There's a new K-drama we can’t wait to watch every week, and it's called Doctor Cha. It tells the heartwarming story of Cha Jung Seok (played by actress Uhm Jung Hwa), a housewife of 20 years. When her life turns upside-down because of certain circumstances, she plucks up the courage to pursue the medical career she put on hold when she got pregnant. The star-studded cast features a lot of names you've probably heard before.
Read on to learn more about the cast members of Doctor Cha:
1. Uhm Jung Hwa as Cha Jung Seok
Aside from being a successful actress, this ~goddess~ is also a legendary dance singer known as the Madonna of Korea. You might remember her from the project group Refund Sisters with Lee Hyori, Jessi, and Hwasa, and she’ll be reuniting with some of them in the show Dancing Queens on the Road this month. Uhm Jung Hwa has a long list of dramas and movies under her name, among them our intro to our fave oppa, Park Seo Joon, Witch’s Romance, and the recent tearjerker, Our Blues.
2. Kim Byung Chul as Seo In Ho
If you love K-dramas, you probably know Kim Byung Chul, who plays iconic characters we often love to hate. Just watch him as the law professor Cha Min Hyuk in Sky Castle, or as Lee Byeong Chan, virus maker in All of Us Are Dead. Now we can add another role that makes us want to tear our hair out to that list: his take on Seo In Ho, Jung Seok’s philandering husband in Doctor Cha. Most of the dramas he’s in are certified hits, among them Descendants of the Sun and Goblin.
3. Min Woo Hyuk as Roy Kim
Min Woo Hyuk plays sweet, handsome, and talented surgeon Roy Kim, whose passion for the medical field inspires Jung Seok to pursue her dreams (we all need a Roy Kim in our lives!). He had a brief stint as a singer before he became a musical actor. He even played Captain Ri in the musical adaptation of Crash Landing on You in 2022. You might know him from his first major K-drama role in The Third Charm with Seo Kang Joon and Esom, where he played a plastic surgeon with a crush on Esom’s character.
4. Myung Se Bin as Choi Sung Hee
In Doctor Cha, Myung Se Bin’s Choi Sung Hee is a doctor who used to be In Ho’s girlfriend, and now she’s back to wreak havoc on his relationship with Jung Seok. Our irritation is a testament to her acting talent. She’s been in dramas and films since 1998, but we personally remember her best as Lee Mi Sook in the friendship drama Avengers Social Club, a wife who dreams of a better life (she’s the total opposite of Sung Hee). She was also in the period drama Bossam: Steal the Fate.
5. Song Ji Ho as Seo Jeong Min
Song Ji Ho has played memorable supporting roles for years. We first met him when he debuted in the disaster-themed drama D-Day back in 2015. He played Lee Woo Sung, the younger brother of protagonist Lee Hae Sung (incidentally, Hae Sung was a doctor). He also starred as rookie detective Park Soon Chang in two seasons of the hit Netflix drama Stranger. In Doctor Cha, he plays Jeong Min, Jung Seok’s son, who works as a resident at the same hospital (and department!) as his mom and dad.
6. Jo Aram as Jeon So Ra
Jo Aram is a delight as Jeon So Ra, a strict but remarkably talented third-year resident at the hospital. Misunderstandings frequently occur as she sees Jeong Min and Jung Seok interact at work, completely unaware of their connection as mother and son. This is her first major drama role, but you might remember her as part of K-pop group Gugudan under her stage name, Hyeyeon.
7. Lee Seo Yeon as Seo Yi Rang
Young actress Lee Seo Yeon is more than just a pretty face (and what a ~gorgeous~ face it is!). She stole our hearts in her supporting role as No Soo Mi, BFF to protagonist Woo Seo Ri in the rom-com Still 17. Now she plays Seo Yi Rang, Jung Seok’s precocious daughter, who struggles to understand her mom’s decision to go back to work.
8. Park Joon Geum as Kwak Ae Sim
Veteran actress Park Joon Geum is like the representative rich and evil mother-in-law, mother, second wife — you name it — in all K-dramas. From Kim Tan’s selfish stepmom in The Heirs to Joo Won’s controlling mom in Secret Garden, she’s done it all. She’s also a mainstay in all your fave family dramas like The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop, My Healing Love, and Be My Dream Family. In Doctor Cha, she plays Kwak Ae Sim, Jungseok’s unrelenting mother-in-law.
9. Kim Mi Kyung as Oh Deok Rye
If Joon Geum is the ultimate evil MIL, Kim Mi Kyung is everyone’s favorite mother. Her career is so prolific you see her in at least three dramas every year. Some of her iconic roles include Eun Sang’s mute mom in The Heirs, Gang Tae and Sang Tae’s unofficial mom in It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, and Yu Ri’s mourning mother in Hi, Bye Mama. You probably also remember her as the badass hacker ajumma in Healer. In Doctor Cha, she plays Oh Deok Rye, Jung Seok’s loving mom.
10. Baek Joo Hee as Baek Mi Hee
This underrated actress has played a bunch of unique characters in K-dramas. She was the memorable brothel madam in the gritty series Extracurricular, the wife of twisted Oh Joo Hyeong in the zombie drama Happiness, and Moo Jin’s lawyer in the action-packed Han So Hee drama My Name. In Doctor Cha, Baek Joo Hee plays Mi Hee, Jeong Suk’s dermatologist friend, her close confidante through the ups and downs in her life.
If this star-studded roster still isn't enough to convince you, the trailer will show you why Doctor Cha is a must-watch:
