Korean pop stars haven’t always had a good reputation for acting, but their stock is rising thanks to stronger performances in recent years.

With some legendary scenes held up as evidence that idol members should not try to act, their inclusion in dramas was not always welcome.

However, the way viewers think of the acting-dols seem to be changing.

The Korea Herald has chosen four idol members who have distributed in changing people’s thoughts on acting-dols.

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1. Siwan of ZE:A

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Boy band ZE:A’s member Siwan has made his debut as an actor in MBC’s 2012 drama “Moon Embracing the Sun.”

In the drama with the setting of Chosun Dynasty he played Huyoem, the teacher of the crown prince. Siwan not only won praise from viewers but also caught the eye of film directors. He continued with his acting career by debuting on the big screen in the film “The Attorney” in 2013 and as the protagonist in TV drama series “Incomplete Life” in 2014.

As the singer-actor enlisted for military service on July 11, 2017, Siwan hasn’t appeared in anything since MBC drama “The King Loves,” which aired in July 2017.

2. D.O. of EXO

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EXO’s main vocalist D.O. has also become a talent-proven actor through his debut in SBS’ drama series “It’s Okay, That’s Love” in 2014.

With an impressive emotional performance in the role of a boy who is exposed to domestic violence but tries to stay strong to achieve his dream of becoming a writer, D.O. established himself as an actor through the series.

He also participated as voice actor in the animation film “Under Dog” which opened the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival this year.

Currently, D.O. is starring in tvN’s new drama series “100 Days My Prince” as Wonduk, the crown prince who is magically transformed into a commoner.

3. Suzy

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Not satisfied with being one of the biggest stars in K-pop as part of the now disbanded group Miss A, Suzy shone as an actress in “Architecture 101” her debut movie.

Although the movie was released over 6 years ago and Suzy has participated in various films and TV series afterward, the image she showed in the movie remains the dominant image of Suzy as an actress.

Playing Seoyeon, the love interest of the male protagonist Seungmin, the actress became the quintessential image of first love. However, the actress continued to challenge herself by participating in MBC’s martial arts drama “Gu Family Book” in 2013, with which she won the top excellence award at the 2013 MBC Drama Awards

The actress has continuously showed her talent in acting by starring in some 10 films and TV drama series.

4. Hyeri of Girls Day

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It’s rather hard to think, now, of anyone else playing the character “Duksun” in tvN’s TV series “Reply 1988."

But before the drama was aired, there was widespread skepticism about the choice of Hyeri to play the role, since the success of the previous series was built on strong acting.

However, the concerns soon disappeared after the first episode was aired on Nov. 6, 2015. Seeing Hyeri immerse herself in the character of Ducksun, viewers were impressed by how she threw herself into all the comic scenes without worrying about maintaining her idol image.

By Kim Hye-soo (clairek@heraldcorp.com)