Korean Actors And Actresses As Gumihos In K-Dramas
Here are the actors and actresses who breathed life into the character of a gumiho in fantasy K-dramas
My Roommate Is a Gumiho was released recently, and we’re all the more fascinated by this creature that was depicted several times in fantasy K-dramas.
Gumiho or kumiho is a nine-tailed fox that appears in Korean folktales; its counterpart in Japanese is known as kitsune while in Chinese, it’s called huli jing.
There are many beliefs about gumihos—what they can do and whether they’re good or evil. Typically, they transform into a beautiful woman, out to seduce men and devour their liver or heart. Foxy! But they can take on other forms as well and even imitate another person.
They can live for a thousand year. And at which point, if they endured not killing humans for that long, they are believed to gain that ability to permanently become human. But there are different stories and interpretations about gumihos particularly in K-dramas, but what is ultimately the goal for these characters is to become human.
Gumihos are also known to carry the so-called yeowoo guseul or the fox marble/bead that contains their power and knowledge. This bead may be transferred to another person through a kiss. And something similar happens in the story of My Roommate Is a Gumiho. Shin Woo-yeo (played by Jang Ki-yong) has been discreetly living in the human world for centuries. Waiting for the time to become human permanently, his fox beads are accidentally swallowed by Lee Dam (played by Lee Hye-ri). Because of this, they are forced to live together while they find a solution for Shin Woo-yeo to reclaim his beads.
In the gallery below, check out the Korean stars who played the role of a gumiho in K-dramas:
Korean Actors & Actresses As Gumihos
Korean Actors & Actresses As Gumihos
Jang Ki-Yong in "My Roommate Is A Gumiho"
He's a gumiho named Shin Woo-yeo who's so close to becoming a human after living for centuries. However, his fox beads are accidentally swallowed by a girl named Lee Dam (portrayed by Hyeri). While they think of a solution for this, the two decide to cohabitate and romance unexpectedly blooms.
Photo Credit: tvN
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Photo Credit: iQiyi
Lee Dong-Wook in "Tale of the Nine-Tailed"
Lee Dong-wook stars in the series as Lee Yeon, a 1000-year-old gumiho who was once a guardian mountain spirit of Baekdudaegan and is now living in the city. He falls in love with Nam Ji-ah (portrayed by Jo Bo-ah), who happens to be the reincarnation of his first love, and he does everything to protect her from his half-brother (a half-blood gumiho) and the Imoogi (a serpent beast in human form).
Photo Credit: tvN
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Photo Credit: tvN
Kim Bum in "Tale of the Nine-Tailed"
As Lee Rang, Kim Bum portrays the character of a half-blood gumiho; he's the half-brother of Lee Dong-wook's Lee Yeon, a 1000-year-old gumiho. Lee Rang has been harboring a deep grudge for his brother, because he thinks he left him behind to struggle on his own. He has made it his mission to take revenge on him.
Photo Credit: tvN
Photo Credit: tvN
Kim Yong-Ji in "Tale of the Nine-Tailed"
In this fantasy K-drama, Kim Yong-ji is Ki Yoo-ri, a gumiho from Russia who was saved by Kim Bum's Lee Rang when she was being maltreated in a zoo. She then becomes his loyal accomplice to repay him.
Photo Credit: tvN
Photo Credit: tvN
Shin Min-Ah in "My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho"
Here, Shin Min-ah is a legendary gumiho who's been trapped inside a painting. A college student (Cha Dae-woong, played by Lee Seung-gi) accidentally releases the gumiho. As he flees, he falls down and the gumiho comes to his rescue, giving him her fox bead to save him. As she clings onto him, they fall in love with each other, not knowing the consequences that come with lending and reclaiming the fox bead.
Photo Credit: SBS TV
Photo Credit: shin-minah.blogspot.com
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Lee Seung-Gi in "Gu Family Book"
This historical/romance/fantasy K-drama features Lee Seung-gi as a half-man, half-gumiho whose goal is to become human. His father is a mystical forest protector and gumiho (Gu Wol-ryung, played by Choi Jin-hyuk) while his mother is the daughter of a nobleman who is framed for being a traitor and killed. He gets separated from his parents, so he is adopted by another family. He grows up as a troublemaker yet a good-hearted young man with a superhuman strength.
Photo Credit: MBC
Photo Credit: MBC
Choi Jin-Hyuk in "Gu Family Book"
Choi Jin-hyuk's character Gu Wol-ryung is the father of Lee Seung-gi's Choi Kang-chi. He's a mystical forest protector and gumiho who falls in love with a human (Yoon Seo-hwa, played by Lee Yeon-hee). He initially keeps the truth behind his being a gumiho from her because if he is successful at doing so, doesn't take anyone's life, and helps anyone in need for 100 days, he can become human. But he's left with no choice but to reveal his true self to Seo-hwa when she gets into danger. Horrified at him, she leaves him, though she's pregnant with their child. Gu Wol-ryung reappears in the story as a soul-sucking demon who has lost his memories.
Photo Credit: MBC
Photo Credit: KBS
Kim Tae-Hee in "Forbidden Love"
Kim Tae-hee's Yoon Shi-yeon is a gumiho who's an undercover warrior in the human world. She becomes an orphan after her family was massacred. It's her duty to maintain peace and harmony between men and foxes. She finds herself facing a serial murder case that's linked to an organ trafficking trade. When she's not working undercover, she's an employee at a natural history museum.
Photo Credit: KBS
Photo Credit: KBS
Han Eun-Jung in "Grudge: The Revolt of Gumiho"
In this historical series, Han Eun-jung is Gu San-daek, a gumiho who falls in love with a human. But she leaves him when he breaks his promise of marrying her. They have a daughter together. The mother and daughter wanders around for a safe place to stay in until they meet a former official (Jang Hyun-sung as Yoon Doo-soo) who decides to take them in. Little did the two know that the man has an ulterior motive: his daughter suffers from a mystical disease and she can only be saved if she's fed the liver of a girl of the same age. Doo-soo, however, begins to fall in love with San-daek.
Photo Credit: KBS
Photo Credit: KBS
My Roommate Is a Gumiho is available on iQiyi.
Lead photos from iQiyi and tvN
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