Kim Ji-hye, Shin Hye-sun Defeated! The Top 10 Best Actresses in Korean Drama: Godly Beauty, Dramatic Transformation, and Guaranteed Viewing Quality

Korean dramas have diverse themes, and the ability of actors to portray different backgrounds often becomes the key to the success of a drama. Korean netizens have been actively sharing their lists of 'actresses with the best acting skills,' with many acknowledged powerhouse actresses making the list, including Kim Ji-hye from 'Tears of the Queen,' Kim Hye-ryung from 'Running with Good Fortune,' and Kim Go-eun from 'Goblin.' Shin Hye-sun, known as the 'Zero Negative Review Acting Troupe,' is also included. Below is a compilation of the 10 powerhouse Korean drama actresses that Korean netizens are discussing. Who is the best actress in Korean drama? Netizens vote for the top 10. Top 10 Best Actresses in Korean Drama｜Shin Hye-sun 'Sarah's Fake Life,' 'Secret Audit' Shin Hye-sun has always been recognized by Korean netizens as one of the most stable powerhouse actresses. 'My Golden Glorious Life' elevated her to the first line. 'Although 30 but Still 17' delicately portrayed a character who is 30 years old physically but has a 17-year-old mind. 'Cheorin Queen' further reached her career peak with her explosive body language and contrasting performance of male and female soul swapping. Shin Hye-sun's 'Sarah's Fake Life' and 'Secret Audit' released this year also received high praise. In particular, 'Sarah's Fake Life' challenged a complex character who walks between the upper class and the dark world, once again showcasing her amazing role creation ability. 'Secret Audit' Shin Hye-sun (Image source: imdb) Top 10 Best Actresses in Korean Drama｜Su Hyun-jin 'A Box of Memories,' 'Love Me' Su Hyun-jin, formerly a member of an idol group, has gradually established her position as the 'Queen of Romantic Comedies' after her transformation into an actress. 'Again, Brilliant Heritage,' and 'Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim' are her representative works. She excels in portraying roles in a delicate and life-like manner. Whether it's comedy, breakdown, or tear-jerking scenes, she is very convincing. In recent years, she has actively broken out of her comfort zone, challenging more mature and dark character settings in works such as 'A Box of Memories' in 2024. In 2026, she played an obstetrician 'Su Jun-kyung' in the Korean drama 'Love Me' (러브 미), and her acting was once again noticed. Su Hyun-jin 'A Box of Memories' (Image source: IMDb) Top 8 Best Actresses in Korean Drama｜Kim Go-eun 'Goblin,' 'Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life' Kim Go-eun has grown from a movie newcomer to a top Korean actress. 'Goblin,' a Lonely and Radiant God let her become popular throughout Asia. 'Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life' created another masterpiece with her natural acting close to modern women's lives. In recent years, in the movie 'Breaking In,' she played a mysterious shaman, sparking heated discussions with her extremely tense exorcism ceremony performance, once again proving that she is not only good at romance dramas but can also handle suspense and fantasy themes. Kim Go-eun (Image source: imdb) Top 7 Best Actresses in Korean Drama｜Lee Bo-young 'My Shining Star' Lee Bo-young excels at portraying strong, calm female roles and can perfectly express the complexity of their inner selves. 'My Daughter, Seo-young,' and 'Hear Your Voice' both achieved remarkable results. Her recent works 'My Shining Star' and 'Agency' showcase the struggle of women between power and family, and are seen by many viewers as a 'guaranteed hit.' Top 6 Best Actresses in Korean Drama｜Kim Do-yeon 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo,' 'A Hundred Encounters' Kim Do-yeon, who made a splash with the movie 'The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion,' is praised as the 'monster newcomer' of the Korean film industry. In 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo,' she played a high-IQ, distinctive character Jo Yeo-joo, not only breaking the stereotype of Korean drama heroines but also earning her the Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actress. Afterwards, Kim Do-yeon showcased delicate realistic love scenes in 'That Year, We,' and her new work 'A Hundred Encounters' once again proved that she can skillfully portray characters of different eras and personalities. 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' (Image source: JTBC) Top 5 Best Actresses in Korean Drama｜Kim Hye-ryung 'A Day Found by Chance,' 'Running with Good Fortune' Kim Hye-ryung first gained attention for her role as a villainous genius student in 'SKY Castle.' She then showcased her lively and dynamic comedic charm in 'A Day Found by Chance.' However, it was 'Running with Good Fortune' that truly skyrocketed her popularity. In the drama, she traverses different timelines, naturally switching between sweet romance, regret, and sadness. Many viewers believe that her performance is one of the key reasons for the drama's success. Top 5 Best Actresses in Korean Drama Kim Hye-ryung (Image source: imdb) Top 4 Best Actresses in Korean Drama｜Yeom Hye-ran 'Dark Glory,' 'Sweet & Sour' Although Yeom Hye-ran often plays supporting roles in dramas, she frequently becomes the highlight of the entire drama and is praised as the 'strongest green leaf.' For example, in 'Dark Glory,' she played a vengeful mother; in 'Mask Girl,' she played an obsessive and crazy character; and in 'Sweet & Sour,' she portrayed a simple and resilient mother image, all showcasing her amazing role transformation ability. She has also consecutively won the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Supporting Actress. Netflix 'Sweet & Sour' (Image source: acefactory.official@instagram, IMDb official website) Top 3 Best Actresses in Korean Drama｜Kim Ji-hye 'Three Flow Path,' 'Tears of the Queen' Kim Ji-hye has been gaining popularity since 'Heirs,' 'Descendants of the Sun,' and has been proving her skills step by step with 'Three Flow Path,' 'My Out-of-the-Box Life.' In particular, in 'Tears of the Queen,' she played the cold-hearted but warm-hearted heiress Hong Hae-rin, perfectly capturing emotions of coldness, vulnerability, and breakdown, and once again affirmed her acting skills to many viewers. Top 3 Best Actresses in Korean Drama Kim Ji-hye (Image source: IG) Top 2 Best Actresses in Korean Drama｜Kim Tae-ri 'Sunny Again,' 'Twenty-Five, Twenty-One' Kim Tae-ri gained attention after her debut in the movie 'The Maid,' and has since been noted for her highly infectious acting, even winning multiple newbie awards. Her subsequent works 'Sunny Again,' 'Twenty-Five, Twenty-One,' and 'Age of Youth' have all received high praise. In particular, in 'Twenty-Five, Twenty-One,' she played a high school fencer, and despite being 32 years old in real life, she still portrayed a youthful charm naturally. Many Korean netizens believe that Kim Tae-ri's greatest feature is 'dramatic transformation.' Although she doesn't have many works, every role she plays seems like she becomes a completely different person. Kim Tae-ri (Image source: imdb) Top 1 Best Actresses in Korean Drama｜Park Eun-bin 'The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim,' 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' Park Eun-bin, a child star since the age of 5, has accumulated over 20 years of acting experience. From 'Do You Like Brahms?' to 'The Fiery Priest,' and then to 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo,' she has always showcased completely different appearances. In particular, in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo,' she portrayed a lawyer with autism with delicate body language, tone, and expressions, winning the Baeksang Arts Award for the television department's grand prize. This year, Park Eun-bin consecutively released 'Superhuman Returner' and 'Creepy Romance.' The former showcased her comedic rhythm, while the latter challenged the image of a domineering female CEO for the first time. In 'The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim,' she played a cold-blooded killer with superb medical skills, setting the record for the most viewed Korean drama on Disney+ globally and in the Asia-Pacific region in 2025. The strong contrast led many netizens to exclaim, 'There is no role that Park Eun-bin cannot play.' Netizen reviews, 'I first noticed her from Extraordinary Attorney, then went back to watch The Fiery Priest, she was really cool, then went back to watch Brahms, she was really beautiful. The Golden Rescue was really inspiring! The part where she scolds and throws the glass was really awesome,' 'I really admire her! A child star but also a genius, always smiling, humble and polite, and with great acting! I will always remember her award speech when she won the grand prize, it was really moving! Slow and steady wins the race, she is smart,' 'I've watched many works, and every time I feel like it's a different person acting, she interprets the role very well,' 'Extraordinary Attorney's acting is super strong! And there are very hard lines, Park Eun-bin also plays the piano very well, she is really amazing,' 'I really like her, she actually feels very pure, acting also feels different styles, I also like her because of the lawyer, she is really a fairy,' 'The works she acts in are quality guaranteed,' 'In 'Extraordinary Attorney,' I already felt that her acting was very delicate, and with the many roles before and after, I felt that she acted very naturally, without the awkwardness of 'acting,' 'Golden Rescue is also very good, acting is natural and smooth,' 'In 'The Fiery Priest,' she had to act as a man in disguise, showing royal dignity, and could not lose the delicate emotions of a woman. Just with her eyes, she could switch between authority, loneliness, and vulnerability. She can also easily handle strong roles,' 'Park Eun-bin has perfectly interpreted this role, her acting is really of high standard' Park Eun-bin. (Image source: Netflix provided) Full discussion: Threads, Park Eun-bin's Acting Transformation Responsible editor/Chen De-fu