The Hottest Korean Actors As Police Officers And Detectives In K-Dramas
Mystery-solving in K-Dramas is even more fun with these oppas' crime-fighting skills
If you're not into the rom-com or melodrama genres, K-Dramaland also has something that can be of interest to you: crime or police procedural dramas.
If you enjoy racking your brain for clues on an unsolved crime or mystery or trying to put together puzzle pieces to figure out plot twists, the viewing experience is surely better when the lead actor is the one who's crucial in bringing some truths to light. Many of the characters as policemen and detectives also have supernatural abilities, making the narratives more interesting and compelling.
We're currently hooked on sci-fi/mystery Alice, a K-drama that tackles a series of crimes committed that are directly connected to time traveling. Joo Won stars in Alice as a quiet yet intuitive detective who's skilled in fighting; a painful event that happened in his past has shaped not only his future but those of others around him as well.
In the gallery below, we compiled photos of the hottest Korean actors who played the roles of police officers and detectives in a K-Drama:
Handsome Policemen & Detectives In K-Dramas
Handsome Policemen & Detectives In K-Dramas
Lee Soo-Hyuk in "Born Again"
In this mystery melodrama, Lee Soo-hyuk's character is a prosecutor who was once a detective. As the title suggests, "Born Again" comes with a twist in the form of a reincarnation.
Photo Credit: KBS
Photo Credit: KBS
Photo Credit: KBS
Jang Seung-Jo in "The Good Detective"
Jang Seung-jo's character is a wealthy, elite homicide detective with nine years of experience in the field. He and his senior (a role portrayed by Son Hyun-joo) have different approaches to investigating cases. This results into a crime-fighting battle between the detectives as they work on their cases.
Photo Credit: JTBC
Photo Credit: JTBC
Photo Credit: JTBC
Choi Jin-Hyuk in "Tunnel," "Rugal," and "Zombie Detective"
In crime thriller "Tunnel," his character is a detective who mysteriously disappears in 1986 and re-appears in 2016. He time-travels to the future to get to the bottom of unsolved murders. In action, sci-fi "Rugal," Choi Jin-hyuk is an elite detective who's looking to avenge the death of his family. He later joins a special task force that's equipped with biotechnology, and is given artificial eyeballs that lead to him having a superhuman ability. He currently stars in the "Zombie Detective" as, well, a zombie who opens his own office to pursue a career as a private detective.
Photo Credit: OCN
Photo Credit: OCN
Photo Credit: OCN
Jung Kyung-Ho in "Life on Mars"
In "Life on Mars," he's the leader of a crime investigation team. But after an accident, he is transported back in time in 1988, where he's a detective in a small city. The only way for him to return to the present-day is by solving a murder case.
Photo Credit: OCN
Photo Credit: OCN
Photo Credit: OCN
Ahn Jae-Hyun in "You're All Surrounded"
In this action, crime, and romance series, he was a first-year medical resident who later decides to become a detective despite his family's objections.
Photo Credit: SBS
Photo Credit: SBS
Photo Credit: SBS
Taecyeon in "Who Are You?"
This K-Drama mixes police procedural, mystery, horror, and romance genres. It features Taecyeon as a rookie cop who works with a detective who just woke up from a six-year coma (portrayed by So Yi-hyun) and now has the supernatural ability to see ghosts.
Photo Credit: tvN
Photo Credit: tvN
Photo Credit: tvN
Rain in "Sketch"
In this action, crime, fantasy series, Rain is a detective whose fiancée gets murdered. He works with another detective who can see three days into the future (Lee Sun-bin) and a former special special forces member whose pregnant wife gets killed (Lee Dong-gun). They collaborate to uncover the truth behind these mysterious incidents.
Photo Credit: JTBC
Photo Credit: JTBC
Photo Credit: JTBC
Jo Jung-Suk in "Two Cops"
Jo Jung-suk's character is a violent crimes detective whose body is taken over by a con artist's spirit. He falls in love with a rookie reporter (Lee Hye-ri).
Photo Credit: MBC
Photo Credit: MBC
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Photo Credit: MBC
Oh Ji-O in "Cheo Yong"
Born with the ability to see, hear, and touch ghosts, he's a detective who loses his family in a tragic incident. This leads to him ending up as a district cop in a violent crimes unit. His extraordinary abilities aid him in solving cases.
Photo Credit: OCN
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Photo Credit: OCN
Photo Credit: OCN
Park Yoo-Chun in "A Girl Who Sees Smells"
He's a police inspector whose sister was murdered and has made it his mission to avenge his sister's death. Having lost his senses of smell and taste, he meets a woman who has the unique ability to see smells as patterns forming in the air, something that helps him solve his cases.
Photo Credit: SBS
Photo Credit: SBS
Photo Credit: SBS
Jang Hyuk in "Voice"
The thriller-procedural series features Jang Hyuk as a detective whose wife gets murdered while he's at work. He meets a policewoman with psycho-acoustics skills whose father gets killed in an incident. Together, they work on the cases surrounding a serial killer who's also related to the death of their loved ones.
Photo Credit: OCN
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Photo Credit: OCN
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Photo Credit: OCN
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Yoo Seung-Ho in "Memorist"
In the crime, mystery, and fantasy series, Yoo Seung-ho's character is a detective in the police force who has the supernatural ability to read people's minds just by touching them.
Photo Credit: tvN
Photo Credit: Story J Company
Photo Credit: tvN
Joo Won in "Alice"
He's a detective who doesn't show emotions and investigates a case linked to time-traveling. He meets a genius physicist (Kim Hee-seon) who looks like his mother who was murdered.
Photo Credit: SBS
Photo Credit: SBS
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Photo Credit: SBS
Kang Ha-Neul in "When the Camellia Blooms"
He's a police officer in a small town, who falls in love with a single mom (Gong Hyo-jin) that runs a bar-restaurant called Camellia. The twist is a serial killer is lurking around in their town, and this woman he loves is in danger.
Photo Credit: KBS
Photo Credit: KBS
Photo Credit: KBS
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Lee Seung-Gi in "You're All Surrounded"
An actor who can do both comedy and action, Lee Seung-gi puts those acting chops in good use in "You're All Surrounded," where he plays the role of an intelligent detective who not only has an IQ of 150 but also has a photographic memory. His character's mother was murdered right in front of him, so it's become his life mission to find out the one responsible for this crime.
Photo Credit: SBS
Photo Credit: SBS
Photo Credit: SBS
Song Seung-Heon in "Black"
A romance, fantasy, thriller, and comedy in one, "Black" features Song Seung-heon as a detective who joins the support team of a Regional Crime Unit. He dies unexpectedly, and his body is possessed by a grim reaper searching for his fugitive partner.
Photo Credit: OCN
Photo Credit: OCN
Photo Credit: OCN
Jung Hae-In in "While You Were Sleeping"
His character is a police officer who's considered ideal in every sense of the word but is actually suffering from color blindness. He survives a car accident, and gains the supernatural ability of seeing the future through his dreams.
Photo Credit: SBS
Photo Credit: SBS
Photo Credit: SBS
BONUS! Ji Chang-Wook in "Healer" and "The K2"
Here are bonus photos of Ji Chang-wook in police uniform, as seen in his K-Dramas "Healer" (wherein he portrayed the role of a "night courier" ordered to carry out certain tasks) and "The K2" (wherein his character is a military operative-turned-security agent or bodyguard).
Photo Credit: Day Rock
Photo Credit: tvN
Who's your favorite oppa as a police officer or a detective?
Lead photos from SBS and KBS
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