Looking back on 'The Heirs': Teen series spawns popular K-drama stars | ABS-CBN

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Looking back on 'The Heirs': Teen series spawns popular K-drama stars

Looking back on 'The Heirs': Teen series spawns popular K-drama stars

Jaehwa Bernardo,

ABS-CBN News

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Updated Dec 07, 2023 10:07 AM PHT

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Lee Min-ho and Park Shin-hye in a scene from the popular K-drama
Lee Min-ho and Park Shin-hye in a scene from the popular K-drama 'The Heirs.' Screenshot from video on SBS Drama's YouTube channel

In 2013, South Korean broadcaster SBS premiered "The Heirs," which remains a well-loved show among K-drama fans even after many years since its release.

Penned by star screenwriter Kim Eun-sook, "The Heirs" — which aired in the Philippines via ABS-CBN — follows the romance between Kim Tan (played by Lee Min-ho), the heir to a Korean conglomerate, and Cha Eun-sang, a girl who takes on part-time jobs to support herself and her mother. Their story is mostly set in a prestigious high school for the wealthy, where Eun-sang manages to get a scholarship.

"The Heirs" has all the elements of a classic K-drama: the love story of a well-off and poor character, and storylines relating to family and friendship. But another reason behind the show's enduring appeal is its stellar cast, with most of the supporting actors going on to becoming popular stars in Korea's entertainment industry today.

Below, we catch up on the stars of "The Heirs" and their recent projects.

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Lee Min-ho

Lee Min-ho. Photo: @actorleeminho/Instagram
Lee Min-ho. Photo: @actorleeminho/Instagram

Lee was already a popular actor before starring in "The Heirs," having appeared in hit dramas like "Boys Over Flowers" and "City Hunter." In the teen series, he plays Kim Tan, the son of a conglomerate president to his mistress.

At a press conference in Manila last October, Lee — whose other notable shows are "The Legend of the Blue Sea" and "The King: Eternal Monarch" — said his upcoming projects include the second season of "Pachinko" and another drama.

Park Shin-hye

Park Shin-hye. Photo: @ssinz7/Instagram
Park Shin-hye. Photo: @ssinz7/Instagram

Prior to "The Heirs," Park played lead roles in dramas such as "You're Beautiful" and "Heartstrings." But it was her "The Heirs" character Cha Eun-sang that catapulted her to further popularity, earning for her the Most Popular Actress Award at the prestigious 2014 Baeksang Arts Award.

Park's recent works include the zombie horror film "#Alive," Netflix's psychological thriller flick "The Call," and drama "Sisyphus: The Myth."

According to reports, Park is also set to star in a medical drama alongside Park Hyung-sik, which marks their reunion project since "The Heirs."

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Kim Woo-bin

Kim Woo-bin. Photo: @____kimwoobin/Instagram
Kim Woo-bin. Photo: @____kimwoobin/Instagram

In "The Heirs," model-turned-actor Kim plays Choi Young-do, Kim Tan's former best friend who becomes his rival for Cha Eun-sang.

In 2017, Kim took a hiatus after he was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer. He eventually returned in 2022 through the sci-fi action film "Alienoid" and drama "Our Blues." In 2023, he starred in the Netflix series "Black Knight."

Kim Ji-won

Kim Ji-won. Photo: @geewonii/Instagram
Kim Ji-won. Photo: @geewonii/Instagram

Following her portrayal of Kim Tan's snobbish fiancée in "The Heirs," Kim landed the lead role in "Descendants of the Sun," the success of which propelled the actress to widespread popularity. Her other notable dramas include "Fight for My Way" and "My Liberation Notes."

Kim is set to star in a drama with Kim Soo-hyun, titled "Queen of Tears," scheduled to premiere in the first half of 2024, according to Korean entertainment news portal Soompi.

Kang Min-hyuk

Kang Min-hyuk. Photo: @mr_kanggun/Instagram
Kang Min-hyuk. Photo: @mr_kanggun/Instagram

In "The Heirs," Kang — who debuted as the drummer of rock band CNBLUE — took on the role of Yoon Chan-young, Eun-sang's long-time best friend.

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This year was a busy one for Kang, who starred in the crime thriller film "Havana" and web series "Celebrity." He also joined CNBLUE for its Japanese album "Pleasures," which dropped in October.

Jung Soo-jung (Krystal)

Krystal. Photo: @vousmevoyez/Instagram
Krystal. Photo: @vousmevoyez/Instagram

Debuting as a member of the K-pop girl group f(x), Jung Soo-jung or Krystal appeared in "The Heirs" as Lee Bo-na, Chan-young's vain but kind-hearted girlfriend who previously dated Kim Tan.

Krystal's recent dramas include "Police University" and "Crazy Love." In 2023, she appeared in the dark comedy film "Cobweb."

Park Hyung-sik

 Park Hyung-sik. Photo: @phs1116/Instagram
Park Hyung-sik. Photo: @phs1116/Instagram

Before establishing himself as a well-loved K-drama heartthrob, Park appeared in "The Heirs" as Jo Myung-soo, the playful friend of Young-do and Bo-na who often takes photos of his friends.

In 2023, Park starred in the period romance "Our Blooming Youth" and made a cameo appearance in "Strong Girl Nam-soon." Next year, he is reuniting with "The Heirs" co-star Park Shin-hye for a medical drama.

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Kang Ha-neul

Kang Ha-neul. Photo: @kanghaneul_official/Instagram
Kang Ha-neul. Photo: @kanghaneul_official/Instagram

In "The Heirs," Kang played Lee Hyo-shin, who is part of the school's broadcasting club with Eun-sang and Bo-na.

This year, Kang — known for starring in "When the Camellia Blooms" — starred in the romance film "Love Reset" with Jung So-min. He was also casted for the second season of Netflix's hit survival series "Squid Game."

Choi Jin-hyuk

Choi Jin-hyuk. @real_jinhyuk/Instagram
Choi Jin-hyuk. @real_jinhyuk/Instagram

After playing Kim Tan's brother in "The Heirs," Choi went on to star in lead roles in several dramas, most notably in the Jang Na-ra-led "The Last Empress." This year, he starred in the action series "Numbers" with Kim Myung-soo.

For more news and features on K-pop, K-drama, and K-stars, visit the Hallyu Corner microsite.

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