July 23, 2026, SEOUL, KOREA – Hoyeon, Kong Hyo-jin, and Son Na-eun – celebrated actresses from Kakao Entertainment labels have been leading the global charge with their vivid yet nuanced portrayals of diverse characters. This summer, they are captivating global audiences once again with their fearless, strong-willed on-screen personas, spanning a wide range of K-content genres from sci-fi to action.
Hoyeon (BH Entertainment)
“Squid Game” star Hoyeon has made her big screen debut in the upcoming sci-fi film “Hope,” portraying a cheerful yet combative officer Sung-ae. The film, selected to compete at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, marks director Na Hong-jin’s first feature in 10 years. With renowned Hollywood stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander joining the cast, “Hope” has topped the Korean box office since its release on July 15 and is set to premiere in the U.S. on Sept. 9.
The movie is set in the remote South Korean village of Hope Harbor where police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) and officer Sung-ae (Hoyeon) are called to investigate a mysterious creature wreaking havoc on the community. But all is not as it seems, and perceptions can be misleading. What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions.
In the film, Sung-ae remains steadfast and carries out her duties regardless of the circumstances.
“It was an incredible challenge for me,” Hoyeon said. “Instead of communicating through words, the actors connected through eyes, so it was difficult to keep up with that rhythm at first. But by the end, we had developed such great chemistry that it felt as though we had become one.”
Kong Hyo-jin (Management SOOP)
In the drama, she plays Yu Bona, a housewife and head of sales at a company by day, and a dauntless sniper by night. As a working mother with the “most brutal job” in the world, Yu struggles to maintain work-life balance. Known as “Kingfisher,” the legendary sniper takes justice into her own hands, punishing wrongdoers who have escaped legal judgment. As the story unfolds, however, she undergoes a complex internal transformation as her overlapping identities begin to collide at key turning points.
“A Bona Fide Killer” is a shining example underscoring the strength of Kakao Entertainment’s IP value chain. Based on the popular Kakao webtoon with a cumulative 190 million views, the drama is produced by Kakao Entertainment’s subsidiary, Baram Pictures, and stars Kong from Management Soop, a subsidiary of Kakao Entertainment.
Son Na-eun (J,WIDE-COMPANY)
Son Na-eun is currently appearing as a bold and savvy trendsetter in the ongoing drama “Agent Kim Reactivated,” available on Netflix. The series has achieved remarkable global success, ranking No. 1 on Netflix’s weekly Non-English TV chart for two consecutive weeks. It also recorded 9.1 million views in the latest tracking week, claiming the top spot in 22 countries and entering the Top 10 in 72 countries.
“Agent Kim Reactivated” follows a mild-mannered bank manager Kim (So Ji-sub), who is forced to return to his dangerous past as a former secret agent when his daughter goes missing. In the drama, Son plays Jung Sang-ah, who appears to be just another bank colleague. Beneath the surface, however, she harbors a surprising secret – she is actually an operative from the Special Missions Bureau tasked with monitoring Kim. Son brings not only liveliness and energy to the series, but also striking action sequences, marking a turning point in her career with versatile performance.
Even after this summer, multiple Kakao Entertainment actresses, including Kim You-jung (awesome.ent), are gearing up to mesmerize global viewers with their fierce characters. Kim will return in October with the historical spy romance drama “100 Days of Deception,” playing a character who goes undercover as an interpreter for the Japanese Government-General of Korea during Japan’s colonial rule over Korea.
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