But it was through the critically acclaimed 2018 hit My Mister that she truly proved herself as an actress. She followed that up with the ratings smash romantic drama Hotel del Luna in 2019.

She may only have a few credits to her name, but each has been a gigantic success; we have every confidence that when we revisit this feature in years to come, she will have shot up the rankings.

9. Jun Ji-hyun

Jun Ji-hyun (also known as Gianna Jun) was one of the original pan-Asian stars, thanks to roles in hit romcoms My Sassy Girl and Windstruck.

Notoriously selective with her projects, she has appeared in very few dramas in her 25- year career, but her participation guarantees a huge reception each time.

She scored an early hit with Happy Together in 1999 and, 14 years later, led the stunning smash My Love from the Star, co-starring Kim Soo-hyun, which has been streamed 14.5 billion times on Chinese platform iQiyi.

8. Choi Ji-woo

Choi Ji-woo became one of South Korea’s brightest stars during a spectacular run of hits in the early 2000s, which included Beautiful Days, Winter Sonata and Stairway to Heaven, just as K-dramas started to attract global attention.

She has remained a major presence on the screen ever since, headlining hit dramas such as Air City, Second Twenty and Woman with a Suitcase.

7. Lee Young-ae

In 2003, she rocketed into the stratosphere as the lead of the period drama Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum), one of the most seismic Korean TV events of all time.

Lee retired after appearing in Park Chan-wook’s Lady Vengeance in 2005, only to return to screens 12 years later in Saimdang, Memoir of Colors.

6. Kim Hye-soo

A leading actress since the mid-1980s, Kim Hye-soo continues to command attention with her seductive screen aura.

Her first major drama hit was 1999’s Did We Really Love? She later headlined the ace cable thriller Signal, which signalled a mature new direction for K-dramas.

5. Kim Go-eun

These were the webtoon adaptation Cheese in the Trap and the fantasy romance Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, in which she starred opposite Gong Yoo.

4. Son Ye-jin

Though she’s been working in films and dramas since the beginning of her career, it was the silver screen that made Son Ye-jin famous, after she became one of the most iconic romantic leads of the day, in films such as Lover’s Concerto and A Moment to Remember.

Over the years, her major drama credits have included Summer Scent and Personal Taste.

She has matured into an award-winning actress, bagging several awards for 2016’s The Truth Beneath and The Last Princess.

Back on the small screen, she scored a hit with Something in the Rain (2018) and then the series she is most associated with today, the global hit romance Crash Landing on You, in which she shared the screen with future husband Hyun Bin.

The 10 most famous K-drama actors of all time, ranked – including Hyun Bin

3. Gong Hyo-jin

Though not as instantly recognisable to international viewers as other names on this list, Gong Hyo-jin has been one of Korea’s biggest stars for two decades and one of its chief K-drama draws.

She boasts arguably the most consistent run of ratings smashes of any Korean star.

This run began alongside Gong Yoo in 2005’s Hello My Teacher and has included timeless dramas such as Pasta, Master’s Sun, It’s Okay, That’s Love, The Producers and When the Camellia Blooms.

She will soon be seen opposite Lee Min-ho in the space-set romance Ask the Stars.

2. Kim Hye-ja

Screen legend Kim Hye-ja debuted 60 years ago and has appeared in over 90 shows, many of them cultural landmarks at different points of South Korea’s modern history.

Kim is the only person to have won the grand prize at the Baeksang Arts Awards four times, most recently in 2019 for her role in The Light in Your Eyes.

1. Song Hye-kyo

After debuting in the mid-1990s, Song became a leading K-drama name thanks to the romance Autumn in My Heart and a string of other hallyu hits including All In and Full House.