The phenomenal success of Squid Game has seemingly opened the floodgates to unleash all sorts of international drama on the world, with Alice in Borderland and My Name both jumping up Netflix’s Top 10 lists around the world.
My Name is one of the first South Korean Netflix shows released in the wake of Squid Game’s success, and follows a woman who joins a gang in order to avenge her father’s death – and is promptly directed to become an undercover police officer.
Far from the predictable revenge-thriller it may seem, My Name boasts dynamic action scenes, surprisingly tender emotional moments and a tour de force performance from Han So-hee as a complex character who swings from steely determination to sadness to self-doubt and right back again.
However So-hee is far from the only impressive cast member in this new eight-episode series, which unites several famous faces from across Korea’s TV and film industry – many of whom you might have seen on Netflix before.
Find out about the cast and characters below, which may well become the next big Korean megahit and an easy answer for what to watch after Squid Game.
Han So-hee as Yoon Ji-woo / Oh Hye-jin
!["Han]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/Undercover_Unit_103_MIN09428-7c4a8e5.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Undercover_Unit_103_MIN09428\"")
Who is Yoon Ji-woo? Lead character Yoon Ji-woo witnesses her gangster father Yoon Donghoon’s murder on her seventeenth birthday, after he is fatally shot by a mysterious hooded man.
When the police fail to find the killer, Ji-woo asks her father’s boss Choi Mu-jin for help, who eventually invites her into his Dongcheon gang and personally trains her in his gym.
Ji-woo then finds out that her father’s murderer was in the police, and takes on the new identity of Oh Hye-jin in order to join the force undercover and finally get revenge – while a gang war begins to rage in the background.
Where have I seen Han So-hee before? Model and actress Han So-hee first rose to prominence in Korean dramas Money Flower and 100 Days My Prince, before her breakthrough role as Yeo Da-kyung in smash-hit series The World of the Married – an adaptation of Doctor Foster that became the highest-rated drama in Korean cable TV history.
She added another lead role to her resume in 2021 with romantic drama Nevertheless, and will surely reach even more heights following the worldwide interest in My Name.
Park Hee-soon as Choi Mu-jin
!["My]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/Undercover_Unit_104_MIN07727-9399b41.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Undercover_Unit_104_MIN07727\"")
Who is Choi Mu-jin? A hotel CEO and also the leader of the Dongcheon – South Korea’s biggest drug ring – Choi Mu-jin was best friends with Ji-woo’s father and reluctantly lets her join his gang in order to avenge her father’s death. Chillingly charismatic, Mu-jin trusts those closest to him completely – but no one gets a second chance.
Mu-jin insists that if Ji-woo wants to kill her father’s murderers then she must be able to kill others, clearly seeing his own uses for Ji-woo, but her desperation is enough to convince him to trust her.
Where have I seen Park Hee-soon before? South Korean cinema icon Park He-Soon has starred in several hit films such as 1987: When the Day Comes, The Scam and Seven Days, winning several awards for the latter film in particular. He can soon be seen in another Korean Netflix series called Exemplary Family, which funnily enough is also about a drug ring.
Ahn Bo-hyun as Jeon Pil-do
!["Ahn]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/Undercover_Unit_103_MIN02341-798539c.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"Undercover_Unit_103_MIN02341\"")
Who is Jeon Pil-do? Jeon Pil-do is a detective at the Inchang Metropolitan Police Agency’s Narcotics unit and is assigned as Hye-jin’s partner. Pil-do initially dislikes Hye-jin as she had previously ruined one of his long-planned sting operations, but the two soon learn to work together and Pil-do begins to reevaluate his opinion of Hye-Jin.
Pil-do often delivers much of the comic relief in this mostly dark and gritty series, forming a buddy cop dynamic with Ji-woo.
Where have I seen Ahn Bo-hyun before? Ahn Bo-hyun initially began working as a model, transitioning to acting also in 2014 and had his first big role in hit Korean drama Descendants of the Sun. He has since starred in TV series such as Dokgo Rewind, Her Private Life, and Itaewon Class, earning him fame in his native Korea.
Kim Sang-ho as Cha Gi-ho
!["Kim]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/My-Name-Cha-Gi-ho-1901547.png?quality=90&crop=206px%2C0px%2C1404px%2C935px&resize=620%2C413" "\"My")
Who is Cha Gi-ho? Cha Gi-ho is head of Inchang Metropolitan Police Agency’s Narcotics unit and the one responsible for transferring Ji-woo to his division. Gi-Ho has a long-running rivalry with Mu-jin and is determined to bring down Dongcheon before he retires – which is sure to cause some problems for Ji-woo.
Where have I seen Kim Sang-ho before? Kim Sang-ho is mostly known for his work behind the camera, having directed Korean TV shows such as Spring Must Be Coming, Money Game and Can You Hear My Heart?
Lee Hak-joo as Jung Tae-ju
!["My]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/My-name-cast-56abeb0.png?quality=90&crop=313px%2C0px%2C1293px%2C861px&resize=620%2C413" "\"My")
Who is Jung Tae-ju? Jung Tae-ju is a member of the Dongcheon and Mu-jin’s most trusted henchman. He distrusts Ji-woo and tries to encourage her to leave the gang and give up her revenge plan.
Where have I seen Lee Hak-joo before? Previously Lee Hak-joo had starred in short films such as Where Nobody Can Go and A Crevice of Violence, and also joined My Name co-star Han See-ho in Doctor Foster remake The World of the Married.
Chang Ryul as Do Gang-jae
!["My]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/My-Name-Chang-Ryul-6947b6d.png?quality=90&crop=174px%2C0px%2C1405px%2C936px&resize=620%2C413" "\"My")
Who is Do Gang-jae? Do Gang-jae is a Dongcheon recruit who dreams of rising high among the organisation and becoming one of Mu-jin’s most trusted henchmen. However Gang-jae attacks Ji-woo after she beats him in a training match, causing Mu-jin to expel him from the gang.
Bitter and vengeful, Gang-jae decides to become his own boss and get his own back on the organisation that humiliated him.
Where have I seen Chang Ryul before? My Name will be Ryul’s biggest project to date after supporting roles in several Korean dramas.
Yoon Kyung-ho as Yoon Dong-hoon
!["My]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/My-Name-Yoon-Kyung-ho-039c1e3.png?quality=90&crop=627px%2C0px%2C1141px%2C760px&resize=620%2C413" "\"My")
Who is Yoon Dong-hoon? Yoon Dong-hoon is Ji-woo’s father and Mu-jin’s close friend, whose murder kicks off the series.
A high-ranking member of the Dongcheon, it later transpires that Dong-hoon was also an undercover cop who went under the fake name of Song Joon-su, and had been on the run for months before he was murdered in front of Ji-woo.
Where have I seen Yoon Kyung-ho before? Yoon Kyung-ho has starred in several Korean films and television series, including Honest Candidate, The Dude In Me and Netflix show Itaewon Class with fellow My Name cast member Ahn Bo-hyun.
My Name is available to view on Netflix. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best TV series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.