Ever since the first Hallyu Wave (also known as the Korean Wave) introduced international audiences to the rich world of K-Dramas, K-Pop, and other pop culture titans, certain names have held enough star power to break through cultural barriers. These performers and their breakout roles achieved overnight success, and for the luckiest ones, their careers continued to flourish long afterward.
Compared to some of his peers and his approximately two decades in the industry, one of these names, Lee Min-ho, doesn’t have the longest resume. But as we’ve learned over the years, good things come to those who wait. Every new project Lee selects is a reason to be excited, and there’s hardly any genre the 37-old Korean Wave veteran hasn’t mastered. Charismatic, engaging, subtle, and one of the few stars who can claim several breakout roles to his name instead of just one, here are Lee Min-ho’s top 10 best dramas, ranked.
10
‘The Great Doctor’ or ‘Faith’
Starring: Lee Min-ho, Kim Hee-sun, Yu Oh-seong
After his queen sustains a deadly injury, General Choi Young (Lee) of the Royal Guard travels across time from the Goryeo era to contemporary Korea in search of a doctor blessed by the heavens. Young absconds with plastic surgeon Yoo Eun-soo (Kim Hee-sun), who has zero interest in leaving her modern life but little choice in the matter. Once Eun-soo saves the queen’s life, she finds herself falling in love with Young and evading the various power-hungry political figures in the royal palace.
The Great Doctor aired in 2012 and wasn’t a critical success or a ratings smash. Nevertheless, the fantasy romance gave us General Choi Young, a sweeping male lead worthy of accolades. Sweet, earnest, intelligent, courageous, protective, and a killer (literally) warrior to boot, Young plays the more stern and silent type to Eun-soo’s vibrant jokester, and their pairing surpasses Faith’s weaknesses. In fact, Lee was nominated for the Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries at the 2012 SBS Drama Awards — not too shabby.
Faith
- Release Date
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August 13, 2012
9
‘Mackerel Run’
Starring: Lee Min-ho, Moon Chae-won, Kwon Se-in
This 2007 sitcom follows Cha Gong-chan (Lee), a soccer prodigy and a new transfer student to Myoung-mun High School. Prone to mischief, Gong-chan earns a poor reputation despite having a good heart and being handy in a fight — until the arrival of Min Yoon-seo (Moon Chae-won) upends Gong-chan’s life. Reinvigorated and refocused, the teen boy is determined to become a perfect student, stand up to school bullies, and win Yoon-seo’s heart.
Mackerel Run technically counts as Lee’s first leading role, but at the time, the moment was short-lived. According to a Star Diary interview with Lee, the series was abruptly canceled: “I started out thinking that it was going to be a 16-part series,” Lee said. “I was shooting the sixth episode when I found out that it was going to end at episode No. 8.” Mackeral Run might not be a life-changing watching experience, but it’s an adorable slice-of-life comedy and a fun vehicle for Lee, who easily handles slapstick humor timing.
8
‘Personal Taste’
Starring: Son Ye-jin, Lee Min-ho, Kim Ji-seok
After suffering a shocking betrayal from her boyfriend, her best friend, Park Kae-in (Son Ye-jin) vows to avoid romance at all costs. A furniture designer with a pure heart and a quirky fashion sense, Kae-in agrees to let Jeon Jin-ho (Lee), an architect in dire need of a new project proposal, temporarily live with her in her refurbished traditional house. The situation isn’t scandalous in Kae-in’s mind — after witnessing Jin-ho’s interactions with other men, she mistakenly assumes he is gay. Jin-ho, a perfectionist as tidy and arch as his architecture sketches, accepts the misunderstanding and eventually softens toward the messy (in fashion, household upkeep, and emotions) Kae-in, taking her under his wing for the ultimate glow-up. And if they catch feelings along the way, who are they to argue with personal taste?
A product of its time with a concept just as dated, Personal Taste is still an utterly charming rom-com classic. Son Ye-jin, best known to worldwide audiences for her role in Crash Landing on You, makes for the perfect quirky female lead — Kae-in is an adorable ball of sunlight as well as sensitive and soft when the moment calls for it. Likewise, Lee’s Jin-ho is a perfectly privileged brat with a heart of gold, enough so that we can’t wait for them to finally confess their feelings.
Personal Taste
- Release Date
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March 31, 2010
7
‘When the Stars Gossip’
Starring: Lee Min-ho, Gong Hyo-jin, Oh Jung-se
Space: the final frontier for romance. Despite seemingly paying millions to board a space station, gynecologist Gong Ryong (Lee) really has no desire to visit space. Recently fired from his job, his fiancée’s father is forcing him to prove his worth via a pretty ludicrous secret mission involving sperm (it’s a long story). No one on the space station knows Ryong’s true purpose, and he’d prefer to keep it that way. But as his clashes with astronaut Commander Eve Kim (Gong Hyo-jin) evolve into attraction, is Ryong willing to compromise his mission for true love?
Lee’s most recent project — which also happens to be the first K-Drama romance set in space — isn’t short on gasp-worthy drama, but When the Stars Gossip takes him back to a comedic realm Lee hasn’t always had ample opportunity to explore since his early days. Whether he’s shoving melting ice cream into his mouth or trying (and failing) to stitch a wound in zero gravity, Ryong is a delightful mess fumbling his way through life and love.
6
‘Boys Over Flowers’
Starring: Koo Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong
Geum Jan-di (Koo Hye-sun) just wants to attend high school in peace. Gu Jun-pyo (Lee), the chaebol son of a businesswoman and the leader of the notorious F4, Shinhwa High’s worst bullies, has other plans. After Jan-di defends her classmates against Jun-pyo’s cruel antics, his interest is piqued, leading to a tumultuous romance and, eventually, Jun-pyo’s self-reflection.
Given the uncomfortable dynamics at play, Boys Over Flowers is a unique guilty pleasure. Jun-pyo handles his first crush terribly, mistaking insults for love and making Jan-di’s life hell for far too long. But when it comes to playing a bad boy flaunting his social power with a one-sided smirk, no one does it quite like Lee, who won the role against heavy competition. Boys Over Flowers was one of the leading series of the Korean Wave and catapulted Lee into domestic and international fame. Additionally, he home the Best New Actor, Television award at the 2009 Baeksang Arts Awards.
5
‘The Heirs’
Starring: Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, Kim Woo-bin
When they meet in America, Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye) and Kim Tan (Lee) forge a special connection. However, like Cinderella, once the clock strikes midnight, their fondness for one another can’t last forever — or so they think. Eun-sang wins a scholarship to Jeguk High School, the same elite and highly competitive school that Tan attends as the prospective heir to the Jeguk Group corporation. Can their love defy their different backgrounds, social circles, and expectations?
Speaking of affluent bad boys — 2013’s The Heirs picks up where Boys Over Flowers left off, with a few tweaks. An overnight sensation and one of the most entertaining high school dramas, Lee’s second run at a rich teen boy who falls in love with the last girl he expected to is more of a star-crossed lovers’ situation than Boys Over Flowers‘ enemies-to-lovers agenda. Tan looks and acts tough but is actually a cinnamon roll on the inside. Still, don’t let that fool you; he can unleash that diabolical smirk at a moment’s notice.
The Heirs
- Release Date
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October 9, 2013
- Directors
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Kang Shin-hyo, Boo Sung-chul
- Writers
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Kim Eun-sook
4
‘City Hunter’
Starring: Lee Min-ho, Park Min-young, Lee Joon-hyuk
When a top-secret mission ends in tragedy, agent Lee Jin-pyo (Kim Sang-joong) concocts an elaborate revenge scheme with Lee Yoon-sung (Lee), his adopted son, as his secret weapon. After fleeing to Thailand and extensively training Yoon-sung in deception, combat, and killing, Jin-pyo dispatches Yoon-sung to the Blue House as an undercover operative. Yoon-sung plans to murder numerous corrupt officials at his father’s behest, but the already complex situation grows even trickier when he crosses paths with Kim Na-na (Park Min-young), a Presidential bodyguard also committed to rooting out corruption.
2011’s City Hunter lets Lee play with expectations. Essentially playing a Batman figure who pretends to be an oblivious playboy by day and avenges the innocent at night, Lee stretches his acting chops beyond the high school romance drama (while still sharing a spectacular love story plot with Park) and gets to flex his adeptness with action choreography. Yoon-sung is a badass in a fight and a yearn-er in love, and really, what more could we ask for? Lee’s efforts paid off with a Best Actor and Hallyu Star Award at 2011’s Korea Drama Awards and a Top Excellence Award, Actor at the SBS Drama Awards.
3
‘The King: Eternal Monarch’
Starring: Lee Min-ho, Kim Go-eun, Woo Do-hwan
After witnessing his father’s murder at the hands of his power-hungry uncle (Lee Jung-jin), the young Lee Gon (Lee) inherits the throne of the Kingdom of Corea, a universe parallel to the one we know. Years later as an adult, Gon is still combating his uncle’s attempts to overthrow his rule. While searching for his uncle, Gon stumbles through a portal to contemporary Korea and straight into Jeong Tae-eul (Kim Go-eun), a no-nonsense and headstrong detective whose name has ties to his father’s death. The pair gradually fall for one another as Gon discerns his uncle’s plans and nearly breaks the universe for love.
The King: Eternal Monarch comes from renowned writer Kim Eun-sook (The Glory, Mr. Sunshine), and despite the hype leading up to its premiere, the results are less coherent than Kim’s other dramas. That said, Eternal Monarch offers a contender for the most swoonworthy moment in K-Drama history, courtesy of Gon. (You’ll know it when you see it.) Reticent and reserved, heroic and discerning, Gon struggles to protect his world and love a woman from another dimension without sacrificing either. He also wins major points for failing to keep his royal cool when Tae-eul, an unflappable and competent lady, doesn’t initially fall for his charms.
2
‘The Legend of the Blue Sea’
Starring: Jun Ji-hyun, Lee Min-ho, Lee Hee-joon
A mermaid and a human can never be together, or so the stories claim. Se-hwa (Jun Ji-hyun), a Joseon-era mermaid who falls in love with her childhood human friend, Dam-ryeong (Lee), attempts to defy fate multiple times over. However, each time ends in tragedy, no matter how desperately Se-hwa and Dam-ryeong try to be together or to protect one another. The fated lovers reincarnate in 2016 as Shim Cheong and Heo Joon-jae, the latter a prominent and reckless con artist. Compared to Joon-jae, who has no memory of his previous life, Shim Cheong knows that a destined connection exists between them.
From the writer of Crash Landing on You and My Love from the Star, The Legend of the Blue Sea fuses fantasy, mythology, sweeping historical drama, and contemporary rom-com antics into a timeless modern classic. Lee seems to be having the time of his life and shines as two radically different incarnations of the same character: the noble Dam-ryeong and Joon-jae’s smarmy trickster, who still has a noble heart and falls head over heels for Shim Cheong, despite all his protests.
1
‘Pachinko’
Starring: Kim Min-ha, Lee Min-ho, Jin Ha
Variating between several different timelines in the lives of a single family, Pachinko primarily follows Kim Sunja (Kim Min-ha, Youn Yuh-jung) as she grows into adulthood in Japanese-occupied Korea. Before moving with her husband and children to Osaka, she becomes forever entangled with Koh Hansu (Lee), a merchant with a heartbreaking history and dark business ties.
Based on the bestselling and critically acclaimed novel by Min Jin Lee, Apple TV+’s production of Pachinko is easily one of the best series on streaming television. A breathtaking and unflinching portrait of discrimination, oppression, systematic social inequality, and generational trauma, Pachinko is also the first time Lee has played a character one might not hesitate to call a villain. To dismiss Hansu as entirely evil, however, would be a disservice to Lee’s remarkably astute and understated work. Hansu is one hell of a complex character, and those dimensions and new sides emanate from Lee as naturally as if he’s performed such roles his entire life. Pachinko is unmissable, and Lee an integral part of its multi-tiered story.
