“Scarlet Heart Ryeo” is considered one of the most beloved kdramas in recent memory. It features a heartbreaking plot, a stellar cast with amazing chemistry.

The drama wasn’t well received in its own country but it became a phenomenon outside of South Korea. The drama had a very sad incomplete ending that prompted many fans to ask for a second season.

The drama also shot its entire cast to international fame, they became representatives of Hallyu wave.

But what happened to “Scarlet Heart Ryeo” cast? What are they doing now with their lives?

Since its cast has been two years since the drama aired its first episode, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about the cast progress and their current and upcoming projects.

Lee Joon Gi

Busan native boy has been doing very well for himself since 2016. Since then he has been in two dramas, “Criminal Minds” and “Lawless Lawyer.” Both were tvN dramas.

There was such a huge anticipation for “Criminal Minds” because it was adapted from the American series with the same title. The drama had no love line and focused on solving crimes.

“Lawless Lawyer” was met a lot of success than “Criminal Minds.” Its ratings continued to rise through its run time and reached 9.7% in Seoul area for its final episode which is considered extremely well for a cable drama.

Fans loved Seo Ye Ji’s chemistry with Lee Joon Gi, they thought they suited each other well but of course, fans still prefer his chemistry with IU.

Lee Joon Gi has kept close contact with all of “Scarlet Heart Ryeo” cast, he has attended IU’s concert previously and showed his support for her. He also attended EXO’s concert to support Baekhyun.

IU and Lee Joon Gi maintain such a close sunbae-hoobae relationship that they send each other coffee carts to the set of each other’s dramas.

Since “Scarlet Heart Ryeo” came out, Lee Joon Gi confirmed his first EVER public relationship; he was dating actress Jeon Hye Bin. They had started dating back in 2016 around the time “Scarlet Heart Ryeo” was being filmed and aired.

They met on the set of the 2014 drama “Gunman in Joseon” but developed into a serious relationship almost 2 years later.

They announced their breakup back in August 2017.

Lee Joon Gi also usually made headlines for his continuous weight loss since “Scarlet Heart Ryeo” aired. He has lost a lot of weight since “Scarlet Heart Ryeo” aired and fans have noticed that.

He says he is doing very well and has been working out a lot more.

IU

IU has focused on her music career since “Scarlet Heart Ryeo” aired back in 2016. In 2017, instead of a drama she chose to focus on her album that was naturally a hit.

BIGBANG’s Gdragon was one of the artists who featured on her album. Her fourth studio album, Palette, was released on April 21, 2017 and was not only a national success but also an international success.

The album was also critically acclaimed and won multiple awards as well. Around the same time she was promoting her album Palette, she was also a part of the hit JTBC variety show Hyori’s Homestay.

In 2018, she came back with an amazing drama called “My Ahjussi” were she put on her best performance to date opposite many talented actors including the lead Lee Sun Kyun.

The drama wasn’t met with huge success but critics and fans loved it.

IU went through a very tough breakup back in 2017, she had been dating singer Jang Kiha. They had begun their relationship in 2013.

Then two years later, media reports announced their dating relationship in 2015.

This meant that both IU and Lee Joon Gi were both dating while filming “Scarlet Heart Ryeo.” There goes the ship..

IU has recently featured in Block B’s Zico track “Soulmate” which was an instant success on Korean charts.

Kang Ha Neul

Kang Ha Neul has been doing so well for himself after his second leading role in “Scarlet Heart Ryeo.”

However, unlike IU and Lee Joon Gi, he focused on films and didn’t come back with any drama. He only made a cameo appearance in 2016’s “Entourage.”

He’s been in four movies ever since. Including the hit comedy movie “Midnight Runners” opposite Park Seo Joon, the two played close friends who encounter a young girl kidnap and chase the perpetrators.

He was also in “Forgotten” “New Trial” and made a cameo appearance “Heung-Boo: The Revolutionist.”

He has been involved in dating rumors with IU and a rapper called Cheetah. He denied both rumors and explained his side of the story.

His dating rumors with IU were ignited when they met up just before he enlisted to the military. They had met up in a café with a couple of friends and some assumed they were dating.

He is currently away serving the military; he enlisted on September 11, 2017 and will be released in 2019.

Hong Jong Hyun

Hong Jong Hyun has been in another historical drama after “Scarlet Heart Ryeo” wrapped up. He played the second lead opposite Im Siwan and YoonA in “The Kings Love” which was met with average success.

The drama ratings weren’t that good and the drama failed to capture an audience as it went up against “Falsify” and usually came in the second spot in ratings.

He has recently confirmed his comeback as the second lead again opposite Yeo Jin Goo and Minah in “Absolute Boyfriend” which is based on a manga. The drama is yet to announce an air date but the anticipation is high.

He is born in 1990 which means that he has to enlist in the military sooner or later, he would most probably be enlisting near 2018 end or in early 2019.

Nam Joo Hyuk

During the past two years, Nam Joo Hyuk managed to establish himself as a leading actor.

In late 2016, he took part in the beloved romantic comedy “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo” opposite Lee Sung Kyung. It was his first leading role in a major broadcasting station and the results couldn’t have been any better.

The drama was met with success both nationally and internationally. International fans couldn’t get enough of Nam Joo Hyuk and Lee Sung Kyung’s chemistry and wished they would date each other in real life.

This was exactly what ended up happening. The two have known each other for a while but reportedly started dating after the drama ended.

Fans were over the moon when the news broke out. However, it was short-lived happiness, as the couple confirmed their breakup in August 2017 which was not too long after they had confirmed they were dating which was back in January 2017.

Nam Joo Hyuk’s next project “The Bride of Habaek” was met with little success, unlike his previous project. The drama didn’t achieve good viewership ratings and fans didn’t like that he was paired with actress Shin Se Kyung. They thought the two lacked chemistry.

In 2018, Nam Joo Hyuk immersed himself in preparations for his first EVER movie project. He will play the second lead opposite Jo In Sung, Park Sung Woong and many others.

It is a historical movie set in year 645. The movie will hit theatres two weeks from now on September 19.

Of course, Nam Joo Hyuk has kept close contact with fellow “Scarlet Heart Ryeo” co-star and friend Ji Soo even after the drama ended.

The two are known for being such close friends and usually meet up every once and a while and treat us for sweet selfies.

Baekhyun

EXO’s beloved singer Baekhyun has focused mostly on music since 2016. His group’s schedule is very very tight which probably left him no room for doing much solo projects.

EXO had many comebacks since 2016 and Baekhyun debuted as part of the first EXO sub unit called EXO-CBX alongside Chen and Xiumin.

He also had released a couple of collaboration songs with Suzy and most recently with LOCO, both were huge success.

His recent track with rapper LOCO is taking over Korean music charts.

Ji Soo

The beloved macho actor has been doing well establishing himself for the past two years.

He took part in the hit JTBC drama “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” in 2017; he played the second male lead and stole our hearts. He sadly didn’t end up with the girl and we felt so sorry for him.

After that sweet soft role he took on a much more serious role in OCN’s “Bad Guys 2.” He played the role of Gang Joo, a man who constantly makes sacrifices for his brother and ends up going to prison because of it.

It was his most intense role to date. So far in 2018, the actor hasn’t made a drama or movie comeback.

Many reports came out claiming he would be leading his first drama role.

Most recently he was rumored to be leading the upcoming Netflix series about coming-of-age. His agency is yet to confirm or deny his participation in the upcoming drama.

However, it looks like he will be leading his first drama since his debut. He has been playing the supporting or second lead roles for a while now; fans want to see him lead his own drama.

Yoon Sun Woo

“Scarlet Heart Ryeo” was actor Yoon Sun Woo second project after his debut back in 2015. Since then, he appeared in a supporting role in “Reunited Worlds” the drama didn’t do that well in ratings.

He is now part of the supporting cast for the hit SBS drama “30 but 17.” He is playing the role of Kim Hyeong Tae, the high school friend of the lead female character.

Kang Han Na

In case you didn’t know, Kang Han Na is currently in a legal battle with her former agency “Fantagio.” She had submitted that she wanted to nullify her contract but the agency doesn’t want to accept it, thus a legal battle is now brewing.

She has been working independently for a little over four months now without an agency.

The situation is a drama itself, after Chinese investment group JC Group dismissed then co-CEO Na Byung Jun after buying the major shares of “Fantagio” and appointed Wei Jie as the sole CEO.

This didn’t sit well with the employees who resisted the decision and resigned from their positions.

Kang Han Na reportedly expressed her intent to leave after experiencing internal conflicts within the agency.

Fantagio currently houses approximately 30 celebrities, also including Seo Kang Joon, Gong Myung, Hello Venus, Weki Meki, ASTRO, and Wanna One’s Ong Seong Woo.

Besides her conflict with her agency, the actress has been involved in dating rumors with Taiwanese actor Darren Wan 3 times already.

The two actors met while filming the Chinese drama “Ghost Blows Out the Light.” The two were spotted so many times and have been denying they have been dating for a while now, they continuously meet up and get caught by paparazzi camera.

Kang Han Na has been in two dramas since “Scarlet Heart Ryeo,” she played the second lead in the hit JTBC drama “Just between Lovers.” She is now playing the second lead in tvN’s drama “Familiar Wife.”

Jin Ki Joo

Jin Ki Joo has been doing extremely well these days. The actress only recently managed to snag her first leading role in a major broadcasting station opposite Jang Ki Yong in “Come and Hug Me.”

She has been in 2 other productions, a supporting role in the hit MBC drama “Ruler: Master of the Mask” and “Misty.”

She also made her film debut in 2018’s “Little Forest” opposite Kim Tae Ri and Ryu Joon Yeol.

She has received major praise for her performance in “Come and Hug Me,” fans loved her chemistry with Jang Ki Yong.

She was also in a web drama opposite VIXX’s Hongbin which aired in 2017.

Seohyun

Seohyun is also one of the supporting actresses of “Scarlet Heart Ryeo” who managed to move from supporting to leading roles.

Seohyun led her first drama in a major broadcasting station in 2017’s “Bad Thief, Good Thief.” She is currently leading “Time” opposite Kim Jung Hyun who recently dropped out due to health reasons.

She is currently operating solo; she left SM Entertainment back in 2017 when her contract expired. She hasn’t signed with a new agency yet; there have been rumors of her signing with different agencies. Other rumors claimed that she was setting up a one-man’s agency which was never confirmed by her side.

However, Seohyun hasn’t left her group, despite two other members also leaving SM Entertainment. The girls bond remains as strong as ever despite their extremely busy schedules.

Jo Min Ki

“Scarlet Heart Ryeo” happened to be Jo Min Ki’s last EVER performance in a drama on TV before his suicide.

During the MeToo movement that swept Korea back in early 2018, Jo Min Ki was one of the actors who were accused of sexual harassment & sexual assault.

The claims were made by current and past female students at Cheongju University where Jo Min-Gi taught as an associate professor. The police announced on February 21, 2018 that they were investigating the accusations.

He admitted to the sexual harassment claims and apologized to the public. So many victims came out to speak up about his misconduct; his contract with his agency was terminated as a result.

About 20 victims came out with stories; he was banned from leaving Korea awaiting police investigation. The police have received testimonies from over 20 victims.

It was reportedly so bad; the students at Cheongju University had a manual on how to deal with the actor while he was teaching. Male students tried their best to protect the girls and they had advised that one stays with him alone or gets drunk around him.

Netizens were so shocked by how bad the situation was and how students had to come up with a way to protect each other.

Jo Min-Gi took his own life on March 9, 2018. He was found dead by his wife around 4PM in a storage area of their apartment building’s underground parking lot.

It was reported that not many actors and actresses attended his wake because of the ongoing investigation against him.