12 Best K-Dramas Starring The Cast Of Queen Of Tears

The Queen of Tears cast features actors who have starred in various other K-dramas. Queen of Tears is a major success for Netflix and follows Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun) and Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won) as the two work to patch up their marriage while the latter struggles with her health. Adhering to the structure of other romance K-dramas, the series tells a compelling story that has audiences hooked all the way to Queen of Tears‘ emotional finale. Among the K-drama’s storytelling, the cast of Queen of Tears provides strong performances, making it easy for audiences to become invested.

Queen of Tears is exceptionally led by Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won, both of whom are awarded actors and have starred in K-drama series before, but it’s their portrayals of Hyun-woo and Hae-in that stand out among their other work. As the series’ leads, Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won carry Queen of Tears with ease, depicting the range of emotional highs and lows necessary for their characters’ crumbling marriage. They are supported by familiar K-drama actors, such as Park Sung-hoon and Kwak Dong-yeon, whose previous work in K-drama series acts as great follow-ups to watch after Queen of Tears.

12

My Love From The Star

Starring Kim Soo-hyun as Do Min-joon

Before leading Queen of Tears, Kim Soo-hyun led My Love from the Star as Do Min-joon. My Love from the Star is a unique twist on a K-drama romance and follows an alien, Min-joon, who missed his return home and has been stuck on Earth. Centuries later, Min-joon meets Cheon Song-yi (Jun Ji-hyun), an actress, and the two fall in love. The chemistry between Kim Soo-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun is easily felt as the two characters grow closer. Additionally, Kim Soo-hyun manages to capture the significant character growth Min-joon experiences, starting out with a cynical idea about humans, but slowly overcoming this view once he gets to know Song-yi.

11

Fight For My Way

Starring Kim Ji-won as Choi Ae-ra

Before leading Queen of Tears as the chaebol heiress, Hong Hae-in, Kim Ji-won portrayed the playful Choi Ae-ra in Fight for My Way. Combining two popular tropes in K-dramas, romance and a work setting, Fight for My Way follows a group of friends who lack the experience needed for their ambitious career endeavors. Two of the friends, Choi Ae-ra and Ko Dong-man (Park Seo-joon) began to develop feelings for one another and find a way to balance a love life on top of their aspiring occupations. Kim Ji-won’s leading performance as the sassy girl next door is endearing and audiences willingly root for Choi Ae-ra as she gets closer to her dream job. Ji-won’s Queen of Tears co-star, Kwak Dong-yeon, also made a guest appearance in Fight for My Way.

10

All Of Us Are Dead

Starring Jeon Bae-soo as Nam So-ju

Jeon Bae-soo is a familiar face for fans of K-dramas and has appeared in many series, including another successful Netflix K-drama, All of Us Are Dead. In the series, the city of Hyosan is taken over by zombies and All of Us Are Dead sees its characters fight for their survival. In Queen of Tears, Jeon Bae-soo acts as Hyun-woo’s father and takes on another paternal role in All of Us Are Dead as Nam So-ju, a firefighter and father to Nam On-jo (Park Ji-hu).

Due to the stakes All of Us Are Dead presents in its story, the actor’s performances are crucial. Jeon Bae-soo’s performance is immensely effective, representing the unrelenting effort a parent goes through to save their child. It’s because of his relationship with his daughter that So-ju’s fate is one of the more heartbreaking deaths in All of Us Are Dead.

9

Moon Embracing The Sun

Starring Kim Soo-hyun as Lee Hwon

Moon Embracing the Sun remains one of Kim Soo-hyun’s best K-dramas, showcasing his leading abilities, and was the series that propelled him into popularity. As one of the more accurate historical K-dramas, Moon Embracing the Sun follows the King of Joseon, Lee Hwon (Kim Soo-hyun), on his journey to uncover the truth surrounding the mysterious death of his first love, Heo Yeon-woo (Han Ga-in). Aside from leading the K-drama, Kim Soo-hyun is also featured on the soundtrack for Moon Embracing the Sun, performing the song “The One and Only You.” Kim Soo-hyun won a handful of awards for his performance as the king, including a Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actor.

8

She Would Never Know

Starring Lee Joo-bin as Lee Hyo-joo

In both Queen of Tears and She Would Never Know, the romance involving Lee Joo-bin’s characters is secondary to the leading couple. She Would Never Know is a workplace romance that doesn’t lean too far into the fairytale aspect of some K-dramas. Instead, She Would Never Know succeeds in allowing its characters to be realistic and flawed.

Focusing on a relationship between a senior and junior employee at a cosmetic company, the K-drama stars a K-pop artist, Rowoon, as the junior intern, Chae Hyun-seung. She Would Never Know includes plenty of chemistry and heartwarming romance that K-dramas have become known for. Lee Joo-bin plays Lee Hyo-joo, the granddaughter of the cosmetic company’s owner who is engaged to Lee Hyun-wook’s Lee Jae-shin.

7

Hospital Playlist

Featuring Kim Kap-soo as Joo Jong-soo

One of the best medical K-dramas, Hospital Playlist features Kim Kap-soo in a supporting role as Joo Jong-soo. Despite being set in a hospital, Hospital Playlist is a lighthearted series that details the day-to-day lives of five doctors at the Yulje Medical Centre. The group of friends is made up of differing personalities, which makes for entertaining episodes.

For its tone, Hospital Playlist has received complimentary comparisons to other series such as Grey’s Anatomy and Friends, and saw comparable success in viewership. During the finale of its first season, Hospital Playlist was the ninth highest-rated cable K-drama. Similarly to his role as chairman of the Queens Groups in Queen of Tears, Kim Kap-soo plays the chairman of the Yulje Foundation in Hospital Playlist.

6

While You Were Sleeping

Featuring Hwang Young-hee as Yoon Moon-sun

Hyun-woo’s mother in Queen of Tears is played by Hwang Young-hee who plays another motherly figure in While You Were Sleeping. Hwang Young-hee plays Yoon Moon-sun, a widowed mother who is struggling to run a restaurant and is unaware of her imminent death. Given While You Were Sleeping includes a mix of genres, it’s a recommended K-drama for beginners.

While You Were Sleeping chronicles the adventures of three individuals who can see into the future via their dreams. One of these characters is Nam Hong-joo (Bae Suzy) who is repeatedly dreaming of Moon-sun, her mother’s, death. Though Hong-joo is aware her mother is going to die, her dreams don’t allow her to see beyond that, leaving the timing of her death a painful mystery.

5

The Heirs

Featuring Kim Ji-won as Yoo Rachel

Differing greatly from the Hae-in from Queen of Tears, Kim Ji-won plays Yoo Rachel in The Heirs. The K-drama focuses on a group of wealthy high school students who are preparing to run their respective families’ businesses. One of these individuals is Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho), a wealthy heir to the Jeguk Group.

Tan is engaged to Yoo Rachel but ends up falling in love with Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye) while in the United States. This causes tension between Yoo Rachel and Eun-sang, with the former attempting multiple times to break the new couple apart. Ji-won’s snappy and strong performance in The Heirs contrasts her weightier performance in Queen of Tears and is a prime example of her range as an actress.

4

Be Melodramatic

Featuring Lee Joo-bin as Lee So-min

Following the lives of three best friends, Be Melodramatic is a comedic K-drama that gives room for its characters to be flawed and relatable to audiences. One of the friends is Lee Eun-jung (Jeon Yeo-been) who is a filmmaker and is working on a documentary about Lee So Min (Lee Joo-bin), a famous actress. The two had a falling out after So Min found fame and success and it caused a rivalry. Though Joo-bin’s role is minor, she’s an important character concerning Eun-jung. So Min attempts to ruin things for Eun-jung, but her plans backfire and she becomes frustrated when the latter stands her ground and doesn’t give in.

3

My Strange Hero

Starring Kwak Dong-yeon as Oh Se-ho

Previously known for his roles as a charming protagonist, Kwak Dong-yeon played the antagonist, Oh Se-ho, in My Strange Hero. The beginning of My Strange Hero sees its three main characters at Seolsong High, where a melancholy Se-ho frames Kang Bok-soo (Yoo Seung-ho) for an accident, leading to the latter’s expulsion. A time jump then shows Se-ho as the chairman of Seolsong and Bok-soo eager to seek revenge for being framed.

Dong-yeon masters the conniving characteristics needed for Se-ho, inviting audiences to root against him and become invested in the story. My Strange Hero has a pleasant pace, taking the necessary time to build up its characters. Similarly to other K-dramas, My Strange Hero‘s depiction of classmate dynamics reflects issues that are specific to Korean society, but familiar to all audiences.

2

Never Twice

Starring Kwak Dong-yeon as Na Hae-jun

Never Twice explores the relationships between guests at Paradise Inn and the owners of Guseong Hotel. Kwak Dong-yeon leads the K-drama as Na Hae-jun, the heir of Guseong Hotel who finds himself falling for Geum Park-ha (Park Se-wan), a long-term guest at Paradise Inn. The chemistry between Dong-yeon and Se-wan is palpable and their relationship is the core of the series. However, Never Twice isn’t just about romance and includes heartfelt storylines that deal with differing family conflicts and dynamics. Dong-yeon earned praise for his performance and received award nominations, including an APAN Star Award nomination for Actor in a Serial Drama.

1

The Glory

Starring Park Sung-hoon as Jeon Jae-joon

Just like Queen of Tears, The Glory was a success for Netflix. The Glory follows Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) on her path of revenge against her former school bullies. Part of what makes The Glory a captivating K-drama is that many of its thrilling scenes are inspired by real-life examples of classroom bullying. Park Sung-hoon is part of The Glory‘s cast and portrays Jeon Jae-joon, an heir of a country club and one of Dong-eun’s former bullies.

Sung-hoon has played various characters throughout his career, but Jae-joon is among his most powerful. Jae-joon tends to act disrespectfully and violently toward others. Though he didn’t win, Sung-hoon was nominated for two awards, a Baeksang Arts Award and a Blue Dragon Series Award, for his supporting role in The Glory.