Provided herein may be a pick-up roller with a front-edge alignment element and a media separation apparatus using the pick-up roller. The pick-up roller may include a pick-up element configured to pick up and transfer a media sheet, and the front-edge alignment element provided at a position opposite to the pick-up element. During a process of picking up a stacked media sheet and transferring it into a space between a feed roller and a separation roller unit, the front-edge alignment element may align in advance a front edge of a media sheet disposed subsequent to the medial sheet that is being transferred, to a position of the entrance between the feed roller and the separation roller unit, and thereafter, the pick-up element may pick up the media sheet aligned by the front-edge alignment element and transfer it into the space between the feed roller and the separation roller unit.