3 of Lee Se-young’s Significant K-Drama Roles Besides ‘The Red Sleeve’

Lee Se-young played the leading role in 'The Red Sleeve' as a royal court maid named Deok-im. Before her acclaimed 2021 role, she starred in 'Memorist,' and 'Doctor John.'

by Gabriela Silva

Published on January 30, 2022

3 min read

Lee Se-young played a leading K-drama role alongside Yoo Seung-ho in ‘Memorist’

K-dramas are notorious for dominating multiple genres like crime, mystery, and fantasy. Memorist from 2020 embodies all three genres into one riveting drama led by Lee and Yoo. Based on a Daum webtoon, Yoo plays the role of Dong Baek and Lee as Han Sun-mi in the K-drama.

Dong Baek has a unique ability when pursuing his passion for catching criminals. With a touch, he can look into a person’s memories. Surprisingly he has no memories or recollection of his childhood except for a vague image of his mother’s murder.

When a string of murders occurs, he teams up with criminal profiler Sun-mi. Sun-mi is the youngest Superintendent of Special Investigation Headquarters. Once a lawyer, she became a police officer to uncover the truth behind her father’s murder. As the two characters work together, their pasts are revealed and how they are connected.

Memorist is available to stream on Viki.

‘Doctor John’ is one of Lee Se-young’s most recognized medical K-dramas

Before being a part of The Red Sleeve’s main cast, Lee starred in the medical drama Doctor John alongside two popular actors. The Devil Judge’s Ji Sung stars in the leading role as Cha Yo-han with Lee as Kang Si-young. Lee Kyu-hyung joins the two actors as Seon Seok-ki.

Yo-han is an accredited anesthesiologist with a complex past in Doctor John. He spent time in prison for euthanizing a patient in severe pain. The K-drama chronicles Yo-han and his interactions at the hospital and with Si-young, his coworker. Together they diagnose the cause of patients’ illnesses and pain.

In between is Seok-ki, a prosecutor who was present at Yo-han’s trial. He holds a grudge against the doctor for killing his son’s murderer and is against euthanasia. Doctor John is regarded by audiences for having a recurring debate about the taboo medical practice.

Doctor John is available to stream on Viki.

‘The Crowned Clown’ is a remake of a 2012 movie about a Joseon king

Taking place in the mid-Joseon era, an unassuming clown becomes king. The Crowned Clown stars Hotel Del Luna actor Yeo Jin-goo as Yi Heon and Ha Seon. Before becoming a queen in The Red Sleeve, Lee played Queen Yoo So-woon in the K-drama. The time period in this historical drama is riddled with political upheaval, betrayal, and enemies.

To escape an assassination, king Yi Heon has a clown take the throne. The trick? The clown named Ha Seon is the king’s doppelganger. Ha Seon settles into his new political role. A simple ruse turns into something more. The king’s enemies take a liking to his new tactics and ruling. Ha Seon became the king the country needed all along.

According to Soompi, Lee’s royal character role came with some hurdles. “There were constraints on how expressive she could be because she’s a queen. I thought a lot about that. The way she walks is different, and the way she displays her emotions had to be controlled,” said the actor. But Lee did justice to the K-drama remake.

The Crowned Clown is available to stream on Netflix.