The Roh Yoon-seo K-dramas and films that showcase Korea’s next-generation Hallyu leading lady

Already in its third season, Fresh Off the Sea is one of South Korea’s most beloved healing variety shows. Each episode follows its celebrity cast as they spend three days and two nights in a rural coastal community, immersing themselves in the local way of life by harvesting seasonal ingredients and preparing meals using the region’s fresh produce.

Season three ushers in the show’s biggest cast shake-up yet. Yeom Jung-ah is the sole returning member from the past two seasons and the spin-off. Joining her this time are Kim Sun-young and MZ-generation stars Kang You-seok and Roh Yoon-seo, who bring pre-existing chemistry to the cast—Roh Yoon-seo has previously worked with both co-stars, on Crash Course in Romance and Black Knight, respectively.

See more: From ‘The Village Barber’ to ‘Bonjour Bakery’: the latest healing Korean variety shows you need to watch

In Roh Yoon-seo’s debut K-drama, she stars as Bang Yeong-ju, an academically gifted high school student from a rural village on Jeju Island whose promising future hits a snag after an unexpected pregnancy. Despite sharing the screen with an ensemble cast of A-listers—including Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Han Ji-min and Kim Woo-bin—the rookie actress commands the screen, crafting a deeply moving narrative alongside co-star Bae Hyun-sung.

Her richly textured portrayal of a teenager grappling with fear, responsibility and the weight of societal expectations announced the arrival of a formidable new talent, laying the definitive foundation for her rapid rise as one of the industry's most promising young K-drama actresses.

Roh Yoon-seo followed up her breakout debut in Our Blues with an award-winning performance as Nam Hae-e in Crash Course in Romance. Hae-e is the high-achieving niece of Nam Haeng-seon (Jeon Do-yeon), a former national athlete turned banchan shop owner who has raised her since infancy after her biological mother abandoned her. As she struggles under the immense pressure of South Korea’s fiercely competitive education system, Hae-e also grapples with the complexities of her relationship with the aunt she considers her mother.

Holding her own opposite “Korea’s Cannes Queen” Jeon Do-yeon, Roh Yoon-seo delivers an emotionally mature performance that won her acclaim and the Best New Actress trophy at the 2023 Baeksang Arts Awards.

Roh Yoon-seo made her film debut in Netflix’s nostalgic coming-of-age romance 20th Century Girl, starring alongside Kim Yoo-jung, Byeon Woo-seok and Park Jung-woo. She plays Kim Yeon-doo, whose heart condition sends her to the United States for surgery just as she falls for a boy named Baek Hyun-jin. Before leaving, she enlists her best friend Na Bo-ra (Kim Yoo-jung) to find out everything about him, setting the story’s central love triangle in motion.

While the film revolves around Bo-ra and her first love, Roh Yoon-seo brings an endearing warmth and youthful sincerity to Yeon-doo. Even in a supporting role, she leaves a lasting emotional imprint, particularly in the film’s climactic reunion between the two friends.

Roh Yoon-seo ventured into dystopian sci-fi with Netflix’s Black Knight, starring alongside Our Blues co-star Kim Woo-bin, Song Seung-heon, Esom and Kang You-seok. Set in a near-future Korea devastated by air pollution, where survival depends on a network of elite couriers known as Knights, the series casts Roh Yoon-seo as Seul-ah, the tough-loving younger sister of military officer Seol-ah (Esom) and a protective sibling figure to refugee Yoon Sa-wol (Kang You-seok).

When a violent home invasion ends in tragedy, Seul-ah’s fate becomes the emotional catalyst for Sa-wol’s journey to become a Knight. Although the role is smaller than her performances in Our Blues and Crash Course in Romance, it offered Roh Yoon-seo an opportunity to branch into action and science fiction early in her career while once again demonstrating her ability to make the most of even the most limited screen time.

After years of playing high school students and coming-of-age heroines, Roh Yoon-seo embraced a more mature role in Netflix’s psychological thriller The Frog. She plays Jeon Ui-seon, the daughter of Jeon Yeong-ha (Kim Yoon-seok), a widowed pension owner whose peace is destroyed when unexpected guest Yoo Seong-a (Go Min-si) checks into his vacation rental deep in the forest.

As Seong-a becomes more and more unhinged, Ui-seon is caught in the crossfire. Matching Go Min-si’s electrifying performance beat for beat in their harrowing face-off, Roh Yoon-seo reveals a steely grit and feral edge not seen in her earlier work.

Roh Yoon-seo is set to join the cast of Moving 2, the second season of Disney+’s blockbuster superhero K-drama based on Kang Full’s acclaimed webtoon. Production is already underway, with the actress joining an ensemble led by returning stars Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Zo In-sung, Cha Tae-hyun, Go Youn-jung and Kim Do-hoon. Notably, newcomer Won Gyu-bin joins the main cast, taking over the pivotal role of Kim Bong-seok from Lee Jung-ha, who departed due to his mandatory military enlistment.

Roh Yoon-seo rounds out a stacked new line-up that includes Sul Kyung-gu, Lee Hee-joon, Ryu Hye-young, Kim Sung-kyu, Kim Gun-woo and Choi Yoon-ji. While Disney+ has yet to reveal details about her character, her casting marks another major milestone in her rapidly rising career, adding one of Korea’s most eagerly awaited K-dramas to her growing filmography.

Roh Yoon-seo returned to the big screen in Hear Me: Our Summer, a heartfelt coming-of-age romance adapted from the 2009 Taiwanese film Hear Me. She plays Seo Yeo-reum, a devoted older sister who communicates through Korean Sign Language with her hearing-impaired sister Seo Ga-eul (Kim Min-ju), a swimmer and aspiring Olympian.

When part-time lunchbox delivery worker Lee Yong-jun (Hong Kyung) falls head over heels for Yeo-reum, he courts her through Korean Sign Language, unaware that his mistaken assumption will later threaten to drive them apart. Roh Yoon-seo’s deeply affecting performance led to a Best New Actress nomination at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and a Best New Actress win in the film category at the 2025 Baeksang Arts Awards.

From award-winning slice-of-life dramas and beloved romance films to fantasy, psychological thrillers and high-profile streaming originals, Roh Yoon-seo has assembled an impressively varied body of work in just a few years. With The East Palace ushering in a new chapter and Moving 2 already on the horizon, her filmography is only getting stronger—making now the perfect time to catch up on the Roh Yoon-seo K-dramas and films that have defined her remarkable rise.

NOW READ

9 highlights from the ‘Goblin 10th Anniversary Trip’ reunion special

K-dramas and Korean films about assassins, from ‘A Shop for Killers’ to ‘Kill Boksoon’

Park Ji-hyun K-dramas you need to watch from ‘See You at Work Tomorrow’ to ‘You and Everything Else’ and ‘Yumi’s Cells’