Queen of Tears cast and character guide: Who played whom in the 2024 K-drama?

Queen of Tears ended with a happy ending with Hae-in and Hyun-woo uniting in the realm of the living and in the afterlife. The Hong family gets the Queen's group back, with the couple resuming their positions, while the antagonist Eun-Sung gets shot by the police after he is revealed to be kidnapping Hae-in. Meanwhile, his mother, Mo-Seul, tries to escape from the place but gets caught for poisoning the chairman of the Queen's group, leading to her arrest.

Therefore, Queen of Tears paints a heartfelt love story marked by pain and obstacles, only to show Hae-in surviving her illness for now and rekindling her marriage with Hyun-woo, eventually. The show features some breathtaking performances by the cast members with Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo and Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in. Read on to know the complete cast and character guide of the Netflix drama.

---

Queen of Tears cast and character guide, explored

Here is the complete list of who played whom in the Netflix 2024 K-drama:

Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo

Hyun-woo's character in Queen of Tears is known for his unflinching and unconditional love for Hae-in. Even after Hae-in lost the memories of her ex-husband, he never gave up on her. Despite being injured after his accident, he risks his life to go save Hae-in from Eun-Sung and also takes a bullet for her. The last scene, where his older self is putting a flower on Hae-in's grave and sees her stretching her arms wearing a white dress, resembles how the couple is now bonded for here and after forever.

Kim Soo-hyun made his acting debut in 2007 with a family sitcom, Kimchi Cheese Smile. He gained recognition and got more prominent roles, like one in a teen musical drama Dream High (2011), along with the historical romance, Moon Embracing the Sun (2012). He also starred in some films like The Thieves (2012) and the 2017 noir action film Real. After serving in the military for 21 months in 2017, he returned in 2020 with It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.

Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in

Kim Ji-won's character in Queen of Tears is realistic and poetic at the same time. Being a victim of Eun Sung's obsession, she eventually learns about her ex-husband and the love they had. She also realises how Eun-sung isn't in love with her but is simply obsessed, wanting to control her.

Kim Ji-won found her place in the entertainment industry in 2010, appearing in some commercial ads. She made her acting debut with Romantic Heaven (2011) and gained popularity through the sitcom High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged (2011). His major breakout came with the popular K-drama Descendants of the Sun (2016).

Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-sung

Park's character was the key antagonist, and he aced it completely in the show. Her character is layered and complex as he is portrayed as someone who is obsessed with a girl, and he ends up kidnapping her. Contrastingly, his inability to harm Hae-in makes the girl his greatest weakness when he gets caught and is shot by the police to meet his tragic fate.

Park Sung-hoon began his career with minor roles in films such as A Frozen Flower (2008) while also featuring in some plays. He gets recognised for being a versatile actor, and shone on the screen while portraying Jeon Jae-joon in the hit Netflix drama The Glory (2022–2023), a performance that earned him a Baeksang Arts Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Kwak Dong-yeon as Hong Soo-cheol

In Queen of Tears, Kwak Dong-yeon plays Hong Soo-cheol, the younger brother of Hong Hae-in and the CEO of Queens Mart. The character is smart but often finds himself overshadowed by the family legacy and the pressure of being better than her sister.

Kwak Dong-yeon made his acting debut in My Husband Got a Family (2012), a role that earned him a nomination for Best Young Actor at the Korea Drama Awards. Years into the industry, he proved himself as a versatile actor, sharing credits in It’s Okay Not to Be Okay(2020), Vincenzo (2021), and Big Mouth (2022), among others.

Lee Mi-sook as Moh Seul-hee

Moh Seul plays Eun-sung's mother in Queen of Tears, who wants to gain power over the Queen's group even if it comes at the cost of his son. The actor played the role with complexity as she is portrayed as someone who pretends to have no interest in the Hong family’s wealth, but deep down, it's the only thing that matters to her.

Lee Mi-sook got the spotlight in 1980 for his acting in classics like Bae Chang-ho’s Whale Hunting and The Winter That Year Was Warm. She is praised for her elegance and emotional depth in her decade-long career. Sook's performance blows life into a fictional character of the show, making Seul-hee one of the most intriguing figures in the Hong family’s story.

---

Other cast members in Queen of Tears include Jung Jin-young as Hong Beom-jun, Na Young-hee as Kim Seon-hwa, and Kim Jung-nan as Hong Beom-ja, among others.