Kim Mo-mi from Mask Girl K-drama
(Netflix)

Meet the Actors Behind ‘Mask Girl’

For only seven episodes, Mask Girl the K-drama had an incredibly compelling plot. It’s a gritty and suspenseful story through and through, about a woman who was pushed to extremes because of unrealistic beauty standards.

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Kim Mo-mi was just a woman who wanted to do nothing more than dance and be admired on stage. But because she didn’t have a face that met South Korea’s rigorous beauty standards, her talent didn’t matter, and she wound up in a dead-end corporate job. To fulfill her dreams, Mo-mi lived a secret life online as a mysterious dancer alias “Mask Girl.” Having a mask can only take Mo-mi’s ambitions so far, and she would soon suffer from the consequences of daring to dream.

Three actresses played the role of Kim Mo-mi

The protagonist of the story, Mo-mi, is played by three different actresses. Mo-mi, who was introduced to us as Mask Girl, is played by actress Lee Han-byeol. She made her acting debut on Mask Girl, and many fans of the series had high praise for her portrayal of Mo-mi. The second Mo-mi we were introduced to was starred by K-pop singer Nana (Im Jin-ah). If you were completely stunned by Nana’s dancing, she was once the lead dancer of her former K-pop group After School. 

Mo-mi’s story wouldn’t be complete without actress Ko Hyun-jung, who played Mo-mi’s final version. She’s widely known for her role in the hit historical fiction K-drama, The Great Queen Seondeok (2009).

Sim Young-hee, Mo-mi’s mother, was played by actress Moon Sook. Mo-mi’s daughter, Kim Mi-mo, was played by actress Shin Ye-seo. This is Shin’s third K-drama. Kim Chun-ae, who will later be Mo-mi’s closest friend and partner in crime, is played by Han Jae-yi.

The villains

Park Gi-hoon was played by Daniel Choi, who is known for his visuals and decade-long acting career. EXID’s Lee Park Jeong-hwa plays the role of Lee A-reum.

Oh Ju-nam was portrayed by actor Ahn Jae-hong from Reply 1988 fame.  Ju-nam’s mother, who sought vengeance against Mo-mi, was played by veteran actress Yum Hye-ran. She won a Baeksang Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2024 for the same role.

Choi Bu-yong, the walking red flag boyfriend of Chun-ae, was played by Lee Jun-young. Ironically, Lee was also formerly part of a group named U-Kiss.


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Vanessa Esguerra
Vanessa Esguerra (She/They) has been a Contributing Writer for The Mary Sue since 2023. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy, she (happily) rejected law school in 2021 and has been a full-time content writer since. Vanessa is currently taking her Master's degree in Japanese Studies in hopes of deepening her understanding of the country's media culture in relation to pop culture, women, and queer people like herself. She speaks three languages but still manages to get lost in the subways of Tokyo with her clunky Japanese. Fueled by iced coffee brewed from local cafés in Metro Manila, she also regularly covers anime and video games while queuing for her next match in League of Legends.