The days of women waiting around for a knight in shining armour to come and save them are long gone and we’re here for it. K-drama female leads are stronger than ever, defying the odds against them and taking matters into their own hands (quite literally).

Fall in love with these 5 fearless K-drama stars that have come to serve action, attitude, and a whole lot of ass-kicking.

1. Han So-hee as Jiwoo — My Name
Han So-hee stars in the action noir series My Name as Jiwoo, a revenge-driven woman looking to avenge her father after he was killed outside of their home. She sacrifices everything to find her father’s killer — including her name. Jiwoo joins the largest crime syndicate in Korea and goes undercover as a police officer in order to find her father’s killer.

To perform the intense action scenes in the series, Han So-hee dedicated herself to attending action school daily, honing her techniques in not just bare fist fighting, but also combat involving knives, guns, and batons used by the police.

2. Lee Si-young as Seo Yi-kyung — Sweet Home
Lee Si-young stars as former firefighter Seo Yi-kyung in the apocalyptic drama Sweet Home.

Yi-kyung becomes a pivotal character in the series as she sacrifices herself to protect the residents of the apartment complex from savage monsters despite her personal circumstances.

One of Yi-kyung’s most impressive moments is when she’s fighting the spider monster in the vents. Si-young attended action school for six months before filming began and even kept to a strict diet to cut down her body fat to 8% for the role (now we know what it takes to get abs!).

3. Gianna Jun as Ashin — Kingdom: Ashin of the North
Gianna Jun is Ashin in Kingdom: Ashin of the North, a girl who discovers the powers of the resurrection plant that caused such a calamity throughout Joseon. We get to know more about her childhood and life prior to the undead plague that ravaged the kingdom, and finds out that Ashin is also a victim when her family and everyone she knew is massacred by the Pajeowi tribe.

Director Kim Seong-hun praises Jun for masterfully performing not only the action scenes but also the unspoken inner pain and rage the character harbours. Archery was an important part of the character so Jun prepared for the role by taking up the sport.

4. Kim Se-jeong as Do Ha-na — The Uncanny Counter
Kim Se-jeong stars in the fantasy K-drama The Uncanny Counter as Do Ha-na, a tough Counter who can sense evil spirits and has insane super strength. The series features a group of demon hunters who go through leaps and bounds to save innocent people from evil spirits.

Se-jeong prepared for the fight scenes by going to action school and she even memorised all the choreography to deliver the impressive jam-packed action on screen.

5. Park Shin-hye as Gang Seo-hae — Sisyphus
Park Shin-hye plays Gang Seo-hae in Sisyphus as an elite warrior living in a war-torn future. The sci-fi drama tells the story of a genius engineer who tries to uncover the secrets behind his older brother’s death, and a mysterious woman who travels back in time to help him save the world from imminent danger.

Seo-hae exhibits close combat fighting and a variety of shooting skills. Shin-hye prepared for the physically demanding role by enrolling in action school for a month and a half prior to filming where she learned everything from how to hold a gun, to every aspect of staging an action scene.

Which of these fearless characters are among your favourites? Watch all of them in action, only on Netflix!

Image Courtesy of Netflix

Skechers is proud to announce Park Seo Jun as its Regional Brand Ambassador for Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. In his newly-appointed role, the well-acclaimed South Korean actor will front the 2021/22 campaigns of six key growth markets for Skechers. Park Seo Jun’s first official appearance will be in the key campaign for Skechers D’Lites 4.0 collection, one of the brand’s best-selling styles since its debut in 2007, as well as Stamina Airy, a lightweight, super comfortable sneaker range with Air-Cooled Memory Foam insole.Holding high regard to the appointment, Park Seo Jun said, “I feel very honoured and happy to be the new Skechers Regional Brand Ambassador. Shoes are important for people like me, who are always on the move. I strongly recommend Skechers, which is not only stylish, but also really comfortable to wear! I can’t wait to share my favourite Skechers looks with everyone and hope all of you will like them too!”Over the last decade, Park Seo Jun has demonstrated incredible acting range and determination to continually embrace challenges and improve on his craft, which have landed him in high-profile roles of dramas and movies, including the highly-anticipated American superhero film, 'The Marvels’. Combined with boyish good looks and innate charisma, his immense popularity has transcended language, age and geographical boundaries. The first video campaign, starring Park Seo Jun as the new Skechers Regional Brand Ambassador, is titled ‘Find Your New Comfort Zone with Skechers’. It shows Park Seo Jun breaking out from the monotony with the aim to inspire consumers to embrace life’s fluidity and venture into new possibilities as they come – all while dressing in style and comfort.The fast-paced, energetic video opens with a dapper- looking Park Seo Jun in an executive suit, interacting with a black and white anamorphic environment and pushing the boundaries with his style wearing the latest in the best-selling footwear series – Skechers D’Lites 4.0. 

Park Eun Bin: Even if the idea of a woman becoming king started from one’s imagination, I thought it was my responsibility as an actor to make the character believable. Rather than drawing a straight line between Hwi as a man and Hwi as a woman, I felt it was more important to make Hwi convincing as a person. So I’m trying not to pretend to be a guy, but to show how natural it was for Hwi to grow up as a man. I’m also trying to give off a genderless vibe. It’s very important for the narrative that no matter how hard she tries, she can’t hide her feminine qualities and that this leads to suspicion and danger. I hope that the audience will not focus on whether she’s a guy or a girl, but just naturally embrace ‘Hwi with this side to her, and also that side’. My hope is that me on-screen would really come across as ‘Hwi’ to the viewers.

Astro customers can enjoy the premiere of the hottest K-dramas including action, mystery-thriller, romance and family dramas this October on Astro via tvN (Ch 395 HD), Oh!K (Ch 394 HD), KBS World (Ch 392 HD). K-drama fans can also watch available episodes On Demand and Astro GO.

Premieres 30 Oct, Sat & Sun, 7.50PM Oh!K (Ch 394 HD)

Every Thurs & Fri, 9.05PM KBS World (Ch 392 HD)

Mon-Fri, 7.50PM KBS World (Ch392 HD)

Action noirs and stories of espionage are traditionally dominated by men, but My Name introduces a female lead to the classic revenge theme. It offers a refreshing mix of deftly carried out elements within the genre. 

The cast consists of Han So-hee in the spotlight surrounded by powerful actors: Park Hee-soon, Ahn Bo-hyun, Kim Sang-ho, Lee Hak-ju, Jang Yull and Yun Gyeong-ho. With each actor holding their own in a well-orchestrated drama, My Name, according to Director Kim Jin-min, is a testament to the great things that happen when the actors give their all.

Han So-hee transforms herself in the lead role of Jiwoo, who witnesses her father die right before her eyes and joins the crime ring he belonged to for revenge. There, prodded by his best friend and the leader of the ring, Mujin (Park Hee-soon), she enters the police force as a mole under the alias Oh Hyejin. With each step Jiwoo takes to find her father’s killer, she must face brutal truths that harden her even more.

Park Hee-soon has earned audiences’ trust with solid performances in The Witch: Part 1 - The Subversion, 1987: When the Day Comes and The Fortress. He plays Mujin, who heads the country’s largest drug ring, the Dongcheon cartel. After the death of his friend Donghoon (Yun Gyeong-ho) whom he trusted like a brother, Mujin accepts Donghoon’s daughter Jiwoo into the organization and leads her to go undercover into the police force. Although Mujin does everything in his power to protect Jiwoo from harm, he remains a veiled character who piques viewers’ curiosity more and more with each episode.

Ahn Bo-hyun plays the role of Pildo, Jiwoo’s partner who is the top cop in the narcotics division and a man of unbending principles. Ahn creates momentum for his character Pildo who becomes increasingly compelling and captivating as the storyline crosses into the latter half. He also creates convincing on-screen chemistry with Han So-hee as her partner. Han So-hee, Park Hee-soon and Ahn Bo-hyun, each playing a drug lord, an undercover mole and a cop respectively, come together as a formidable team of leads to bring the series to new heights.

Rounding out the cast are: Kim Sang-ho, who commands a presence with every role he undertakes, playing Giho, the chief of the Drug Investigation Unit; Lee Hak-ju plays Taeju, Mujin’s right-hand man and the second-in-command of the Dongcheon cartel; Jang Yull, who is building an impressive filmography in both plays and dramas, playing Gangjae, a member of the cartel who embroils Jiwoo in a major conflict; and Yun Gyeong-ho, whose character portrayals run a wide spectrum, playing Jiwoo’s father Donghoon.

To set the genre-appropriate ambiance, special care was taken with dark lighting and tones. Director Kim Jin-min is gifted in melding the ordinary with the extraordinary in creating a convincing reality. Distinguishing Korean cultural establishments such as bars, restaurants, singing joints, and gaming cafes line alleyways with glaring neon signs and dark corners. Such is the backdrop against which Han So-hee’s character Jiwoo shows off raw action moves. Uniquely Korean details incorporated into characteristic genre elements give My Name a breath of fresh air. 

Watch My Name on Netflix now!