Korean thrillers highlight female antiheroes in emotionally detached roles

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Korean thrillers highlight female antiheroes in emotionally detached roles

Published: 29 Nov. 2025, 07:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

From left, actor Kim Go-eun in the upcoming Netflix mystery thriller "The Price of Confession," actor Kim Yoo-jung in the Tving drama "Dear X" and Bae Suzy in the Netflix series "Genie, Make A Wish" [NETFLIX/TVING]

“I’m going to climb so high that no one can touch me. I want to be reborn at the very top. I don’t care if I’m unhappy. I’ve never been happy in my life.”

These are the words spoken by Kim Yoo-jung’s character Baek Ah-jin in the Tving original series “Dear X.” They mirror a new trend happening in Korean thrillers — emotionless, psychologically driven female antiheroes being centered, characters whose controlled expressions and inner void fuel the tension more than violence does.

Ah-jin is a character who uses others to achieve her goals. Her manipulative tone, calculated expressions and chilling gaze behind a rehearsed smile reveal clear sociopathic tendencies.

Kim has been praised for her restrained performance and haunting eyes, which closely mirror the original webtoon character.

Since its release on Nov. 6, “Dear X” has ranked No. 1 for two consecutive weekends in attracting new paid subscribers to Tving. It has also topped the charts in 108 countries including the United States, Britain, France and India through platforms such as HBO Max, Disney+ Japan, Rakuten Viki and Starzplay. Views of the original comic on North American platforms surged 40-fold, according to Naver Webtoon.

The rise of female leads who suppress emotions is increasingly evident in the thriller genre. Alongside Kim Yoo-jung, actors Park Eun-bin, Bae Suzy and Kim Go-eun have all recently portrayed emotionally detached women, signaling a genre-wide shift.

A scene from the Tving drama series "Dear X" starring Kim Yoo-jung as Baek Ah-jin [TVING]

Women lead psychological warfare

In the past, dramas featuring male sociopaths and psychopaths — such as “Mouse” (2021) starring Lee Seung-gi, “Flower of Evil” (2020) starring Kim Ji-hoon and “Vincenzo” (2021) where Ok Taec-yeon plays such a sociopath — focused on graphic crimes and physical violence, emphasizing the terrible acts the character commits behind the scenes.

Disney+’s ongoing series “The Manipulated” falls into this lineage. The villain Ahn Yo-han, played by Doh Kyung-soo, is a sadistic character who designs life-or-death games for his victims.

He shows no empathy — even at a bloody crime scene, he groans, “What a hassle, there’s blood everywhere.” His games pit prisoners against one another in a setup that builds tension through extreme scenarios and shock value.

Singer-actor Doh Kyung-soo in a scene from "The Manipulated" [DISNEY+]

Female sociopaths, on the other hand, rarely display overt violence. Ah-jin in “Dear X” manipulates relationships, speaks with subtle shifts in tone and keeps a blank expression to create psychological tension. The viewer’s unease doesn’t come from explosive action, but from wondering, “What does that look really mean?”

“Male villains tend to center on what crimes they commit, while recent female-led thrillers follow why the character became that way,” said television critic Gong Hee-jung.

“Because these women reflect cracks in social systems or domestic abuse through psychological nuance, audiences are more deeply immersed,” Gong added. “Their emotional emptiness becomes a canvas for viewers to project their own feelings, creating a paradoxical sense of comfort.”

A scene from Netflix series "Genie, Make A Wish" starring Bae Suzy [NETFLIX]

Remaking the rules of thrillers

Bae Suzy’s character Gi Ga-young in the Netflix series “Genie, Make A Wish” — released during the Chuseok holiday this year — also suffers from emotional detachment. Abandoned by her mother due to her psychopathic tendencies, she was raised by her grandmother.

Though the drama series is a romance, it explores the challenges that arise from Ga-young’s lack of emotion in both comedic and serious tones. Her learned and performative displays of feeling leave those around her unsettled.

In Disney+’s “Hyper Knife,” released in March, Park Eun-bin plays Jung Se-ok, a doctor who saves lives by day but moonlights as a murderer.

A scene from "Hyper Knife" starring Park Eun-bin as Se-ok, a former medical student who saves people's lives during the day and murders by night [NAMU ACTORS]

Se-ok’s terror lies not in the graphic killing scenes, but in her conversations with her mentor Deok-hee, played by Sul Kyung-gu. The two, similar in thought, engage in a psychological tug-of-war by exploiting each other’s weaknesses.

“Female characters are no longer confined to the role of the victim,” said critic Jung Duk-hyun. “Now in positions of power, they manipulate others and generate a new kind of catharsis.”

“Extreme roles like sociopaths and psychopaths serve to break the old mold of female characters,” he continued. “It aligns with a generational preference for cool, detached women who don’t get swept up by emotion.”

Netflix’s upcoming mystery thriller “The Price of Confession,” premiering Dec. 5, also features a female psychopath. Kim Go-eun plays Mo-eun, a mysterious woman who goes head-to-head with Yoon-su, a murder suspect portrayed by Jeon Do-yeon. The trailer highlights Kim’s unreadable gaze, building anticipation.

“I prepared for this role with great care and caution,” Kim said.

The main poster for the upcoming Netflix mystery thriller"″The Price of Confession," premiering Dec. 5 [NETFLIX]

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HWANG JEE-YOUNG [[email protected]]