@jerrykuvira thank you for this really helpful reflective piece.
I have taken the hope element of meeting new actors and have compiled a list of people to watch in their new work. I am sure if I continued mining I would find even more names to look out for and then see where they end up as I could end up with two wins like getting to see one of the actors from Racket boys a drama I loved become a key ensemble cast member in Twenty five, twenty one my standout drama for this year. Even when a drama has been disappointing I have still been able to salvage something from the experience.

New actors to me:

Kim Youngdae - Shooting stars ML
Park Juhyun - Love All, play FL
Chae Jonghyeop - Love All, play ML
Kang Hyoungsuk - Love in contract supporting role FL’s best friend extradinaire
Lee Daehwi - Love is for Suckers supporting cast FL’s work husband
Son Hwaryeong - Love is for Suckers supporting cast alternative FL
Park Yeonwoo - Love is for Suckers supporting cast alternative ML

THE DISAPPOINTMENTS: It sounds like the title to a bad B-movie. But some k-dramas were worse than that. WE ARE NOW BREAKING UP had an interesting setting (fashion industry), a glass ceiling office worker, career over relationships plot, but it failed miserably on all accounts. The worst show of the year. Also, THIRTY NINE had all the elements to be a great show: 3 career women reaching 40 with personal, relationship and health issues. It was supposed to be a slice-of-life healing drama amongst friends but it turned out to be the overwrought, overbearing SYJ show to the detriment of the other leads. It also broke the unspoken rule that actors' real personal life should not interfere or overshadow the show's run. (In contrast, BECOMING WITCH had a 3 female lead series with the exact same issues but WITCH hit on all points with humor and fun.) Except for the complete cameo arc by JYJ in the first episode of BEHIND EVERY STAR, this show has been a repetitive plot grind even with the other star cameos.

THE WINS: I found more consistency in viewing pleasure with lesser, middle of the road series that delivered on what their stated premise was at the beginning. These above average shows were like a light, flakey crust on a warm chicken pot pie: FANLETTER, PLEASE; KILLER'S SHOPPING LIST; ORDINARY JAE-WAE and OUR BLUES, the latter which showed you can have a good episodic ensemble cast series (ALCHEMY is another example.) Also, as a footnote, the one series that actually made epilogues work: STOCK STRUCK which used those minutes to actually teach real stock investment principles. Also, the trend of having less than 16 episodes is a positive.

NEW ACTORS: Jeon Mi-do became a household name with her last two TV series, but sadly she has returned to her stage/musical career. The main teens in ALL OF US ARE DEAD got many well-deserved TV and movie offers.

For me the standout win was the first 15 1/8th episodes of
'My Liberation Notes' and the standout disappointment was the last 7/8ths of episode 16 of 'My Liberation Notes'.

The first 'new actor' standout that come to mind is Ko Sung-hee, the female lead in 'Gus Electronics'. Though it appears I did actually see her before, playing the world's worst mother in 'Mother'.

Just here to say I “discovered” Chu Ja-hyun 2 years ago with My Unfamiliar Family and fell in love and I can’t wait for her to do something that good again. Green Mothers’ Club was certainly… something, but I must admit Chu Ja-hyun had me enjoying it much more than I probably should have!

My breakout new actor of the year is Moon Sang-min in Under the Queen's Umbrella. Grand Prince Seongnam was the perfect character, and Moon Sang-min has it all -- visuals, charisma, height, voice, age. He's going to be a star.

What a great post! I especially enjoyed the section about some of the best romances of the year being between people well out of their 20s. For me, the best romance of the year was definitely Gu and Mi-jeong in "My Liberation Notes." Every on-screen moment between them--whether it involved them eating together in silence or talking about wild dogs and dead frogs--was electric. Even their utter misery during the years they were apart was romantic to me. It's notable, too, that there's really only one scene of romantic passion between them, and the camera cuts away from their kiss so quickly we barely see it anyway. And yet, the chemistry never seemed lacking or unbelievable. I didn't love the way the writers undercut their own portrayal of alcoholism as serious and deadly with the depiction of Mi-jeong's refusal to ask Gu to stop drinking as evidence of her pure, true love for him. But overall, their love story moved me more than any other this year.

As far as new actors, I'd never noticed Chae Jong Hyeop in anything before, but I absolutely loved him in "Love All Play." He's exhibiting the same effortless charm, and dimply smile in "Unlock My Boss."

I feel like I've already talked a lot about disappointments like the ending of 25/21, the never-ending frustration of "Love is for Suckers," and Cafe Min being a terrible SIG vehicle. The other disappointments are minor, and all center on a feeling of "this could have been so much better": "Wish Upon Me," "Today's Webtoon," and "39."

My discovery this year was Song Duk Ho.
I have apparently seen him a few times before but never noticed him particularly.
He was quite a revelation in Link. I was more interested in his storyline than the main story, and was glad that he had a meaty role and good long screen time.

Thanks @jerrykuvira for a fantastic review! You hit upon the many highlights. But, not having seen Love ft. Marriage and Divorce 3, you also mention what remains a major pet peeve for me: the usual failure to depict seriously even a secondary romances for "middle aged" couples.

Your citing of Eun-Hee of Our Blues brings up to me a perfect example of what is wrong with the usual "serious" kdrama perspective of these relationships. She is portrayed as a sentimental dupe, trying to relieve a high school (high school! not young adult??) relationship, before she wises up, sends him away, and is just wistful.

Again, I don't know the other drama you mention, but I for one await a happy ending romantic story of a middle aged relationship that doesn't make the couple out to be comedic sideshow or a bittersweet attempt to recapture young love!

Great post, @jerrykuvira!!

Love that you have highlighted three of my favourites:
- Chu Ja-Hyun: love her since My Unfamiliar Family but what a fascinating turn in Little Women.
- Choi Dae-hoon: his complex self-loathing role in Beyond Evil is among the most unforgettable performances in recent times and turns me into a big fan of him. He disappears into every role he plays.
- Seo Hyun-woo - the best in Behind Every Star.