dangermousie: (LJK by abstractcandy)
[personal profile] dangermousie
OK, confession time.

A big part of the reason I prefer kdramas above all others is not because of awesome visuals, or very emotional storylines, or even the occasional clothes misstep of doom.

It’s because of…gasp…the men.

Yes, while I find some Japanese and Taiwanese actors very attractive, generally, for me, kdrama boys are where it’s at. Maybe because they tend to be the most masculine-looking of the lot. Or maybe it’s the cheekbones or the fact that they are tall (of course, Taiwanese ones are too).

Anyhoo.

Phew.

That felt better ;D

So, for those wondering, a little, highly biased kdrama men primer behind cut with photographic evidence.

Actually, it’s merely part 1 as I kept expanding and expanding this one and the task would be otherwise never ending. Part 2 will come.

Here are the first 15 men, no particular order.



1. Bi/Rain.



Yup, that’s his name. Or his stage name, anyway. Rain is an all around pop star, a singing/dancing/acting/shirt-ripping sensation, and also my favorite kdrama boy. He was the star of my very first (and therefore special) kdrama, Full House, a frothy comedy where he played a somewhat immature star (heee) forced to share a house and a marriage of inconvenience with an author. The cuteness! The funny! The angst! The horrible shirts! The reason he is my favorite kdrama boy, however, is not because of that, but because of one of my favorite kdramas, A Love to Kill (until recently, my favorite ‘angsty’ kdrama) which is about obsession, revenge and impossible love. Rain played Kang Bokgu, a man becoming a bodyguard to a woman he believes ruined his brother, as a way to get close to her to avenge him. But he falls in love with her instead.

Other drama he’s been in is Sang-Doo, Let’s Go to School where he plays a gigolo rediscovering lost love, but while cute it didn’t grab me in the same fashion. I like it but haven’t finished it yet. He also starred in a recent movie I’m a Cyborg but that’s OK. Mentally ill people in love? Hmmm.

2. Lee Wan:



The kdrama boy who is dangerously close to replacing Rain as my fave kdrama boy ever. I just need to see him in more than one drama and it’s a done deal. The one drama of his was Tree of Heaven where he plays an intense, strong-willed mobster in love with an innocent woman from his past. It is also the drama that knocked A Love to Kill off its number 1 spot. Other dramas he’s been in that I want to check out include Stairway to Heaven, about doooooooooomed love (he and the female lead in ToH play the younger versions of the leads. See, doomed love? So them); Let’s Go to the Beach which sounds fluffy and funny and romantic and he is a lifeguard so clothes aren’t hopefully too much in evidence and Snow White (which I did start) where he plays the badboy younger brother who gets the girl. YAY. I am also psyched about his upcoming jdrama (!!!). He plays a Korean man in love with a Japanese woman.

3. Lee Jun-Ki:



He breaks every rule for kdrama boys I like. He is incredibly pretty in an androgenous fashion. In the first kdrama I saw him in (the fabulous My Girl), he played the ‘other guy’ which is hardly an attention grabbing role in kdrama. Yet, from the first moment I saw him in MG, I was hooked. Despite my love for MG otp, I fell madly and irrevocably in love with Jeong-Woo, LJK’s character, who was cheeky, utterly sexy, and as charismatic as hell. Since then, I saw him in The King and the Clown a wonderful Korean movie about court jesters (where he actually does play a man who dresses as a woman and acts and looks like one) and was blown away by how well he acted. I am really excited for his upcoming stuff: Virgin Snow, a Japanese-Korean movie, and Time between Dog and Wolf a kdrama where he plays the lead and which involves gangs and revenge and childhood love.

4. Joo Ji-Hoon:



IMO, arguably the most gorgeous kdrama boy out there (and that is a tough tough competition, ladies). And probably the tallest at 6'2". *swoon* JJH totally won my fiction-crush heart as the repressed, messed-up Prince Shin in the super-hit drama Goong in which he plays the Prince of Korea in an AU world who marries the bubbly and awesome commoner Chae-Gyung and the story follows that marriage. This has been the only drama of his I’ve seen so far, but this spring he starred in The Devil, not a romantic drama, and he plays a killer. Yeah. It’s wrong but I am swooning already.

5. Lee Dong-Wook:



He won me over entirely as the kind, good-boyish yet never boring Gong-Chan in My Girl. Gorgeous and funny and with a great deal of chemistry with the actress who played Yu-Rin, Gong-Chan was one of the rare drama men I’d not mind in real life. And LDW breaks down beautifully. And I have also seen and enjoyed him in the very short but fun Hanoi Bride. He has a recently released romcom movie about a cop and an author out which I really want to see.

6. Hyun Bin:



Oh. Hyun-Bin. He can do both dreamy-eyed and intense (sine qua non for my liking a drama boy) and if the marvelously delicate Snow Queen is any indication, he has one of the most expressive faces I’ve seen. He can also portray purity of spirit without seeming boring or cloying and that is a big big deal. Did I mention the ‘unbelievably gorgeous’ part? In addition to Snow Queen, this year’s drama about a math genius with a messed up past and a suicidal strong-willed rich girl whom he befriends and falls in love with (one of the best dramas I’ve ever seen) he was also the male lead in the huge hit My name is Kim Sam Soon about a Bridget Jones-like pastry chef and a younger man, but I haven’t seen it, though trust me, I intend to. He was also cute in the Korean take on ‘Walk to Remember’ known as ‘Millionaire’s First Love’ where he angsted prettily.

7. Kang Dong-Wan:



This dorama boy is an odd duck. I haven’t seen him in a dorama! I did fall madly in love with him as the intense (notice the pattern) almost silent assassin ‘Sad Eyes’ in the period movie The Duelist where the chemistry between him and the leading lady was even more mesmerizing than the fights. And then I saw him in the movie Temptation of Wolves where he managed to make me root for ‘cest-ship, as a half-brother unrequietedly in love with his clueless younger sister. I have two of his doramas on the ‘soon-to-watch’ list: 1% of Anything which is supposed to be fluffy and cute and adorable but is 26 episodes so I’ve been putting it off a bit, and Magic which I went to a great deal of trouble to find with subs. He is gorgeous in that one.

8. Go Soo:



Intense (yup, again) and driven and dark and desperate in the kdrama Green Rose. I think I just got dragged in so entirely mainly because he angsts and falls apart so well. Yeah. *swoon* I am not that familiar with his other stuff but I really should go looking.

9. Jae Hee:



I loved him as the adorable protagonist of Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang. Boyish and charming and very very adorable. And hot. Did I mention the hot? His character, Mong-Ryong, won me over utterly. And then he went and blew me away with his acting as a very different character in the art-house movie Three Iron (where you can see a LOT of him, btw). And his charm swept me off my feet, again, in this year’s adorable drama Witch Yoo Hee.

10. Kang Ta:



A popstar/actor. If he was ever in a band again, I’d suggest he call it ‘Kangta and the Cheekbones of Doom.’ Seriously. Gorgeous. I saw him in Loveholic, a story that starts out as a teacher-student affair and evolves into something else entirely. I haven’t finished Loveholic yet as it started to meander in the middle, but oh boy, can he bring on the intense and the pretty. What’s next? A Chinese co-production known as Love in the City 2, which is, oddly, despite the name, not a sequel.

11. Lee Seo Jin:



He is a bit older than the rest of the above drama boys. He is squarely in his thirties but that just makes him even more appealing as he can play a grown-up, no problem. I have no idea if he is gorgeous, but he is irresistably masculine and incredibly magnetic. When he is on screen, I sort of lose interest in anything else. I first saw him in the awesome period drama Damo where he played the deeply reserved police commander, who won my heart despite weird hats and bizarro beards. His intensity blew me away. Currently, I am watching him as the conflicted mobster in the awesome Lovers. He’s been in plenty of other stuff though, including Phoenix, a famous drama I plan to get to soon.

12. Lee Dong Gun:



I am lazy, so I am just largely copy pasting what I wrote about him earlier. Do you know, once upon a time, I didn't understand the fuss over Lee Dong Gun. I saw him as the admittedly nice other guy in Sang-Doo and he registered zip on my Rain-fixated radar (Rain played the lead). I didn't think he was particularly hot or charismatic or anything (though not ugly or dull either). Just the usual 'other guy.' But then I saw pictures of If in love...like them where he plays a snarky, vulnerable con and went 'guuuuuuuuh' and then I got my hands on the movie My Boyfriend is Type B and was GONE. (I should have disliked his protagonist, who is a cheerful jerk, but instead I adored him because of the sheer charisma and peeks of vulnerability. The movie's total fluff worked because of the cast). And then followed Sweet 18 where I saw three eps and fell for the drama and his proper but very sweet DA very hard. In addition to the above, he's also starred in Stained Glass and Smile Again dramas, both of which I am dying to watch.

Oh, he also makes the world's most adorable RL couple with Han Ji Hye, his Sweet 18 and My Boyfriend is Type B co-star.

13. Jo In Sung:



Not only can he make the most messed-up or self-absorbed characters likeable as he is also a heck of a good actor, he is also hot and tall :) I first saw him play the damaged, irresistable lead of What Happened in Bali (where he singlehandedly made me sit through 17 eps of the most depressing drama ever) and I followed it up by watching his brilliant performance in the movie A Dirty Carnival where he played a desperate small-time gangster. I am ready for something lighter with him, so I have my hands on Shoot for the Stars, a younger man-older woman romance drama with a happy ending.

14. Kim Rae Won:



Boyishly charming? Charmingly boyish? Who knows and who cares which. All I know is KRW is totally irresistable. I first saw him in otherwise forgettable My Love Patzzi where he totally lit the screen. I completely fell for him in Love Story in Harvard. Not a great drama (he falls for the heroine as she is ministering to an AIDS patient. YES) but his character is adorable and remarkably normal and a good kisser. Yeah. I said it. Kisser. A lot of KRW's dramas have yummy kisses in them. I guess the boy is a lech :D KRW has been in a lot of dramas. The one I am most interested in is Which Star Are You from where he falls in love with the twin of his dead girlfriend, but I also plan on watching Attic Cat, supposedly funny and cute and Say You Love Me where he plays one half of a naive couple trapped in a 'Dangerous Liasons' type situation. I assume more kissing in each :) He was also the male lead of 'My Little Bride,' a movie I am quite interested in. He also has an upcoming drama where he plays a Chef.

15. Bae Yong Joon:



When we were in Japan last year, there were still posters up for Winter Sonata, the drama that arguably started Hallyu (the Korean wave) and the ur-kdrama of them all (I have not seen it but apparently it involves true love, snow and amnesia, indespensable ingredients in a kdrama). So yeah, Bye Yong Joon is famous. Crazy famous. In fact, I read and posted an article about BYJ craze months before I even knew what a drama was. Ahhh, the irony looking back. I first saw him in the excellent, twisty, harsh movie Untold Scandal, a Korean take on 'Dangerous Liasons' where he was excellent and playing against his WS image. He's been in a number of dramas and movies (he has an upcoming period drama) which I haven't seen but assume will eventually. I am eagerly anticipating getting my hands on Hotelier where he is simply irresistable if the clips I've seen are anything to go by, as the driven, be-suited enterpreneur who falls in love.

Part 2 to come. To include Won Bin, Joo Ji Hoon, Dennis Oh, Daniel Henney, Song Il Gook, Kim Jung Hoon etc. I am accepting suggestions.

Date: 2007-06-19 07:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fivil.livejournal.com
I approve of this post and I pre-approve of the upcoming ones.

My own suggestion is Eric Mun, partly for my own reasons, partly for this (50 Most Beautiful People in Korea type of poll results).

Date: 2007-06-20 03:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
Mmmm. Eric. Will do.

I really liked the list you linked to, btw. Unlike US People's list, there are actualyl guys I find attractive on there :)

Date: 2007-06-19 09:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sahweetay.livejournal.com
He was the star of my very first (and therefore special) kdrama, Full House
Ditto! :D

And what can I say...GREAT list of hot Korean guys. I too find myself drifting more towards Korean movies & dramas than any other, and maybe you've answered my own question as to why. O_o

And I love that picture you posted of Kim Rae Won-- it's from one of my fave dramas! And he reminds me so much of my old art teacher. Sigh!

(if I had to pick a fave though, I think it would be Joo Ji Hoon at the end of the day!)

Date: 2007-06-20 04:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
Yeah, JJH=hot.

My brain is dead from looking for this hotness for the post :)

Date: 2007-06-19 09:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sahweetay.livejournal.com
Oh & for a second I thought Bi's belt said 'Taylor' and I was about to get excited because that's my name hahah!

Date: 2007-06-20 04:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
LOL. That would have been awesome.

Date: 2007-06-19 10:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] janlake83.livejournal.com
i think i am the same, i love korean male actors more than taiwanese and japenese.. although there are some in jdramas and twdramas that are hot but i think the reason i like korean guys more has to do with the fact that they're not so ummm androgynous. they look like men not boys... they have muscles and tone and in the case of bi an amazing six pack... * i was drooling with the amount of korean eye candies*

in japan mostly the guys have some very feminine features and they're very very skinny... i always feel that some of them need to eat and get some muscles... and seriously remember jun in HYD2 he had sparkly nail polish on * a little too girly for me but he is cute to me*

i would like to add lee min ki (KTB from Dal Ja's Springs) and lee ji hoon (DG from H!M) to the mix...

Date: 2007-06-20 04:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
Yes yes and YES on everything you said. And they are added to the list!

Date: 2007-06-20 09:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] janlake83.livejournal.com
yeay!!! thanks for the korean eye candy

Date: 2007-06-21 01:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
You are welcome :)

Date: 2007-06-19 11:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rainy-summer.livejournal.com
Go Soo was in "Marrying a Millionaire" I still have to finish watching that drama.

Date: 2007-06-20 03:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
Cool. Thanks! I acutally have it somewhere.

Date: 2007-06-20 05:41 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bennet-7.livejournal.com
This is fabulous! I just got into Kdramas (saw a picture of the cast of Goong and my brain exploded) and am deciding which ones to watch almost entirely on the looks of the leads.

My name is Bennet and I am shallow. It's been 12 hours since I last watched a Jae Hee drama...

Date: 2007-06-20 04:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
am deciding which ones to watch almost entirely on the looks of the leads.


Hey, there is nothing wrong with that :)

Which Jae Hee drama, btw?

Date: 2007-06-21 05:50 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bennet-7.livejournal.com
Which Jae Hee drama, btw?

Witch Yoo Hee which was good but not great. I agree with your criticisms in your other post. It needed more plot and less of the characters having the same fights five times.

Date: 2007-06-20 05:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] meganbmoore.livejournal.com
ooo...song il gook will be in the next one. an interesting tidbit on him: even though hes technically the villain: most fans of the show were more interested in him and his relationship to the heroine than they were with the hero and his.

And he also plays the villain in Bodyguard(guess why I have that one in the backlog...) and in a few comments on it that I've read, a lot of people like him best there, too.

*must watch jumong sssssooooonnnnn*

Date: 2007-06-20 04:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
I am including SIG because I know you like him :)

Btw, I am up through ep 22 of Handsome Siblings and will do a post on it later but OMG the otp stuff is INSANE. with blindness and poison and fake death and collapsing.

Date: 2007-06-20 04:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] meganbmoore.livejournal.com
aye, the wedding through that is largely what i was refering to. SIG is like LSJ...you don't really think he's overly handsome or compelling until you're watching him. Then you just stare in fascination(and his EotS character is rather like Hwangbo Yoon in that his love for her is the most important and driving force in his life, even if he can never have her)

Date: 2007-06-21 01:25 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
The wedding and similar is awesome (I posted a whole long incoherent glee about it).

Date: 2007-06-20 06:43 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] carviangli.livejournal.com
Oh! I nearly gasped when I read that you have NOT seen MNIKSS?! What is wrong with you(lol, I mean that in the nicest possible way). I recommend you to get on to it. Pronto. It is easily one of my FAVOURITE kdramas and I am surprised you haven't seen it :P
Oh thanks for all the pics btw....:P
'My Little Bride' is really good and seriously funny and I totally recommend you see that aswell.
Kdrama guys?! Hmmm....I like japanese guys better (as leads)- kdramas are too angsty and my angst-watching capabilities are VERY low:P
So I usually watch fluffy/non-angsty dramas (except Snow Queen but that was because I thought it had a happy ending :(
You're doing a part two?! Eeeek! You rock!!:P So many hot guys...so little time...

Date: 2007-06-20 04:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
LOL. I have had MNIKSS for ages and somehow haven't gotten around to it yet.

I do want to see MLB but my file is corrputed so I have to rdl.

Snow Queen but that was because I thought it had a happy ending :(

Wow, that must have sucked. There are plenty of fluffy kdramas though :)

Date: 2007-06-22 08:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] carviangli.livejournal.com
I don't really think korean dramas tend to be "fluffy" (goong is about the fluffiest kdrama I've seen) because mostly taiwanese dramas are my fluffy dramas, korean dramas are my make-me-cry-my-eyes-out angsty dramas and japanese dramas are my slice-of-life- dramas:p
What fluffy korean dramas do you recommend?!

Date: 2007-06-22 02:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
Sweet 18 (with Lee Dong Gun :P) is very fluffy, about an 18 year old tough girl and 28 year serious prosecutor who find themselves in an arranged engagement. Then there is 1% of Anything, with Kang Dong Wan. Or Full House with Rain :)

Date: 2007-06-23 08:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] carviangli.livejournal.com
Oh, my sister is watching 1% of anything and she says it's sort of boring...but Kang Dong Wan is adorably cute and amazing actor(Maudy Thursday proves that). I have seen full house and yes, cute but geez, the kisses were horrible as was Rain's really cringe-worthy outfits(almost beats the crazy fashion of HYD1). I think I will watch sweet 18 but I've been putting it off because I don't want to see Lee Dae Hee be evol:P

Date: 2007-06-24 03:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
LDH has a really small role in S18 though :)

Date: 2007-07-02 12:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] carviangli.livejournal.com
oh really?! Oh that's such a relief! I've been putting this off bcoz I don't want to hate LDH!!

BTW, I forgot to tell you that I recommend you the movie "The Classic" it stars Jo In Sung and another really really hot guy...whose name escapes me...but the movie is beautiful and has just the right angst and guuuh...I recommend it highly and since you loved What happened in Bali I thought you might like this because Jo In Sung makes me hyperventilate...

...did you know Jo In Sung was the first choice to play Shin is Goong and Kang Don Wan was the first choice to play Yul?!! I wish they had played those characters because I could so see them do that role.

Date: 2007-07-02 04:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
Jo In Sung was the first choice to play Shin is Goong and Kang Don Wan was the first choice to play Yul?!

Really???????

Neat.

OMG.

(Though I guess they would have to make the characters older).

And thanks re: Classic.

Date: 2007-07-03 09:12 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] carviangli.livejournal.com
Yeh...I guess that's why everyone was complaining about the casting of Goong(before it aired) because Chaegyung was played by Yoon Eun Hye wasn't very well-known(or liked) and either was JJH or KJH...personally I would have liked the original choices of Jo In Sung, Kang Don Wan as Yul, Moon geun-young(from My little bride)as HyoRin and BoA(as Chae Gyung)....besides BoA as CG I would have loved that cast...

and the Classic is great...I hope you like it as much as I did:P
Have you seen My Sassy Girl? That's another great movie I recommend:P

Date: 2007-07-03 06:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
MSG sounds a little too wacky for me, but we'll see :)

Date: 2007-07-07 02:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] carviangli.livejournal.com
That is exactly what I thought when I read about it but it is much better than I expected...it is beautifully done and obviously since so many people highly recommend it it's bound to be good. I am scared to recommend it to you though because I am not sure you'll like it that much but if you just want to look at the first few minutes or so...it's on crunchyroll:P:P

Date: 2007-07-09 08:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
i'll check it out then, thanks :)

Date: 2007-06-20 08:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kitkat-cat.livejournal.com
Oh Dear Gaaaawwwd!

First thing I look at work and I almost fell off my chair!!!

You absolutely HAVE to watch MNIKSS! I remember that I practically had it on loop and watched it about 4 times continuously, I also do complete rewatchea about every few months!

I generally do prefer the kdrama guys myself, I don't think it's the height though, i think it's cos they come across as MEN rather than boys which many of the twdrama guys come across as. They're hard on the outside, but so soft with with their women! waaaahhhh! Their cheekbones and the fact that they tend to look like they actually eat is attractive (i don't do skinny)!!! jdrama guys, i think are a bit of an acquired taste, you're not too sure at first, but they usually grow on you, aka, matsuta shota!

Date: 2007-06-20 03:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
I want to watch MNIKSS but have to finish my drama backlog first :)

cos they come across as MEN rather than boys which many of the twdrama guys come across as. They're hard on the outside, but so soft with with their women! waaaahhhh!

Exactly.

Jdrama boys actually took me the longest to get used to, as well. I could pribably body-slam most of them which is a bit odd :)

Date: 2007-06-20 04:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ladysaotome.livejournal.com
Woohooo - I love Won Bin! He was soo perfect in Friends 2002. Same goes for Kim Jung Hoon - for some reason (& I seem to be rather alone in this), I just loved him in Goong.

You already did Joo Ji Hoon - unless we get more...

I've only seen a few Korean dramas so far so I don't have much to contribute but don't forget Yoon Kye Sang - he's matured quite a bit since "My sister-in-law is 19", too.

Date: 2007-06-21 01:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
Would you believe I've never seen Won Bin in anything? *gasp* :)

I want to watch MSILi19...guuuuh, so many dramas, so little time.

Date: 2007-06-21 08:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ladysaotome.livejournal.com
I just found a picspam of Won Bin here: http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/viewtopic_31647.htm

Dang - he looks different in the ones where he grew his hair out - the man needs to stay cleancut - he looks so much better that way.

Date: 2007-06-21 10:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
OMG, so awesome. Thanks! I owe [livejournal.com profile] bodea a Won Bin picspam :)

Date: 2007-06-21 03:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] akosikae.livejournal.com
Hmmm..I usually have to see most in more than 3 or 4 episodes before I think "Oh yeah, he is hot." I find the girls cute more easily then the boys :) I really want to marry Joo Ji Hoon after all.

Date: 2007-06-21 06:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dangermousie.livejournal.com
Nah, I am shallow. Looking at them on screen for five minutes is good enough for me :)

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