Top actors discharge in 2021In 2021, it will be the discharge of top actors Lee JongSuk (just discharged on Jan. 2), Park HyungSik, and EXO’s D.O. as well as the discharge of popular actors such as Hong JongHyun, FTISLAND’s HongKi, and more. Finally! We are hoping to see them soon on screen again. Rising actors of 2021Back in December 2019, Kpopmap selected Byeon WooSeok, Lee JaeWook, Bae HyunSung, Ki DoHun, and Lee DoHyun as the actors to look forward to in 2020. The five of them had a busy year and gained a lot of popularity.It is time to select the actors and actresses that might earn massive popularity in 2021 according to us. RyeoUn, Hwang InYeop, Kim YoungDae, Roh JeongEui, So JooYeon, Park HyeSu, and Park JuHyun might be the new popular actor next year. They are hot rising actors.In 2020, experienced actors Kim SeonHo and Lee TaeRi have gained a lot of new fans and we are looking forward to their new steps in 2021. New changes for 2021If you are a long-time K-Drama fan, you would remember that, not that long ago, with the rise of the popularity of the cable channels (especially tvN) a majority of top actors have been cast in cable dramas (not all of them). In other words, famous actors who were acting in the main channels KBS, MBC, and SBS moved to tvN’s dramas interested by its scripts and productions for example Hyun Bin, Ji ChangWook, Park BoGum, and Lee JongSuk.But now, the new trends seem to be Netflix as big names have been cast in new original series to be released in 2021 such as Kim SooHyun, Ji ChangWook, Bae DooNa, Gong Yoo, and Yoo AhIn (note some are still in talks and their casting is yet to be confirmed). Lee MinHo got cast for an Apple TV + series. Korean actors are going even more global. Dramas to look forward to in 2021 If you are a fan of historical drama, 2021 will have more historical dramas than 2020. There are already 6 historical dramas planned for 2021 (“Hong ChunGi”, “River Where the Moon Rises”, “Joseon Exorcist”, “The Red Sleeve Cuff”, “Yeonmo”, and “Bossam – Stealing Fate”).In 2021, there will be also plenty of dramas based on webtoon (check the list here). All of them seem interesting but a few stand out such as “Like a Butterfly” about an elderly man who starts ballet and who built a friendship with a young man through ballet. The drama with Park InHwan, Song Kang, Na MoonHee, and Hong SeungHee will air in the first half of 2021 on tvN.For those of you who like romance dramas about idols, the webtoon “Imitation” is being adapted. It will air on KBS in the first half of 2021 with Jung JiSo, UKISS’s Jun, T-ARA’s JiYeon, ATEEZ’s YunHo, and SF9’s Chani (and much more).If you like top Hallyu stars in the casting, a few of them have confirmed their new drama such as Lee MinHo (“Pachinko”), Song JoongKi (“Vincenzo”), Gong Yoo (“The Silent Sea”), Jung HaeIn (“Snowdrop”), Kim YooJung (“Hong ChunGi”), Lee SeungGi (“Mouse”), Kim SoHyun (“River Where the Moon Rises”), Jun JiHyun (“Jirisan”), etc. Still in talks are actors such as Ji ChangWook, Kim SooHyun, Song HyeKyo, etc. Promising lead chemistry of 2021 K-DramasIf you like romance dramas, there will be leads you are looking for this new year. You can look forward to these couples who will most likely have heart-fluttering chemistry in 2021: RoWoon & Won JinAh in “She Would Never Know”, Ahn HyoSeop & Kim YooJung in “Hong ChunGi”, Jang KiYong & HyeRi in “My Roommate is a Gumiho”, Kim SoHyun & Ji Soo in “River Where The Moon Rises”, Jung HaeIn & BLACKPINK’s JiSoo in “Snowdrop”, Song JoongKi & Jeon YeoBin in “Vincenzo”, and more. Have a look at the 2021 K-Dramas lineupThere are already many dramas that confirmed their cast and some have yet to confirm. We’ve compiled a simple table to have an easy glimpse at all the actors and dramas already planned for next year (data retrieved on Dec. 11).Note: “River Where the Moon Rises” will air on KBS, the table was edited. Thank you for pointing it out.As you can see there are plenty of dramas to look forward to! Let us know in the comments what you are looking forward to in 2021!
