Look Familiar? You Might’ve Seen The Korean Actors From “XO, Kitty” Before Without Even Realizing It

Professor Lee… is that you?

If you’ve seen Netflix‘s XO, Kitty, you know that most of the show takes place in Korea. This spin-off of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before follows the journey of Lara Jean’s younger sister, Kitty (played by Anna Cathcart), as she attends an international school in Korea to search for her mother’s past secrets.

| Netflix

As interesting as the show is, so are the cast members. For Example, Choi Min Young, who played the leading role, Dae, debuted as a child actor in 2014 and had a solid foundation as an actor at a young age.

Choi Min Young in “Twenty-Five Twenty-One” | tvN

But did any of the other actors seem familiar to you? Many of the Korean actors who played supporting roles are actually actors who have a tremendous amount of experience before XO, Kitty—in fact, you probably saw them in a K-Drama or movie!

Kim Yun Jin (Jina Lim)

Actress Kim Yun Jin plays Jina Lim, Yuri Han’s (played by Gia Kim) mother and the Director of KISS (Korean Independent School of Seoul). Kitty finds a picture of her mother and Jina from where they were kids, but when confronted with the picture, Jina acts suspicious.

Before she was Jina Lim, Kim Yun Jin played the role of Kwon Sun Hwa (also known as “Sun”) in the American television series Lost.

Kim Yun Jin with actor Daniel Dae Kim in “Lost” | ABC
Kim Yun Jin in “Lost” | ABC

Growing up in New York, Kim Yun Jin participated in musicals and theater while attending a music and arts high school. Eventually, she went on to study drama at the London Academy of Performing Arts and Boston University. It’s no wonder her English pronunciation was flawless in XO, Kitty!

She made her film debut with Shiri in 1996 and appeared in many films afterward, including The Legend of Gingko (2000), Mother (2007), The Neighbor (2012), Ode to My Father (2014), and Confession (2022).

Kim Yun Jin in “Ode to My Father” | CJ ENM

The most recent K-Drama she acted in before XO, Kitty, was Netflix’s Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area, where she played the role of Seon Woo Jin, a negotiator who tries to persuade the robbers to release the hostages.

Kim Yun Jin in “Money Heist: Korea” | Netflix

Michael K. Lee (Professor Lee)

The scary and often rude Professor Lee was played by Michael K. Lee, a musical theater actor, and singer.

| Netflix

Michael K. Lee grew up in New York, and after graduating from Stanford University with a psychology degree, he made his theater debut in 1995 with the musical Miss Saigon. He eventually moved to Korea and starred in more musicals, such as Jesus Christ Superstar as Jesus, Miss Saigon as Chris, Notre Dame de Paris as Gringoire, Hedwig and the Angry Inch as Hedwig, and more.

Michael K. Lee as Hedwig in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” | Shownote
Michael K. Lee as Jesus in “Jesus Christ Superstar” | Bluestage

Now we can understand why Professor Lee sang so well on XO, Kitty!

Lee Hyung Chul (Mr. Han)

Lee Hyung Chul played Mr. Han, Yuri’s father, who prioritizes his image and business over his family.

| Netflix

Before he was Mr. Han, Lee Hyung Chul played many supporting roles in K-Dramas, such as Scent of A Man in 2003 and Pasta in 2010.

Lee Hyung Chul in “Pasta” | iMBC

Since the 1990s, he has been acting in supporting roles in numerous K-Dramas and films, such as Flower of Queen (2015), Second to Last Love (2016), and No Mercy (2019).

Lee Hyung Chul in the K-Drama “Flower of Queen” | MBC

Lee Hyung Chul also played Henry Higgins in the musical My Fair Lady in 2008.

Lee Hyung Chul with musical actress Kim So Hyun in “My Fair Lady” | No Cut News

Ryu Han Bi (Eunice)

One of Yuri’s sidekick friends, Eunice, was played by actress Ryu Han Bi. Despite being only 19 years old, she has quite a handful of acting experience.

| Netflix

Ryu Han Bi debuted in 2013 with the K-Drama The Eldest as a supporting role and continued to appear in supporting roles in Local Hero (2016), The Happy Loner (2017), Live Up To Your Name (2017), Come and Hug Me (2018), and more.

Ryu Han Bi in the K-Drama “Come and Hug Me” | MBC

She also acted in supporting roles in movies such as C’est Si Bon (2015) and Cheer Up, Mr. Lee (2019).

Ryu Han Bi in film “Cheer Up, Mr. Lee” | Next Entertainment World

Ryu Han Bi was awarded for her work with MBC‘s Best Young Actress award in 2018. Aside from her acting, there were speculations that she supposedly almost debuted with NewJeans, but ended up leaving the company.

| OSEN

Lee Sung Wook (Mr. Kim)

You can’t leave out Dae’s father, Mr. Kim, who is Mr. Han’s driver. Mr. Kim is a loving father, played by actor Lee Sung Wook.

Yuri, Dae, Mr. Kim, and Dae’s sister gathered for the Chuseok holiday | Netflix
| Saram Entertainment

Lee Sung Wook has played supporting roles in numerous films since 2010 and has appeared in many K-Dramas—we may have seen him without even realizing it! For example, he played Kim Sun, the team’s pilot in the Netflix K-Drama The Silent Sea. 

Lee Sung Wook in “The Silent Sea”  | Netflix

He also made a special appearance in ENA‘s hit K-Drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo as a sales manager who pretended to be a victim of plagiarism with his ATM invention.

Lee Sung Wook in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” | ENA

More recently, Lee Sung Wook acted as Director Oh in the recent Netflix series Black Knight.

Lee Sung Wook in “Black Knight” | Netflix

Han Chae Young (Min Ho’s Mom)

Although she played a cameo as Min Ho’s (played by Lee Sang Heon) mother, Han Chae Young is a well-known veteran actress in Korea.

| Netflix

Her K-Drama debut started with one of Korea’s most iconic and famous productions: Autumn in My Heart (2000). Alongside top stars, Song Seung Heon and Song Hye Kyo, Han Chae Young played the role of Yoon Shin Ae, who tried to tear apart the main protagonist couple.

Han Chae Young in “Autumn in My Heart” | KBS
Han Chae Young in “Autumn in My Heart” | KBS

She also appeared in Boys Over Flowers (2009) as Yoon Ji Hoo’s (played by singer and actor Kim Hyun Joong) first love.

Han Chae Young in “Boys Over Flowers” | KBS

Ok Taecyeon (Ocean Park)

This one may be obvious—2PM‘s Ok Taecyeon played Ocean Park, the K-Pop star in XO, Kitty. 

| Netflix

Ok Taecyeon started his career in 2008 as a rapper in the JYP Entertainment idol group 2PM.

2PM members | Billboard

He started acting two years later with his debut K-Drama Cinderella’s Sister. In 2010, he appeared in Dream High as Jin Guk, (also known as Hyun Shi Hyuk) and proved his talents in acting. 

Ok Taecyeon in “Dream High” | KBS

Since then, Ok Taecyeon has been active in the acting scene, impressing people with his role as the maniacal villain in the K-Drama Vincenzo and acting alongside Apink‘s Jung Eunji and actor Ha Seok Jin in tvN‘s Blind.

Ok Taecyeon in “Vincenzo” | tvN

 

 

 

Source: IMDB, Korea Times, Saram Entertainment and iMBC
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