collider.com 'All of Us Are Dead' Cast & Character Guide

One minute you're in science class, or the cafeteria eating lunch; the next, your school has become a chaotic epicenter for a real-life zombie outbreak. This is the scenario in the Netflix hit Korean drama, All of Us Are Dead. There are dozens of characters to remember in this 12-episode series, all of whom play an important role in the story. But how will you ever keep them all straight when watching the series? No worries, we've got you covered. Below are some of the most important characters to keep your eye on throughout the nearly nonstop action and drama at Hyosan High School, and beyond.

Nam On-jo (Park Ji-hu)

If All of Us Are Dead has a main character, it's probably On-jo. She's the voice of calm and reason during chaos, often offering ingenious suggestions for survival, thanks to her dad, who's a paramedic and firefighter. She's also fiercely loyal to her friends, and will defend them until the bitter end.There's a bit of a love triangle subplot too, as On-jo has a crush on popular classmate, Su-hyeok, and is oblivious to the fact that her lifelong friend, Cheong-sun, also has a crush on her.

Like much of the cast, Park is relatively new to the scene. Her debut was in coming-of-age indie film House of Hummingbird, and up next, she’ll star in a Korean TV adaptation of Little Women.

Lee Cheong-san (Yoon Chan-young)

Possibly the co-leading character with On-jo, Cheong-san finds himself in a lot of unexpected predicaments throughout the series, and (almost) always manages to think quickly to avoid disaster. On-jo is his top concern, and it's clear he'd do anything to protect her from harm. Like On-jo, he's fiercely loyal to his friends, and does whatever he can to ensure their safety as well. One of the cuter moments of the series is Cheong-san's irritation that his mother named her chicken restaurant after him, complete with a cartoon logo of his face.

Yoon was a child actor, with such credits as Korean dramas Doctor John and Nobody Knows.

Lee Su-hyeok (Park Solomon)

Su-hyeok is On-jo's aforementioned crush, and it's easy to see why, since he's quite the cutie. One of the most popular kids at Hyosan High, he's got his pick of girls to choose from. However, is it On-jo who catches his eye, or the quiet, studious class president? It's another love triangle that makes the teen drama in this series so compelling. A reformed bully, he and Cheong-san often are all too eager to sacrifice themselves to help save their friends.

Solomon is a relative newcomer to acting, with other roles in K-drama series, Lookout and Sweet Revenge.

Choi Nam-ra (Cho Yi-hyun)

Nam-ra, the class president also known as "Prez" by her classmates, is a serious student who doesn't interact much with her peers. Despite Su-hyeok's obvious interest in her, she brushes him off multiple times — until the zombies start attacking people all around her. As the crisis plays out, she sheds her shell and becomes a key part of the group's survival, despite others' doubts that she truly wants to help them.

Cho is a well-known Korean actress, with a 2021 KBS drama award nomination for her role in School 2021. She is also in the hit K-drama series, Hospital Playlist.

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Yoon Gwi-nam (Yoo In-soo)

Gwi-nam isn't the head bully in his group, but he quickly becomes that once the outbreak starts. At first, he's just as scared as everyone else, but before long, he becomes ruthless, literally throwing others to the zombies so he can escape. His treachery only gets worse from there. He morphs into one of the most easy-to-hate villains you'll ever see.

It's interesting that according to Netflix, Yoo and Yoon, who plays Cheong-san, are good friends in real life, because in the show they are each other's nemesis. Yoo has appeared in coming-of-age drama At a Distance, Spring is Green and in season 2 of Stranger.

Lee Na-yeon (Lee You-mi)

A bit of a snob, Na-yeon is a polarizing figure among the students she's stranded with in the first few episodes. She looks down on Cheong-san's best friend, Gyeong-su, because he's on welfare. Whenever someone might be infected with the virus, Na-yeon is the first to demand that the person leave the room, even if it means that they'll definitely be infected (or even killed) as soon as they set foot outside.

Lee was one of the fan favorites in Netflix's other K-drama hit, Squid Game. She played a big part in the series' most heartbreaking episode, "Gganbu."

Jang Ha-ri (Ha Seung-lee)

Ha-ri is, as one character calls her, "so cool." Captain of the archery team, she's got a knack for hitting the bullseye, a skill that definitely comes in handy when the zombies attack. Although Ha-ri has just faced a crushing disappointment by not making the regionals at competition, she quickly redeems herself by saving countless numbers of students with her Hawkeye-like aim. She helps lead a group of survivors that are stuck in a girls' bathroom, away from the main characters stuck in the classroom.

Ha has been acting since she was 4 years old, and also stars in another Korean romantic drama Netflix series, The King: Eternal Monarch.

Park Mi-jin (Lee Eun-saem)

Mi-jin has something of a crush on Ha-ri, once the accurate archer takes out an attacking zombie. The two bond after initially getting into a verbal — and then physical — confrontation. Nothing like a life-or-death situation to make you put differences aside in favor of survival. Mi-jin is one of the funnier characters in this series, making wisecracks that often make you laugh out loud.

Lee's previous credits include Korean historical drama, The Red Sleeve.

Yang Dae-Su (Lim Jae-hyuk)

As the comic relief of the group, Dae-su is a pleasant surprise. Yes, he has some funny lines, including calling his friend "brother-in-law" because he has a huge crush on his older sister, Ha-ri. In addition to cracking jokes and making funny facial expressions, Dae-su is also quite a lovely singer, and he graces the group with more than one song along the way. He also fights what could be considered cowardice early on, and eventually grows into one of the leaders.

All of Us Are Dead is Lim's first role, and according to a Korean reporter, he's currently still working in construction and as a delivery rider.

While the students are the main focus in All of Us Are Dead, adults play key roles in this series as well. Here are a few of the most notable adults who help the kids survive the zombie apocalypse.

Park Sun-hwa (Bae Hae-Sun)

English teacher Ms. Park is the first among the faculty to notice that something big is happening to her school. She escorts the first infected student to the in-school infirmary and helps to save as many students as she can. She's one of the heroes of this series, and one of the few teachers who seem to want to even help someone other than themselves.

Bae's other most recent credits include A Year-End Medley, Happiness and A Wonderful Sight.

Lee Byeong-chan (Kim Byong-chul)

Mr. Lee, a science teacher at Hyosan High School, was once a brilliant scientist working for a pharmaceutical company. He's also the unwitting creator of the zombie virus, which he created to help his son fight against bullies. Once he carries an infected hamster to school to further study, a student discovers it, is bitten, and the chaos ensues. To his credit, Mr. Lee was working on trying to cure the virus, and did everything in his power to keep it from spreading, thus making him one of the series' more tragic figures.

Kim also starred in mega-hit Squid Game, as well as other K-dramas, including Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, Sky Castle and Mr. Sunshine.

Nam So-ju (Jeon Bae-soo)

On-jo's paramedic/firefighter dad, So-ju, is another heroic figure in this series. He defies protocol to try to get to his daughter at the school, and puts his survival skills to work in the process. Along the way, he has to make some tough decisions, such as whether to save a family in a wrecked vehicle or leave them to fend for themselves so he can rescue On-jo.

Jeon is a veteran actor, known for his role in another survival story, #Alive, as well as The Wailing and The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil.

All episodes of All of Us Are Dead are now streaming on Netflix.

Abby Cavenaugh is a Features Editor/Writer for Collider and lives in coastal North Carolina. She loves romance, ghost stories and dogs. Fangirl of many fandoms. She/her

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