Kim Min-ju

Kim Min-ju (김민주) did not treat post-IZ*ONE life like a cooldown. She moved straight into acting and kept picking projects that asked for more than a familiar face. The Forbidden Marriage gave her a first true breakout, Connection showed she could hold tension inside an ensemble, and the JTBC melodrama Still Shining pushed her into full lead territory opposite Park Jinyoung. That climb looks even sharper when you line up the timing. Min-ju joined Management Soop after IZ*ONE, then built an acting run that moved from promise to proof without the usual dead space. The agency still lists Undercover High School and Beauty in the Beast in her active slate, which fits the bigger picture: broadcasters and streamers now see her as a bankable young lead, not a former idol trying out a second career. What makes the page work in 2026 is the balance. She still carries the polish and camera instinct that made her stand out in idol-era content, but the acting lane is what defines her now. On JTBC and in productions tied to STUDIO329, she reads like an actress whose ceiling keeps moving upward.