooHyuk (@leesoohyuk), Park JiHoon (@0529.jihoon.ig), CNBLUE's Kang MinHyuk (@mr_kanggun), Seo InGuk (@seo_cccc), Gong Yoo (@gongyoo_official), Ahn BoHyun (@bohyunahn)

 

Over 3m followers

Seo KangJoon (@seokj1012), Ahn JaeHyun (@aagbanjh), Ryu JunYeol (@ryusdb), Kim JongKook (@kjk76), Jang KiYong (@juanxkui), Kwak DongYeon (@kwakdongyeon0), Ong SeongWu (@osw_onge), BTOB's Yook SungJae (@yook_can_do_it), INFINITE's L / Kim MyungSoo (@kim_msl), iKON's Bobby (@bobbyindaeyo), WEi's Kim YoHan (@y_haa.n), Jung IlWoo (@jilwww), CNBLUE's Lee JungShin (@leejungshin91), SHINee's MinHo (@choiminho_1209), Lee HyunWoo (@hihyunwoo), iKON's Jay (@gnani_____), ASTRO's SanHa (@ddana_yoon), Rain (@rain_oppa), 2PM's TaecYeon (@taecyeonokay), ASTRO's JinJin (@ast_jinjin), ASTRO's MJ (@mj_7.7.7), Rocky (@p_rocky)

 

Over 2m followers

Jin Goo (@actor_jingoo), Song IlKook (@songilkook), Yoo AhIn (@hongsick), Park HaeSoo (@haesoopark_official), Kim MinJae (@real.be), CNBLUE's Jung YongHwa (@jyheffect0622), FTISLAND's Lee HongKi (@skullhong12), iKON's Song (@sssong_yh), iKON's DK (@_dong_ii), iKON's Chan (@chan_w000), WINNER's Yoon (@w_n_r00), KARD's BM (@bigmatthewww), SHINee's Onew (@dlstmxkakwldrl), SUPER JUNIOR's ShinDong (@earlyboysd), WonHo (@iwonhoyou), TVXQ's YunHo (@yunho2154), B1A4's JinYoung (@jinyoung0423), iKON's JuNe (@juneeeeeeya), Kim HyunJoong (@hyunjoong860606), Crush (@crush9244)