Lee Se-young

Lee Se-young (이세영) has one of the rare child-actor careers that converted cleanly into an adult leading run without losing sharpness. She entered the industry in 1997, became familiar to mainstream audiences through MBC's Dae Jang Geum and the film When I Turned Nine, then spent the next decade building range instead of chasing quick typecasting. That long foundation shows up in the control of her performances. Even in large melodrama or historical roles, she never feels like she is pushing for effect.

Her adult breakthrough landed with The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop, which reset her standing and led into a run that proved she could move across formats: tvN fantasy in A Korean Odyssey, palace intrigue in The Crowned Clown, thriller tension in Memorist, and a career-defining turn as Seong Deok-im in MBC's The Red Sleeve. That series turned Lee into one of the most bankable period-drama leads of her generation while keeping critics on her side.

The recent stretch has widened the frame instead of narrowing it. She moved through The Law Cafe, The Story of Park's Marriage Contract, What Comes After Love, and Motel California, then joined Fantagio for her next phase. In 2026 she steps into Rashta in Disney+'s The Remarried Empress, a role built on ambition, volatility, and image politics. It is the kind of part that can push her beyond the historical-romance lane and underline how broad her ceiling still is.