I feel like Cha Eunwoo has to be one of the most prime examples of this. Very successful household name as an actor and whatever else he's doing at any given time, more well-known than Astro at this point, and still active in Astro and very dedicated to the group (as far as this non-Aroha knows, I'm not too familiar with them).

Got7 Jinyoung, Twice Dahyun, Blackpink Jisoo, and Astro Cha Eunwoo

BTOB Sungjae

Jinyoung

SHINee Minho (Key and Onew have also done some acting but aren't in as many Kdramas as Minho)

Most Exo members (D.O. especially)

Red Velvet Joy and Yeri

Maybe ZB1's Kim Jiwoong?

Moonbin was a child actor before he became an idol

STAYC’s Park Sieun

sf9 chani

Not k-drama, but seventeen's Jun was a child c-drama actor, who's now an idol, he still continues to act though.

imo the "rules" have been pretty lax for actors. for example, the whole discourse regarding the squid game cast when it was revealed. the comparison between the news regarding top's weed scandal when there are multiple actors in that cast with previous sexual misconduct cases / charges.

the pipeline for actors are commonly: scandal -> drop out of current projects -> cancelled cfs (if any) -> lay low for 1 to 2 years -> optional comeback project (overseas) -> comeback project (korea)

but for idols, once they are kicked out of their group, they really have no where to get back into the industry, like what you mentioned. unless they have already established themselves in variety or acting, which is more uncommon

for dating scandals specifically, theres a couple of factors. firstly, actors rarely market themselves as parasocial targets compared to idols. for a long time, they rarely appeared on variety shows so were much more private / mysterious to the public. second, the other party. if the other party is also an idol, thats 2 fanbases to address 😅 third, career lifespan and hiatus. its more common for idols to be constantly in the public eye, compared to actors who may have hiatuses in between projects.

I think only if there is some issues surrounding them. I remember Lee Jinwook, Ryu Junyeol, Han Sohee, Seo Yeaji, Lee Byunghun and others having some scandals. But what I noticed is people are more lenient and forgiving on male actors than the female ones. Maybe because Korea is a patriarchal country and always have a double standards for females.

Actors only get backlash for dating if it's problematic, (Park Min Young and that weird CEO guy), or they may get backlash if they're dating an idol (Lee Jae Wook and Karina).

For the most part people are happy for the actors then move on quite quickly.

Not really because i'm pretty sure actors are allowed to date and their fans are used to seeing them with the opposite gender on screen

i feel like its a liiiiiitle more lenient for a couple of reasons. first of all, i don’t think there are dating rules in contracts like there are in the kpop industry. also, there’s less press following them around constantly and i do believe there are less saesang fans. nonetheless, there are still dating rumors, paparazzi, and saesang. like is it less? yes. but is it there? also yes. especially for popular actors (+ ones who may have been idols!), it is pretty much the same. if cha eunwoo had a dating scandal - all hell would break loose. ofc he and others have saesang fans too. to give an example of someone who is not also an idol, i know that gong yoo (squid game, train to busan, the trunk, etc) has had lots of issues with fans infringing upon his privacy + dating rumors. so yeah, it’s similar.

Lee Jun Young started out as an idol (U-KISS). I’m remember finding out when I first saw him in Love and Leashes and googling him - I was surprised an idol took on such a role. He’s played a couple of lead roles where his character is an idol (Imitation and Let Me Be Your Knight) and has a good voice.

Park Jihoon also started out as an idol (Wanna One). This one absolutely shocked me. He looks drastically different as an idol from his portrayal of Si Eun in Weak Hero Class.

Park Hyung Sik was in ZE:A so he also is/was an idol. I’ve never seen any clips from his idol days though.

I think all three are better known for their acting than their idol groups now.

Misaeng is sooooo good and his character is baby in it. it's a workplace drama and you will root for his character.

Im siwan is just crazy talented, best idol actor according to me.

Yup, I often give idol actors two shows/movies to decide my opinion he didn't even need more than a few scenes..

Agree! and Jin Young from GOT7

Check out her MV for Top or Cliff if you wanna see both Singer and Actor Sejeong ~

Strangers from hell

Boyhood

Run on

Unlocked (movie with chun woo hee)

There you go!!

God, his performance in It's Okay, That's Love is still living in my mind rent free. Top tier acting skills for a rookie actor at that time.

Misaeng. His first drama happened to be one of the best ever made.

Uee, Jang Nara, Jung Ryeo Won, Yoon Eun Hye, Son Ho Jun, Eric Mun, Nam Gyuri, Eugene and many more.

I personally think, many don't really mind idols in dramas but they do mind when idols take first lead roles in big productions, sidelining the other talented but less popular actor/actress.

The idols in the list you made, most started as supporting roles and got critical acclaim which lead them to have more roles and eventually lead roles.

5urprise was created to promote the members for their acting careers, so they're really actors before idols I'd say as opposed to the others who are/were idols before becoming actors

I'm surprised you didn't mention D.O (exo)! He's arguably one of the best idol actors out there (if not the best).

Seo Hyun Jin (Another Oh Hae Young, Dr Romantic, Beauty Inside) actually started out as an idol and then transitioned into acting after her group disbanded. I think she must be one of the most successful idol-turned-actors who has won awards for acting.

Also Im Siwan (ZE:A) did really well in Misaeng, but the part was pretty much written for him haha.

That is true , it feels a bit strange maybe if the idol is cast only for their fame, so you feel cheated about it , but sometimes you can see that the idols are really trying to step up their acting game.

I would definetly be a bit upset if the casted roockie actor was cast for being a famous idol and their acting was kind of bad, but if the acting was relatively good maybe I could accept it. I guess the directors cast strategically since dramas with actors or idols with an already existing fan base have higher chance of larger audience numbers.

There is an upcoming drama where Black pink member Jisoo is cast as a leading role and I still see news articles about this all the time so the marketing of the drama seems to be going well but the final judgement can't be passed until it starts.

Do Kyungsoo (EXO) - 100 Days My Prince, Along With the Gods, My Idiot Brother

Understanding the "Idol Drama" Phenomenon

The formula is simple:
(Young and attractive actors/actresses) + (romantic or female-targeted storylines) = Idol dramas

Watch this video from the 7-minute mark:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjo7YgEpYj0

These dramas often revolve around light, romantic plots with little emphasis on realism or complexity. They're built around visual appeal—casting actors who are more known for their looks than their acting prowess. Performances are usually average, but the charm and popularity of the leads drive fan engagement.

Current hot idol for example to me is Zhang Linghe ( i dont dislike him but he fits the example)...fans post every single photoshoot.. praise the drama no matter the acting.. Few years back, it was Xu kai. Some idols transit into actors at some point. Male idols peak between 25-35 years old in general and then their sun sets.. and new young ones take over. For actresses, it is 20-30 yrs of age and they stop getting good directors and dramas..

This happens because these idol actors are there to cash their looks, earn millions through ads and do not bother to improve their range and act in dramas that require strong acting. Producers are reluctant to cast older idols in roles where youthful looks are a prerequisite or where it demands serious complex acting.

Non-idol actress example- Sun Li. She is 42 and her drama still gets high rating and watched by everyone. Another one- Bai Baihe- Known for both drama and film work, and an award-winning performer. There are several

Non-idol actor example- Zhang Ruo Yun. Highly respected and well-liked for his acting range.

An idol actress who needs to shift towards acting dramas and perhaps has the capacity- Bai Lu. She is 30. Northward might be her first serious step taken consciously into more actor-focused roles.

An idol actor trying to shift- Xu Kai

An idol actor more famous for looks than acting- Yang Yang

An idol actor who already knows he needs to shift for survival and has shifted- Bai Jingting

An idol actor who is also good actor and already doing movies- Yang Yibo, Xiao Zhan

and so on

The dramas you mentioned all come with great acting and for the acting from the idol dramas mostly are just mediocre at the best.

Good question, it might have to do with the industry itself. Idol dramas seem to be quicker and easier to produce, which helps them appeal to a broader audience. They've already cut down the number of episodes to a maximum of 40 per season, and I’ve heard they might reduce that even further next year. But honestly, I can't say, my knowledge of this industry is limited, LOL.

You can usually tell by seeing who is starring in them, especially lead actors. Stars such as Esther Yu，Liu Yu Ning, Bai Lu, Wang Hedi are known idols, and their dramas are idol dramas.

However some actors who chose the idol dramas route such as Vengo Gao Zhang Wanyi, Bai Jingting often act in non-idol dramas too. It is said to be very difficult to do so due to the perception hurdle they have to cross to be taken as a serious actor.

Many idol dramas actors can choose to "transform" to a more serious route. Stars that have done so include Zhang Liying and Tang Yan.

In general, costumed dramas are dominated by the idol dramas genre, but non-idol costumed dramas do exist. You can tell a rare costumed drama is non-idol if they are led by veteran actors. Some costumed dramas that are non-idol include Qingming by the Riverside, Ripe Town, Joy of Life, Longest Day of Chang'an.

Idol dramas tend to have simpler storylines than non-idol ones. It is said that the idol dramas path is more commercially rewarding for actors, tho the public often sniff at them vs prestige dramas.

IMO the concept of an idol drama doesn’t make sense. People like to talk about bad acting and good looking people but this is universal. There is a ton of bad acting in productions that people would consider to be real dramas, and some idol dramas have really good story lines. At the end of the day you will almost never see ugly people lead because most people don’t want to spend hours watching people they find ugly.

It’s a category created based on that idea that it’s ok to put down actors who are good looking because people see it only as something they are born with and they are allowed to dis that. How you look like any other asset and trait can only exceed with effort. People who embody mediocrity are unwilling to acknowledge the effort that all actors put in, in various ways and don’t like seeing people that they perceive as advantaged succeed.

I apply these criteria, with exceptions:

Young handsome boy portraying a CEO, general or emperor? - - - - > Idol drama

Famous singer cast in acting roles? - - - - > Idol drama. Example: Z.Tao, Kris Wu (before he was imprisoned)

Stayc Sieun, SF9 Chani both were child actors

Idols have to be young so it doesn't happen often

The thing with becoming a kpop idol -- assuming you mean the type that are in the singing + dancing boy/girl groups is that the debut process requires lots of training. Even for the idols that debuted with their group after a relatively short period of training (think months vs. years) -- those months are super intense training.

Additionally most idols debut in their teens or early 20s -- so there sort of are age constraints to debuting with a group -- it's not really a feasible option for most actors (who are already adults) to go and then join a kpop group.

The only examples I can think of are child actors that joined kpop groups

• G-Dragon (Big Bang)

• Lee Hong Ki (FT Island -- more boyband/rock band than kpop idol boygroup but they were marketed like kpop idols)

There's also a girl who was a child actress in Hong Kong and then joined a girl group...and left recently -- blanking on her name because I don't follow her group.

Jang Keun Suk started out as a child actor/model at age five. He started singing professionally in his early 20’s and has released numerous albums and done concert tours all over Asia - his nickname is Asia Prince. He did it on his own without the backing and training provided by an agency but is still considered an idol.

5urprise was actually a group that debuted with the concept that the members were all actors originally!

the late Sulli was actually a child actress first before she became an idol, and Oh My Girl's Binnie was also a child actress before she became an idol (she had minor roles in Sungkyunkwan Scandal, King of Baking Kim Takgu, I Love You, Don’t Cry, More Charming by the Day, and Beethoven Virus).

Yoona and Sooyoung from Snsd

Park Hyungsik and Im Siwan were in ZE:A. There were a few others from the group who have also acted, but those two are the only notable ones. Kwanghee was also in ZE:A, but he's a variety star.

Yoon Eun Hye was in Baby V.O.X.

Ryu Hwayoung was in T-ara.

Seo In Guk was a solo singer.

Sohee from Wonder Girls

Eugene from S.E.S!

I believe Kwon Nara from Hello Venus is more known as an actress than an ex-idol these days.

Exo's Kyungsoo is a phenomenal actor

Jinyoung from GOT7 for sure. He has improved a lot compared to his early acting career and is really good now. His first role as the main lead was He Is Psychometric and I loved him in it- he was very convincing (and his eyes can express a lot that’s unsaid). I know he’s extremely passionate about acting and is constantly trying to get better, which also factors in to his success. He has a drama called The Devil’s Justice/Judge coming out soon!

Park Hyungsik from ZE:A! He's been in a few popular kdramas like strong girl do bong soon (where I thought he was pretty great), the heirs and hwarang. He's also been in musicals and a film now, and got the best new actor award for the critics choice in 2019, so pretty good all in all!

Don't know how well they're rated among the public, but I also liked Infinite's L in one more time, and recently Kim sejeong in uncanny counter if they haven't been mentioned already :)

IU is a great actress. Between My Mister and Hotel Del Luna you can really see her full range. Honestly, I wouldn't even call her an idol actress anymore. She is a proper singer and a proper actress. Can't wait for her movies.

• exo's D.O.
• f(x)'s krystal
• ze:a's im siwan, hyungsik
• after school/orange caramel's nana
• iu (had more positive reviews after appearing in my mister)
• btob's yook sungjae