Cover Lim Ji-yeon stars as Kang Dan-sim, Joseon’s legendary femme fatale in the upcoming ‘My Royal Nemesis’ (Photo: SBS)
Lim Ji-yeon stars as Kang Dan-sim, Joseon’s legendary femme fatale in the upcoming ‘My Royal Nemesis’ (Photo: SBS)
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Discover the best Lim Ji-yeon K-dramas, movies and K-variety shows to watch before ‘My Royal Nemesis’ arrives this week
Lim Ji-yeon, award-winning star of K-dramas The Glory and The Tale of Lady Ok, returns to the small screen in this month’s My Royal Nemesis, a time-slip fantasy rom-com streaming on Netflix beginning May 8—marking yet another bold addition to her ever-expanding filmography.
Over the years, the actress has built a reputation for fully inhabiting her roles, whether as morally complex anti-heroines, scene-stealing antagonists or unexpectedly charming leads. Ahead of her latest release, here’s your definitive guide to the must-watch Lim Ji-yeon K-dramas, movies and variety shows that showcase her remarkable range.
In case you missed it: What’s next for your favourite K-drama male leads like Byeon Woo-seok, Song Kang and Park Hyung-sik?
‘My Royal Nemesis’ (2026)
Above Lim Ji-yeon and Heo Nam-jun butt heads in her latest K-drama ‘My Royal Nemesis’
In this time-slip fantasy K-drama, Lim Ji-yeon brings to life Kang Dan-sim, a royal concubine who has been dubbed Joseon’s most notorious “villainess”. Sentenced to death by poisoning, she wakes up instead in the present day in the body of unknown actress Shin Seo-ri.
It’s a fish-out-of-water tale, and Kang Dan-sim will have to navigate a whole new world. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she crosses paths with Cha Se-gye, played by Heo Nam-jun, a cold, arrogant chaebol heir. It’s the perfect set-up for the enemies-to-lovers trope, and despite being at each other’s throats, it appears they have met their match in each other. It’s up to audiences to decide whether it’s a match made in heaven or hell when the series starts streaming on Netflix on May 8.
The role of Kang Dan-sim—a cross between a scheming villainess and a romcom queen—seems tailored for Lim Ji-yeon, who is best known both for her darkly iconic turn as Park Yeon-jin in The Glory and her bright offscreen disposition. Based on the trailer alone, she looks like she’s having a deliciously wicked—pun intended—time.
‘The Tale of Lady Ok’ (2024–2025)
Above Lim Ji-yeon stars opposite rising young star Choo Young-woo in ‘The Tale of Lady Ok’
In the period Lim Ji-yeon K-drama The Tale of Lady Ok, she plays the scruffy and lovable Gudeok, a runaway slave who assumes the identity of Lady Ok Tae-young, a young and wealthy Joseon noblewoman. As Lady Ok, Gudeok becomes a legal advocate who fights for equal rights, putting her in the crosshairs of powerful people and threatening to expose her double life.
Coming off The Glory and Lies Hidden in My Garden, it was refreshing to see Lim Ji-yeon cast as a heroine and to watch her flex her range in romance and comedy. Her chemistry with co-star Choo Young-woo, who won Baeksang Best Actor for his role in The Tale of Lady Ok, is considered one of the series’ highlights.
What resonated most with the viewers is the K-drama’s powerful portrayal of female empowerment. Tae-young is a smart, capable and compassionate crusader for social justice, and Lim Ji-yeon brought nuance and warmth to the part.
See more: Love beyond the game: K-drama athletes who found unexpected romance
‘Lies Hidden in My Garden’ (2023)
Above Blackmail is the name of the game for Lim Ji-hyeon’s Chu Sang-eun in ‘Lies Hidden in My Garden’
Coming off her award-winning performance in The Glory, Lim Ji-yeon plays the morally ambiguous Chu Sang-eun in Lies Hidden in My Garden, the domestic noir K-drama adaptation of the novel by Kim Jin-young. Starring alongside Kim Tae-hee, who plays Moon Joo-ran, the two actresses explore the ways psychological trauma and the class divide determine choices and motivations, even for people who share similar circumstances.
Both victims of domestic abuse, Chu Sang-eun and Moon Joo-ran are forced into an uneasy alliance when dead bodies begin to turn up. While Chu Sang-eun must struggle with poverty on top of physical abuse, Moon Joo-ran is in a position to weaponise her wealth to protect what she holds most dear.
As Sang-eun, Lim Ji-yeon manages to inspire both sympathy and disdain. Her jajangmyeon mukbang scene went viral for her visceral depiction of a woman finding emancipation from her tormentor, proving her talent for playing dark, complex characters and securing her another Baeksang nomination for Best Actress.
See more: ‘Lies Hidden in My Garden’: 4 things to know about Kim Tae-hee and Lim Ji-yeon’s new K-drama
‘The Glory’ (2022–2023)
Above In her most iconic role, Lim Ji-yeon plays Park Yeon-jin opposite Song Hye-kyo as Moon Dong-eun in Netflix K-drama ‘The Glory’
Lim Ji-yeon’s breakthrough role came in the hit Netflix revenge K-drama The Glory. As the irredeemably wicked Park Yeon-jin, she provided the perfect foil to Song Hye-kyo’s Moon Dong-eun. Her scene-stealing performance caught the attention of critics and gave audiences a character they loved to hate.
Beyond every well-placed smirk and well-timed scoff, Lim Ji-yeon gave Park Yeon-jin a menace seething barely beneath the surface. She fully committed to the role, shifting back and forth between Yeon-jin’s quiet spite and explosive rage.
It all paid off, earning her Best Supporting Actress wins at the 2023 Baeksang Arts Awards and Blue Dragon Series Awards—alongside Song Hye-kyo, who took home the Baeksang Best Actress award and the Blue Dragon Grand Prize (Daesang).
See more: From ‘The Glory’ to ‘Judge from Hell’: the rise of the K-drama anti-heroine
‘Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area Part II’ (2022)
Above Meet Seoul, an original character and the wild card of ‘Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area Part II’
Lim Ji-yeon plays Seoul in the Korean remake of the hit Netflix original series Money Heist or La Casa de Papel. Introduced in Part II, Seoul, the leader of the mercenary force that operates outside of the mint, is an original character and a major game-changer.
She’s a loyal ally who proves quite useful to The Professor (Yoo Ji-tae) and especially to Berlin (Park Hae-soo), with whom she has close ties. Cool under pressure and highly skilled in military tactics, viewers consider her one of the series’ MVPs, coming in clutch to rescue Tokyo (Jeon Jong-seo) and standing with Berlin till the end.
Lim Ji-yeon is a scene-stealer, playing Seoul as an absolute badass and showcasing a magnetic aura that made her a standout addition to the show’s cast and the series.
‘Fresh Off the Sea 2’ (2025)
Above Lim Ji-yeon’s real personality shines through in the K-variety series ‘Fresh Off the Sea 2’
She may be best known for her villainous role as Park Yeon-jin in The Glory and her intense performances in Lies Hidden in My Garden and The Tale of Lady Ok, but in real life, Lim Ji-yeon is a ray of sunshine.
Nowhere is this more evident than when she joined the cast of the tvN K-variety show Fresh Off the Sea 2. Taking over from season one’s Ahn Eun-jin and Dex, Lim Ji-yeon and Lee Jae-wook’s adorable noona-dongsaeng (older sister-younger brother) chemistry endeared them to fans. When they weren’t bickering, they were unwittingly twinning with their outfits. Lim Ji-yeon often behaved more like a maknae than the actual youngest cast member, Lee Jae-wook. Another thing that delighted her fans was her insatiable appetite, often turning scenes from the reality TV series into her own mukbang show.
Fresh Off the Sea 2 showed her playful side, revealing the actress behind the intense characters she plays. It’s "gap moe” at its finest.
‘Revolver’ (2024)
Above In ‘Revolver’, Lim Ji-yeon is Jeon Do-yeon’s only ally. Or is she?
In the Korean crime noir film, Lim Ji-yeon stars alongside Hallyu heavy-hitters Jeon Do-yeon and Ji Chang-wook. She plays Jeong Yoon-sun, a bar hostess who pledges to help Jeon Do-yeon’s Ha Soo-young get her money from—and revenge on—Ji Chang-wook’s Andy. For most of the film, though, Yoon-sun acts as a double agent, playing assistant to Soo-young while reporting her whereabouts to her enemies.
Lim Ji-yeon brings equal parts pathos and levity to the part. Her Yoon-sun is a wisecracking, street-smart opportunist whose loyalty to Soo-young is highly questionable. She holds her own against Queen of Cannes Jeon Do-yeon, delivering a charismatic performance that earned praise from critics, as well as Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards, and a win at the Buil Film Awards.
‘Obsessed’ (2014)
In her feature film debut, Lim Ji-yeon gives a memorable performance as Jong Ga-heun, the wife of a young military officer who becomes entangled in a passionate affair with her husband’s superior officer, Colonel Kim Jin-pyeong, played by Hallyu superstar Song Seung-heon.
Despite being a rookie actress at the time of filming, Lim Ji-yeon matched the more established Song Seung-heon beat for beat in a role that demanded emotional vulnerability and quiet intensity. Her portrayal of Ga-heun—at once fragile and resolute—anchors the film’s charged, melancholic tone.
It’s a debut that announced her arrival with remarkable confidence, revealing a raw, magnetic screen presence that won her Best New Actress wins from the Grand Bell Awards, Buil Film Awards and Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, and would go on to define her career.
From her chilling turn in The Glory to the layered performances in Lies Hidden in My Garden and her lighter, more playful side in the variety show Fresh Off the Sea 2, Lim Ji-yeon continues to prove she is one of the most compelling talents in K-entertainment. With My Royal Nemesis set to introduce yet another unforgettable character, there’s never been a better time to dive into the growing list of must-watch Lim Ji-yeon K-dramas, movies and shows.
Maggie Adan is a content writer, editor, and strategist with extensive experience across print, digital, and social media publishing. Formerly editor-in-chief at K-Zone Philippines, Summit Books and Content Lab, she has written lifestyle stories covering everything from entertainment and travel to beauty and wellness. A storyteller at heart with a keen editorial eye and a passion for narrative, she contributes to various publications and helps brands create and curate content for their social media platforms.
