Korean drama and it's popularity began in the early 2000’s and in the journey many talented actors stayed, many left the industry for known and unknown reasons. Few of them got caught up in the controversies where few just moved on with their life and found passion somewhere else. Today we will talk about top 10 lost actors of Korean Drama.

1.   So Ji Sub

So Ji Sub is a famous household name who appeared many popular dramas and quickly gained recognition. His popularity was so high that he was the first Korean actor to have an entire road named after him in South Korea. He participated in blockbuster hit series like “Oh My Venus”, “Master’s Sun” and “Be With You”. But after regularly participating in dramas and gaining success, the actor suddenly slowed down. He started to put work preventing cyber crimes and became an ambassador by the National Police Agency. He engaged in various promotional activities. Thus, he acting career was left a little bit behind.

2.   Ha Ji Won

Ha Ji Won was known for her versatility and range of roles. She is regarded as one of finest and South Korea’s most sought-after actresses. She starred in historical dramas like Damo, Empress Ki, as well as the melodrama Something Happened in Bali, the romantic comedy series Secret Garden, The King 2 Hearts and Hospital Ship. But things started falling apart in Ha Ji Won's life around 2010 when she was shooting for “Secret Garden”. In an Interview, she said she didn’t even wanted to read the script as she was struggling internally. In 2016, Ha Ji Won's father died of natural causes which made a huge impact of the actress. A year later, Ha Ji Won' little brother, Jeon Tae Su committed suicide after facing a scandal.  All of these left a huge cut in Ha Ji Won's heart that she is still recovering from.

3.   Lee Byung Hun

Lee Byung Hun has gained immense success in his prime time in the South Korean Industry. He was also known as the Lady Killer for his astonishing charm and good looks. Few of his great works are, A Bittersweet Life; The Good, the Bad, the Weird; I Saw the Devil; Masquerade; and Mr. Sunshine. The actor got married to his girlfriend, Lee Min Jung in 2013. But few years later, the actor got into an affair scandal with 2 girls! This shocked the fans and his reputation faced a challenge. However, the scandal was proven wrong but his career was greatly affected.

4.   Won Bin

Won Bin has been inactive in the South Korean industry for more than a decade now. Still, he is considered as one of the famous celebrities of Korea. In 2006, Won Bin suffered an ACL injury and he had to undergo a surgery. After the surgery, he had gone through rehabilitation program for more than one year to recover from the injury. After a long hiatus, he starred in his all time famous film “The Man From Nowhere”. Unfortunately it was the last time he was seen onscreen.

5.   Lee Sun Kyun

Lee Sun Kyun was a prominent South Korean actor who received several awards including Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guide Awards and nomination for Emmy Awards. He participated in blockbuster hit movies and series like “Coffee Prince”, “Pasta”, “My Mister”, and “Parasite”. He gained recognition outside of Korea for his role in 2019’s “Parasite”. Lee Sun Kyun's acting career was going great until he faced a scandal on October, 2023. He was accused of taking harmful drugs by a bar hostess. Around that time, when he was under investigation, many advertising companies and production houses cancelled him as an actor. At the same time he went under a huge debt as he broke the rule of his agency’s contract. The actor was not found guilty later, but the incident caused him a great lose and debt. Lee suffered from depression and committed suicide on December, 2023.

6.   Cha Seung Won

Cha started as an in-demand model and achieved stardom through the hit comedy films Kick the Moon, Jail Breakers, My Teacher, Mr. Kim, and Ghost House. Cha Seung participated in many high budget films and drama series in his 15 years of long acting career but he took a long break in 2014 when he was dealing with the adoption of his 4 year old son Cha No Ah. A man claimed to be his biological father and filled a 100 million won law suit against Cha. While he put his family on top before his career, his career faced a little downfall. However, he made a comeback again in the industry but couldn’t fill in the gap.

7.   Jang Hyuk

Popular actor Jang Hyuk was a common face in South Korean dramas for over a decade. He is best known for his leading roles in Volcano High, Windstruck, The Swordsman, The Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die and You Are My Destiny. Jang Hyuk regularly appeared in films and TV series in his 17 years of acting career until in 2014, his film faced a controversy. Jang Hyuk continued to choose versatile roles and trying out new genres where his popularity couldn’t go high as it did in the early 2010’ and many new rising stars took his place in the industry. Although, Jang Hyuk is still seen in the popular TV series but not as much as it used too.

8.   Soo Ae

This 44 year old actress impressed the audience by her versatility and beauty. But there were few wrong decision she made that couldn’t really get her to the place she deserved. She was well-known for her appearance in melodramas, but she chose to play various roles and showcase her versatility. The critics were impressed but the fandom couldn’t accept the change. Soo Ae also changed her agency 3-4 times in her 24 years of career which didn’t really work for her in the long run. However, she keeps participating in various TV every now and then but her name seems to be a little lost in the crowd.

9.   Koo Hye Sun

Even if you are remotely connected to the South Korean industry, you must have heard about “Boys Over Flowers” star, Koo Hye Sun. The actress won the heart of the audience with her cute looks and incredible acting in a short time. Unfortunately, Koo Hye Sun's career went down heel when she was accused of being toxic and controlling by her ex husband, Ahn Jae Hyun. Several text messages were leaked where she accused the actor of cheating. Her impulsive behaviour brought a lot of hatreds leading her to leave contracts in the TV industry.

10.               Park Yoo Chun

Park Yoo Chun is a Korean-American singer and actor who you might have seen in TV series like “Rooftop Prince”, “Sungkyunkwar Scandal” and “Missing You”. Unfortunately, he was dragged into a series of scandals such as sexual harassment and illegal use of drugs, which resulted in him losing his fame.