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. 

 

While we do like rom-coms and light stories, a good sad story once in a while is also enjoyable. Plus the more tragic it is, the more we tend to enjoy and get attached to the characters as well. And K-Dramas are good at tricking us into falling for characters with a tragic destiny. But luckily, most of the time, it is still a happy ending and we can ease our pain by enjoying some lovely romance.

And not only regular K-Dramas, but BL K-Dramas also make us go through a roller coaster of emotion. Some make us feel rather sad while still enjoying a passionate romance. And it's not all bad, because after crying a river, we can always enjoy the sweet romantic relationship of the characters. So hang on to your snacks and blanket, and get ready to cry over and over again with those 10 lovely yet sad BL dramas on your watchlist.

Note: this is not a ranking.

 

1. "Where Your Eyes Linger" (2020)

Cast: Han GiChan, Jang EuiSoo, Choi KyuRi, Jeon JaeYeong.

Summary: Han TaeJu is the rightful successor to his father's company, and he's got it all: looks, wealth, and popularity. Kang Gook, his childhood friend and bodyguard is also his only friend. TaeJu trusts Gook and is most comfortable around him. But everything changes when a new female student, Hye Mi, shows interest in Kang Gook, who also shows interest. As they go on a date, TaeJu becomes jealous and realizes his true feelings towards Gook. Will their friendship take a step further?

Reasons to watch: Based on the synopsis, "Where Your Eyes Linger" feels like your typical slice-of-life romance, but there are more plot twists than you could imagine. Without giving too many spoilers, TaeJu and Gook's relationship isn't going smoothly all along. Between love, hatred, and separation, you could get your heart broken more than once with this drama. When their love is so strong they get hurt for one another, we can only end up crying while waiting for their love to bloom.

 

2. "Color Rush" (2020) & "Color Rush 2" (2022)

Cast: Yoo Jun, Hur HyunJun, Baek SeoHoo, Min HyoGi (season 1) / Yoo Jun, VIXX's Hyuk, Oh YuJin, Baek SeoHoo, Min HyoGi (season 2).

Summary: In this world, there are two kinds of people, 'monos' and the others. A 'mono' is someone who cannot see colors. But all monos have a 'probe', a person who, while they're together, will allow them to see colors. Choi YeonWoo is mono, and he found his probe, a fellow student named YooHan. The two grew closer and developed a deep relationship due to their special link. But YeonWoo hides some secrets regarding his mother, and soon enough his past is coming back to haunt him.

Reasons to watch: First of all, the scenario of this drama is quite unique and worth the watch, plus, there are two seasons of this BL drama, meaning there is even more content to watch. Now the reasons this drama could be considered sad are various, and YeonWoo's past story is part of it. Once again, it would be hard to go into details without spoiling too much, but someone goes missing in the second part of the drama, and the story behind his disappearance is quite sad. Don't miss the chance to see this masterpiece, and discover the beautiful yet painful world of monos and probes.

 

3. "Peach Of Time" (2021)

Cast: Choi JaeHyun, Jimmy Karn Kritsanaphan, Tommy Sittichok Pueakpoolpol, Jun AeYun.

Summary: Peach decides to fly from Thailand to Korea only to meet his beloved Korean friend YoonOh. But while their encounter is so heartwarming, there is a darker reality that Peach was not prepared to face when he came to meet YoonOh. concerned by YoonOh's situation and his own feelings towards his friend, will Peach manage to help YoonOh fulfill his dream?

Reasons to watch: This BL drama is the very first Korean-Thai collaboration, and it's worth watching. The scenario is also quite unusual, and each episode will surely thrill you to watch the next one. But the secret that YoonOh has been keeping from his best friend Peach is what causes this drama to be among the saddest BL dramas. And while the story grows into a happy one, we can never forget YoonOh's real identity, and we can only cry until the very end, whatsoever.

 

4. "Kissable Lips" (2022)

Cast: Yoon SeoBin, ZEROBASEONE's Kim JiWoong.

Summary: JunHo is a vampire who wants to become a human and die normally. In order to do that, he has to drink the blood of a pure-blooded human. As he searches for one, he meets MinHyun, a pure-blooded human, who also happens to have feelings for JunHo. When love comes in the way of JunHo's plan, nothing happens as it was supposed to.

Reasons to watch: If you are already a fan of these actors, that is a first good reason to watch. But we're here for the heartbreaking part of this drama. JunHo's first objective was to finally be able to die normally. And even if his plans get disturbed, his objective is still the same, considering that, we cannot avoid getting our hearts broken by this drama and one specific scene. It's so hard to hold back our tears while seeing MinHyun cry his heart out for JunHo.

 

5. "Once Again" (2022)

Cast: Moon JiYong, Lee HyunJun, Kang WooJung.

Summary: Shin JaeWoo was saved from a murderer when he was a child, and he always felt guilty yet admirative towards his savior. 15 years after the incident, JaeWoo manages to meet with the man who saved him so long ago, and he wants to try to save him this time around, but can he really defy destiny?

Reasons to watch: This story includes time travel and fated love, who wouldn't like such a trope? But honestly, fate is also the reason why you will cry a river at the end of this drama. No matter how lovely the romantic relationship is, shedding some tears is unavoidable while watching "Once Again". So prepare your tissues and heart because this drama must be the saddest on this list.

 

6. "First Love Again" (2022)

Cast: Jeon ChangHa, Jin Geon, Song HanHee, Kim JeongSeok, Jung HyunJi (Christine Jung).

Summary: The popular web novelist YeonSeok has one big secret. He has been living for 300 years in order to achieve his first love. He is searching for his first love, HaYeon, who suddenly appears in front of him as a 25-year-old man. YeonSeok, who never thought his first love would be reborn as a man, pushes HaYeon away at first. However, because HaYeon is YeonSeok's editor at SinBi Books, YeonSeok can’t escape HaYeon and they naturally grow closer over time.

Reasons to watch: If you've watched the K-Drama "Goblin", you already know what you're in for, and why it's worth watching. Not that the stories are identical, but here again, we have some sort of goblin, YeonSeok lived for 300 years, and only finding his first love can break his curse. But here, the sad part is mostly YeonSeok's past, when we see his memories of his past loves with whom he could never be, it is truly heartbreaking. But luckily, YeonSeok's last relationship with HaYeon is successful and full of love for you to recover.

 

7. "Choco Milk Shake" (2022)

Cast: Ko HoJung, Kim SeongHyeok, Lee JaeBin, Park SeungBin.

Summary: JungWoo used to have two pets, a dog named Choco and a cat named Milk. Both passed away when he was still quite young, but somehow the three of them got reunited later, under different circumstances. Milk and Choco are now two handsome men but still insist on staying with JungWoo as they used to. This time, a different kind of love is going to fill the house.

Reasons to watch: The actors are playing so well with cat-like and dog-like personalities, and their relationships are just so lovely, you wouldn't want to miss on that. But if it seems all happy and nice, there is a sad twist plot at a point in the story, we let you discover it by yourself. And if Season 1 felt too short, or too sad for you, don't worry because Season 2 has been confirmed by the actors! While we have no official release date yet, we know that what we last saw in the drama isn't the end Of JungWoo, Choco, and Milk's story.

 

8. "The Director Who Buys Me Dinner" (2022)

Cast: Park YoungWoon, Park JeongWoo, Jang YouSung.

Summary: DongBaek is the new employee of Min Entertainment, but on his first day, he realizes he has been employed to work as the director's secretary. In a dead-end, DongBaek has no choice but to work for his director, YuDam, who strangely tries to get close to him. But if things couldn't get weirder, YuDam tells him that if he wants to live, he has to date him. When one remembers all three lives they spent together and the other has no clue, it's harder to win over one's heart.

Reasons to watch: Another fantastic story about destined love, how could we miss it? But once again, who says fate and curse also mean tragic accidents and heartbreaking scenes.  And we don't know what's more painful. The past that only YuDam can remember? DongBaek's ignorance of his past with YuDam? Or when the past repeats itself, yet once again? This drama surely has a lot of emotional scenes stored for you!

 

9. "A Shoulder To Cry On" (2023)

Cast: OMEGA X's JaeHan, OMEGA X's YeChan.

Summary: Lee DaYeol dreams of becoming an archery master, he encounters Jo TaeHyun, who picks on him shamelessly. But hate slowly turns into friendship and DaYeol gets to see that TaeHyun hides his feelings because of past wounds. Follow their blooming romance that walks the line between love and hate.

Reasons To Watch: if you're a FOR X, then you shouldn't miss on YeChan and JaeHan's amazing acting in this drama to begin with. But of course, the story of the drama is the most interesting part, as it explores the thin line between love and hate, and how easy it is to go from one to another. And of course, hate, unhealed past wounds, and repressed love are the cause of very heartbreaking and sad scenes. So for a good cry, make sure to watch "A Shoulder To Cry On".

 

10. "The Eighth Sense" (2023)

Cast: Lim JiSub, Oh JunTaek.

Summary: JiHyun comes from a rural town to study in the capital, but he has a hard time getting used to this new life. At university, he meets with JaeWon, a senior from the surfing club. As JiHyun joins the club, he grows closer to JaeWon, but their closeness is not welcomed by many of JaeWon's friends. As the son of a CEO, the expectations that weigh on him become an obstacle in his relationship with JiHyun. Between past trauma and present student struggles, will JiHyun and JaeWon's relationship be successful?

Reasons to watch: This drama touches upon a lot of serious issues, which already sets a specific tone for the story. And while the evolution of JiHyun and JaeWon's relationship is heartwarming and lovely at points, there are also a lot of obstacles they must face and overcome before being officially together. The past of JaeWon also comes back to haunt him, and this is enough to make you cry while watching this drama.

 

With all those sad dramas, you may cry not just a river but an entire ocean! But don't worry as much as there is sadness there is also love and happiness in those dramas, so make sure to fill your heart with love as well.

 

Make sure to let us know which of those dramas made you cry the most!

 

 

Are you a believer of Zodiac Signs? If you are, you might be interested to find out the Zodiac Sign of your favorite Korean Celebrities!

Get to know which Korean celebrities share the same Zodiac Sign as you!

May 21 - Jun 21

Those who are of Gemini star sign is known to be a fun person who is not only highly adaptable but also outgoing. Many enjoy spending time with Gemini as they are always interesting and in the center of attention. However, they can also be indecisive and nosy at certain time.

We referred to Wikipedia in Korea for the period of constellations.
Let's check Here! You can go into the link and check the "회귀황도대의 날짜 (Tropical date)".