The 10 top breakout K-drama actors of 2021, from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’s Kim Seon-ho and Sweet Home’s Song Kang, to Wi Ha-joon from Netflix’s Squid Game

Dec 9 , 2021

Hwang In-youp, Song Kang, Wi Ha-joon and Kim Seon-ho are among the biggest breakout K-drama actors of 2021.
Photos: @hi_high_hiy, @songkang__b, @wi__wi__wi, @seonho__kim/Instagram — Hwang In-youp, Song Kang, Wi Ha-joon and Kim Seon-ho are among the biggest breakout K-drama actors of 2021. Photos: @hi_high_hiy, @songkang__b, @wi__wi__wi, @seonho__kim/Instagram

The charming Lee Do-hyun saw his Instagram followers skyrocket after starring in Melancholia, while Song Kang went from a rookie to the ‘son of Netflix’

The Penthouse: War In Life actor Kim Young-dae has garnered 3.7 million followers, while Kwak Dong-yeon found fame after his impressive performance in Vincenzo

K-biz has seen many bright new stars this year thanks to Netflix. The global streaming giant’s investment of US$500 million in Korean content production not only gives opportunities for impressive works from “Hallyuwood” to reach new audiences, but also shines a light on rising new actors.

From Squid Game’s Wi Ha-joon to Nevertheless’ Song Kang, these actors immediately drew attention for their performances and reached new heights of popularity on social media.

So which stars found enormous levels of success this year, and who has the most Instagram followers?

Song Kang

Instagram followers: 11.9 million

Song Kang is among the top 10 most-followed Korean actors on Instagram, according to Kpopmap, together with superstars like Lee Min-ho, Cha Eun-woo and Lee Jong-suk, just to name a few.

Starring in some of the most popular Netflix K-dramas including Love Alarm (2019-2021), Sweet Home (2020-present) and Nevertheless (2021), he transformed from a rookie who debuted in 2017 to a star dubbed “the son of Netflix”. He’s taken on a myriad of different roles, from a high school student to a suicidal boy trying to survive in an apocalypse, and even a charming heartbreaker.

K-drama star Song Kang in Sweet Home. Photo: Netflix

The 27-year-old actor’s Instagram following skyrocketed from a modest 220,000 to a whopping 10 million when Nevertheless ended in August, reports Kpopmap. Currently, the breakout star has 11.9 million followers. His upcoming role in JTBC drama People at Meteorological Service is expected to grow his stardom even more.