Top stars of Hallyu like Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook, and more are expected to deliver smash-hit K-dramas and movies.
Unfortunately, despite their status in the entertainment industry, these stars recently failed to live up the expectations and made a comeback with successful projects
Gong Yoo
Playing the role of Choi Han Gyul, in "Coffee Prince" back in 2007 was his breakthrough in Hallyu which opened a lot of doors to land remarkable K-dramas and films.
The then rising star solidified his name in show business, landing hit series and movies left and right, which includes "Goblin" with Kim Go Eun and the iconic K-zombie film "Train to Busan."
On top of it, the renowned actor had his remarkable cameo in Netflix's "Squid Game" where he took the role of a mysterious sales agent.
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However, as he returned to Hallyu in 2021, Gong Yoo failed to deliver a blockbuster project after starring in the K-drama "The Silent Sea" and the movie "Seobok.
Despite having a star-studded cast, not to mention being executive produced by Jung Woo Sung, the Netflix sci-fi series "The Silent Sea" failed to exceed the viewers' expectations.
The same goes for Gong Yoo's comeback movie "Seobok" where he starred alongside another South Korean heartthrob Park Bo Gum.
After the sci-fi movie made its theatrical release on April 15, it struggled to reach the one million mark at the Korean box office.
Ji Chang Wook
K-drama fans were in awe of Ji Chang Wook's top-notch performance in "Empress Ki," the 2014 action thriller "Healer" as well as tvN K-drama "The K2" where he took home the Most Popular Actor (Overseas) Award" at the 2016 China TV Drama Awards.
Slaying the action genre, Ji Chang Wook also starred in various rom-com series with his recent K-dramas "The Sound of Magic" and "If You Wish Upon Me."
Unfortunately, these two series did not gain big hits despite the 35-year-old actor headlining the series.
There are also reports stating that Ji Chang Wook's popularity might be declining because of "poor drama choices."
Lee Dong Wook
After the successful season of "Tale of the Nine-Tailed" with Kim Bum, Lee Dong Wook made his K-drama comeback through the action mystery series "Bad and Crazy" opposite "Squid Game" star Wi Ha Joon.
Unfortunately, the drama directed by Yoo Seon Dong of "The Uncanny Counter" wrapped up the season with a poor viewership rating, scoring an average nationwide rating of 2.8 percent, according to Nielsen Korea.
At the time, Kim Da Mi and Choi Woo Shik's K-drama "Our Beloved Summer" was reigning on the top charts with double-digit ratings.
Ji Sung
While his 2021 K-drama "The Devil Judge" has achieved massive popularity, it was not the case for his K-drama comeback "Adamas."
The recently concluded tvN series garnered its highest viewership rating of 3.5 percent during its pilot episode.
In addition, despite viewers lauding Ji Sung's performance for playing dual roles, fans were also disappointed at the drama's ending.
