Park Ji-hoon and Lee Chae-min: A Generational Shift in Television Dramas

The landscape of television dramas is rapidly changing as actors born in 1999 and the 2000s are establishing themselves in leading roles across terrestrial, cable, and OTT platforms. While domestic viewership and buzz were once paramount, platform expandability and the potential for overseas sales have now become key variables in casting. This shift is being analyzed as accelerating a generational change.

Park Ji-hoon, formerly of the group Wanna One, solidified his presence as an actor through the Wavve drama 'Weak Hero'. He subsequently portrayed the fragility of a character in the film 'The King and the Clown' through weight loss and emotional restraint, visually expressing the character's frailty. He delivered a performance conveying emotions through his gaze and breathing rather than dialogue. His next project is the TVING original drama 'Becoming a Chef Soldier'.

Lee Chae-min starred as the male lead in tvN's 'The Tyrant's Chef,' enhancing character completeness by mastering horseback riding and calligraphy in a short period. He built his character by adjusting vocalization and the intensity of his gaze according to the scene's objective, rather than through excessive emotional expression. His appearance in the drama achieved a peak viewership rating of 17% and ranked first in Netflix's global Top 10 non-English category, leading to offers for future projects.

After concluding her activities with IZ*ONE, Kim Min-ju transitioned to acting and portrays the narrative of youth reuniting with their first love in JTBC's 'Shining.' Her performance is characterized by building emotions accumulated behind a bright expression through subtle facial changes.

Moon Sang-min took center stage in the historical romance genre in KBS2's 'My Dearest,' drawing attention with his performance of suppressing emotions by lowering his gaze in scenes with his co-stars. He showed versatility as a rough and expressionless youth in the film 'Pavane.' These young actors are not sticking to one type of project but are broadening their spectrum by crossing genres.