K-Drama Stars Who Have Done Daring, Sexy Roles In Movies

Song Ji-Hyo in "A Frozen Flower" (2008)

Well-loved on the megahit variety show "Running Man," Song Ji-hyo is also visible as a K-drama actress with past series like "Princess Hours," "Jumong," "Emergency Couple," and "Was It Love?" Prior to joining "Running Man" in 2010, her popularity soared when she starred alongside Jo In-sung in one of 2008’s highest-grossing films "A Frozen Flower." While the plot was controversial, the movie was also much talked-about because of nudity and graphic sex scenes. She made a statement about the project, saying, “When I decided to do this film, nudity was not the central issue. How much I expose is not important to me. I thought without that scene, it would be difficult to portray the subtle changes in emotion. What mattered to me at the time was working on my facial expressions apart from the posture that the director wanted me to convey.”

Photo Credit: IMDb

Song Ji-Hyo in "A Frozen Flower" (2008)

Photo Credit: IMDb

Jo In-Sung in "A Frozen Flower" (2008)

Known as one of the ultimate leading men in South Korea with his popular dramas “Memories of Bali,” “That Winter, The Wind Blows,” and “It’s Okay, That’s Love,” Jo In-sung is certainly brave with his career choices. One of the projects he starred in was the movie “A Frozen Flower,” a historical film where his royal bodyguard role was entangled in a bizarre love triangle involving the king and the queen. Jo In-sung dared to bare it all and film steamy bed scenes not only with the lead actress (Song Ji-hyo) but also with the lead actor (Joo Jin-mo). The movie became one of the most controversial ones in South Korea because of the explicit homo and hetero sex scenes. In an interview, however, Jo In-sung explained, “The bed scenes aren’t the entire film. The bed scenes are just like a twist in the film. Bed scenes were not filmed for the sake of having bed scenes. Rather than the act, the emotions should be the focus of the scenes.”

Photo Credit: IMDb

Jo In-Sung in "A Frozen Flower" (2008)

Photo Credit: IMDb

Kim Tae-Ri in "The Handmaiden" (2016)

She may have cemented her reputation as a credible actress on the critically-acclaimed K-drama “Mr. Sunshine” and showed us her cool side on the Netflix film “Space Sweepers.” But even before these projects, Kim Tae-ri already wowed critics and viewers alike with her 2016 feature film debut “The Handmaiden.” In the movie, she played a con artist who attempted to swindle a Japanese heiress (Kim Min-hee) but later falls for her. The actress did some erotic lesbian scenes with her co-star to deliver the film’s tale of lies, seduction and deceit. “I am such a big admirer of Kim Min Hee and she’s an actress I’ve respected. Coming into those scenes where we needed to be intimate wasn’t such a difficult thing for me to do. We became very close quite quickly. There was no discomfort between us,” she said in an interview with “Hollywood Outbreak.” The actress went on to win the Best New Actress awards at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, Director’s Cut Awards, Buil Film Awards, and Busan Film Critics Awards for her role in the film.

Photo Credit: CJ Entertainment

Kim Tae-Ri in "The Handmaiden" (2016)

Photo Credit: CJ Entertainment

Jeon Do-Yeon in "The Housemaid" (2010)

Celebrated in South Korea as a critically-acclaimed actress, Jeon Do-yeon brought honor to the country when she won Best Actress at the 60th Cannes Film Festival for the film “Secret Sunshine.” More known as a quality film actress, she also made time to do small screen projects such as “Lovers in Prague” and the Korean adaptation of the American drama “The Good Wife.” One of her high profile projects is the film “The Housemaid” where she played the role of Eun-yi who gets involved in a dangerous love triangle while working as a housemaid for a wealthy family. The movie featured erotic scenes to display the illicit affair between the housemaid and the man of the house which created quite a stir in South Korea. “All movies that have bed scenes are shocking and a lot of talk goes around the bed scenes whenever a movie comes out. What is different about this one is that the shock does not come from visual scenes but the emotional shock,” she stated.

Photo Credit: Sidus FNH

Jeon Do-Yeon in "The Housemaid" (2010)

Photo Credit: Sidus FNH

Gong Yoo in "A Man and a Woman" (2016)

Easily one of the Hallyu leaders because of his hit dramas “Coffee Prince” and “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” (“Goblin”), Gong Yoo is not only capable of melting hearts but also keeping hearts racing. His steamy scenes with actress Jeon Do-yeon for “A Man and A Woman” is proof of the actor’s duality. The movie is about two married strangers who met in Finland. They formed a bond that led them to an illicit relationship, to help them escape their difficulties in life. Since it was seen as Gong Yoo’s first adult love story, the actor shared his thoughts about the film in “W Korea.” He said, “Bed scenes are more difficult than action scenes. It’s very difficult because it consumes a lot of energy and we must look natural as we match each other on a line through a technique like an action scene that is rehearsed beforehand. Do Yeon noona was my partner and since I could feel the trust she had in me, I couldn’t not film properly. I think there is this mutual good tension we give to and receive from each other.”

Photo Credit: Showbox / Bom Film Productions

Gong Yoo in "A Man and a Woman" (2016)

Photo Credit: IMDb

Kim Go-Eun in "A Muse" (2012)

Before she won hearts for her charming and amazing leading lady roles in “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” (“Goblin”) and “The King: Eternal Monarch,” Kim Go-eun made quite a splash with her debut acting project, “A Muse” (“Eunkyo”), a movie about an aging writer who falls in love with a high school girl and was inspired to write a story about her. The actress, then a newcomer, won the lead role reportedly over veteran actresses. Because her role awakens lust and a rediscovery of the old man’s youth, Kim Go-eun had to film nude and graphic sex scenes for it. Her hard work on the movie and her effective portrayal enabled her to win several Best New Actress awards. The movie was also screened at the New York Film Festival where she was quoted as saying, “For those who supported the movie, they were able to understand the director’s point of view and the point he wanted to make. For those who didn’t like it, they only saw the surface, I think. You have to dig below to fully understand the story. People against it were only interested in the scandalous or salacious parts of the movie and didn’t go beyond that.”

Photo Credit: HanCinema

Kim Go-Eun in "A Muse" (2012)

Photo Credit: Koreandrama.org

Song Seung-Heon in "Obsessed" (2014)

Veteran K-drama lovers will forever associate Song Seung-heon as one of the top oppas especially with his classic hit melodrama “Autumn in My Heart'' with Song Hye-kyo. In 2014, he worked on the erotic film “Obsessed” where he played a married military officer who engaged in an obsessive affair with his subordinate’s wife. The film featured Song Seung-heon in various states of undress and steamy scenes with co-star Im Ji-yeon. The actor acknowledged that the movie paved the way for him to have a completely different image in a conversation with “AsiaOne.” “I didn’t take on this role just to try something new as an actor. It came as part of a whole package. I trusted the director and the staff were great. It was a good role for me to play and the bed scene was important as it portrayed the love between the two characters,” he said.

Photo Credit: Next Entertainment World

Song Seung-Heon in "Obsessed" (2014)

Photo Credit: MyDramaList

Kang Ha-Neul in "Empire of Lust" (2015)

Kang Ha-neul is one of the top K-drama actors who’s often described as sweet and sensitive. Also well-loved and admired because of his roles in “The Heirs,” “Misaeng: Incomplete Life,” “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo,” and “When the Camellia Blooms,” it’s hard to imagine the actor portraying the role of a bad person. But on “Empire of Lust,” co-starring his “Moon Lovers” sibling Kang Han-na, he did not only film an intimate scene for the first time, it was also a gruesome one as he portrayed a heartless rapist. Admittedly, the actor found it difficult. “Honestly, I struggled after it was over, as a man and as a human,” he said but also shared that he did not want to lose the chance of portraying a villain for a change. “I wanted to try my hand at acting a role that is the epitome of underhandedness,” he told “Newsen.”

Photo Credit: HanCinema

Kang Ha-Neul in "Empire of Lust" (2015)

Photo Credit: HanCinema

Kang Han-Na in "Empire of Lust" (2015)

Actress Kang Han-na is best known as the evil princess on “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo,” the smart yet cold sister on “Start-Up,” and recently as the adorable female gumiho on “My Roommate is a Gumiho.” She landed her first lead role on “Empire of Lust,” a historical film centered on a general, a prince and a son-in-law to the king who get involved in a clash for political and military power, coupled with a story of revenge. Kang Han-na is the female lead who becomes the love interest of the general (Shin Ha-kyun). The actress did not shy away from the nude and bed scenes demanded by the script. In an interview with “BNT News,” the actress stated, “Looking at the movie, I felt that it was a necessary scene. Also, in order to not make it simply nudity, I talked a lot with the director and studied the scenario a lot.”

Photo Credit: CJ Entertainment

Kang Han-Na in "Empire of Lust" (2015)

Photo Credit: iQiyi

Jo Yeo-Jeong in "The Concubine" (2012)

You may be familiar with Jo Yeo-jeong in the critically-acclaimed film “Parasite,” but on the K-drama scene, you may have also seen her star in “I Need Romance,” “Ms. Perfect,” “Woman of 9.9 Billion,” and “Cheat on Me, If You Can.” But back in 2012, Jo Yeo-jeong starred in the erotic romantic historical film “The Concubine,” where her character is the daughter of an aristocrat who became a royal concubine against her will; she found herself in an intense love triangle with the prince who later became the king (Kim Dong-wook) and a commoner she fell in love with (Kim Min-jun). The movie featured a bed scene between the concubine and the king. In an interview with "Korea JoongAng Daily," director Kim Dae-sung said, “There is a sex scene that reflects the power struggle of the characters and the camera was quite close to the action… I think the film also benefited from the quality acting. At first, I didn't even dream Jo Yeo-jeong would agree to play the part because she had already done a similar, physically revealing role in the film 'The Servant' (2010). But she said yes to the part saying she just wants to do her best acting in the film. This film's positive public reception is all due to Jo Yeo-jeong.”

Photo Credit: Lotte Entertainment

Jo Yeo-Jeong in "The Concubine" (2012)

Photo Credit: Lotte Entertainment

Kim Soo-Hyun in "Real" (2017)

Far from his swoon-worthy character on the hit fantasy rom-com “My Love from the Star” and his funny and innocent TV staff role on “The Producers,” Kim Soo-hyun followed up those roles with something vastly different: he essayed the role of Jang Tae-young, a criminal world gangster who has a split personality on the Korean noir action film “Real.” When the movie came out, it was a hot topic among the Korean netizens because of the racy and nude scenes that he and co-star Sulli were in. It didn’t help that the movie also received bad reviews which led to the actor stating his feelings during a promotional event: “I play Jang Tae Young in ‘Real.’ I’ve waited for this moment for so very long. I’m both very nervous and thrilled about today. The movie may be a bit unfriendly to you all but I think that is only natural. I hope you give the movie a lot of love and support.” Thankfully, the talented actor was able to get past this bump in his career and was able to have a successful comeback with the recent hit K-drama “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.”

Photo Credit: Viu Philippines

Kim Soo-Hyun in "Real" (2017)

Photo Credit: Viu Philippines