These Handsome Korean Actors Played Athletes And MMA Fighters In K-Dramas
If you're looking for K-dramas that are related to sports, check out this list. Ready, sweat, go!
One of the K-dramas we were recently hooked on was Run On, a sports oriented series that's mixed with romance and drama genres. It stars Im Si-wan as Ki Seon-gyeom, a former track and field athlete who became famous as a sprinter for the national team. As he prepares for a career shift as a sports agent, he meets Oh Mi-joo (Shin Se-kyung), a subtitle translator, who eventually makes him realize what it means to enjoy life and live with purpose.
Run On ran from December 16 to February 4, 2020. Although it had low ratings, Im Si-wan—who's known for K-dramas like Misaeng: Incomplete Life, The King in Love, and Hell is Other People—enjoyed breathing life into this character that has "so many sides to him."
Sports oriented K-dramas are arguably less popular, but they've given us some of the most memorable characters. Baseball is perhaps the most commonly explored sport in K-dramas. It was incorporated in the plots of famous K-dramas like Hot Stove League (2019), Prison Playbook (2017), and Reply 1994 (2013). Of course, basketball is common, too, especially for school dramas like the recent hits True Beauty and 18 Again.
In the gallery below, we list down the hot and handsome Korean actors who played athletes in K-dramas:
Korean Actors as Athletes in K-dramas
Korean Actors as Athletes in K-dramas
Yoo Seung-Ho in "Operation Proposal"
In 2012's "Operation Proposal," Yoo Seung-ho plays the role of Kang Baek-ho, who used to be a pitcher for his school's baseball team; he gets injured and quits the sport. His best friend has been in love with him for years, and he realizes he loves her too the moment she's getting married to another man. He gets the chance to travel back in time to change how events turn out between them. Yoo Seung-ho was last seen in 2020 K-drama "Memorist," and he's reportedly tapped for the upcoming series "When The Flower Blooms, Think of The Moon."
Photo Credit: TV Chosun
Yoo Seung-Ho in "Operation Proposal"
Photo Credit: TV Chosun
Sung Hoon in "Oh My Venus" and "Five Enough"
Sung Hoon, who currently stars as a lawyer in the series "Love (Ft. Marriage and Divorce), played the role of a professional MMA fighter in 2015's "Oh My Venus" and a model-turned-professional golfer in 2016's "Five Enough."
Photo Credit: m.sports.khan.co.kr
Sung Hoon in "Oh My Venus" and "Five Enough"
Photo Credit: KBS
Ji Soo in "Page Turner"
Ji Soo, who currently stars in the historical series "River Where the Moon Rises," plays the role of Jung Cha-sik. The character is not only an aspiring pianist but also a champion pole vault athlete. In the series, he helps a fellow piano prodigy move on with her life when a car accident causes her to go blind. Fun fact: For both of these dramas, Ji Soo was paired up with Kim So-hyun.
Photo Credit: Soompi
Ji Soo in "Page Turner"
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Ryeoun in "18 Again"
In "18 Again," he plays the role of Hong Shi-woo, a high school student who's being bullied by the members of the school's basketball team. His father, Hong Dae-young (whose older version was portrayed by Yoon Sang-hyun and young version by Lee Do-hyun), was a popular basketball player in the same school he's enrolled in. His father's talent in the sport rubbed off on him, and it was through it that he got to develop self-esteem.
Photo Credit: JTBC
Ryeoun in "18 Again"
Photo Credit: JTBC
Seo In-Guk in "High School King of Savvy"
In this romance, workplace comedy series, Seo In-guk plays two characters who are brothers with a 10-year age gap: Lee Min-suk (an 18-year-old high school student who is a varsity ice hockey player) and Lee Hyung-suk (a 28-year-old director at a huge IT company). Lee Min-suk, who looks exactly like his older brother, is told to impersonate Lee Hyung-suk and assume the latter's position in the company. Seo In-guk has an upcoming drama called "Doom at Your Service."
Photo Credit: tvN
Seo In-Guk in "High School King of Savvy"
Photo Credit: tvN
Yook Sung-Jae in "Plus Nine Boys"
2014 K-drama "Plus Nine Boys" features Yook Sung-jae as Kang Min-gu, a competitive 19-year-old judo athlete who dreams of getting a judo scholarship in college. An upset stomach, however, causes him to lose in a semi-finals match that results in a drop in his ranking. Yook Sung-jae, whose last K-drama was "Mystic Pop-Up Bar," is currently enlisted in the military.
Photo Credit: tvN
Yook Sung-Jae in "Plus Nine Boys"
Photo Credit: HanCinema
Rowoon in "Click Your Heart"
The 2016 web series "Click Your Heart" features Rowoon as star baseball pitcher Kim Ro-woon. He's one of the four boys who shows interest in high school student Kwon Min-na (Mina). Rowoon currently stars in the K-drama "She Would Never Know" as a junior employee in a cosmetic brand's marketing team.
Photo Credit: MBC / Naver
Rowoon in "Click Your Heart"
Photo Credit: MBC / Naver
Kim Bum in "Dream"
This 2009 series stars Kim Bum as Lee Jang-seok, an aspiring K-1 fighter. He meets a sports agent (Joo Jin-moo as Nam Jae-il), who figures in a controversy and is determined to make a comeback by investing on Lee Jang-seok. Kim Bum has an upcoming drama titled "Law School."
Photo Credit: SBS
Kim Bum in "Dream"
Photo Credit: SBS
Choi Min-Ho in "To the Beautiful You"
In 2012's "To the Beautiful You," Choi Min-ho is Kang Tae-joon, a high jump athlete who holds the best record in the World Junior Championship; he, however, has to quit the sport because of an injury. Choi Min-ho just got discharged from the military last November; he has a cameo in web series "Lovestruck in the City."
Photo Credit: SBS
Choi Min-Ho in "To the Beautiful You"
Photo Credit: HanCinema
Lee Dong-Wook in "Wild Romance"
2012's "Wild Romance" features Lee Dong-wook as baseball team Red Dreamers' star player. He gets involved in a fight, which becomes a scandal that's a threat to his profession and reputation. Lee Dong-wook's last K-drama was last year's "Tale of the Nine-Tailed."
Photo Credit: KBS2
Lee Dong-Wook in "Wild Romance"
Photo Credit: KBS2
Wi Ha-Joon in "18 Again"
Wi Ha-joon's "18 Again" character, Ye Ji-hoon, gave viewers that second lead syndrome, as he figures in a love triangle with the series' main couple. Ji-hoon is a famous baseball player who's raising his late brother's daughter. Before "18 Again," he was also in K-drama "Romance is a Bonus Book," where his character also struggles with an unrequited love.
Photo Credit: JTBC
Wi Ha-Joon in "18 Again"
Photo Credit: JTBC
Yoo Yeon-Seok in "Reply 1994"
Yoo Yeon-seok was cast in "Reply 1994" as a freshman college student who's the star pitcher of his university's baseball team. He's in love with the series' female lead, Sung Na-jung (portrayed by Go Ara). Yoo Yeon-seok is set to return in a K-drama via the season 2 of "Hospital Playlist."
Photo Credit: tvN
Yoo Yeon-Seok in "Reply 1994"
Photo Credit: tvN
Im Si-Wan in "Run On"
Im Si-wan's "Run On" character is former sprinter-turned-sports agent Ki Seon-gyeom. The character comes from a wealthy and influential family, and although he's a part of the national team, his father considers his sister, a professional golfer, more successful. Im Si-wan is reportedly starring in a fantasy drama called "Island."
Photo Credit: JTBC
Im Si-Wan in "Run On"
Photo Credit: JTBC
Lee Do-Hyun in "18 Again"
Lee Do-hyun serves as the young version of Yoon Sang-hyun's character Hong Dae-young. The character magically returns to his 18-year-old body for a chance to fix his marriage and his relationship with his kids. At 18, Hong Dae-young is a star player in Serim High School's basketball team. Lee Do-hyun also played the young version of Jung Kyung-ho's character in "Prison Playbook," who used to play baseball in high school but had to quit because of an injury. This young actor, who was also part of 2020's "Sweet Home," is set to star in K-drama "Youth of May."
Photo Credit: JTBC
Lee Do-Hyun in "18 Again"
Photo Credit: JTBC
Hwang In-Yeop in "18 Again"
Like Lee Do-hyun's "18 Again" character, Hwang In-yeop's Goo Ja-sung is also a part of Serim High School's basketball team; he's the team captain and is a bully. In his recently-concluded series "True Beauty," he also portrays the role of a high school student, Han Seo-joon, a tough-looking one who loves playing basketball and used to be an idol trainee.
Photo Credit: JTBC
Hwang In-Yeop in "18 Again"
Photo Credit: tvN
Song Joong-Ki in "Triple"
Song Joong-ki is Ji Poong-ho in 2009's "Triple." The series casts him in a supporting role as a short track speed skating national athlete whom the female lead character, figure skater Lee Ha-ru (Min Hyo-rin) is attracted to; Ha-ru finds herself liking Poong-hoo but not as much she likes her older stepbrother. Song Joong-ki's movie "Space Sweepers" was just released and his K-drama "Vincenzo" will be aired soon.
Photo Credit: MBC via zula.sg
Song Joong-Ki in "Triple"
Photo Credit: Sidus HQ
Nam Joo-Hyuk in "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo" and "Who Are You: School 2015"
In "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo," Nam Joo-hyuk is Jung Joon-hyung, a college student who's a talented swimmer. He suffers from a trauma and, as a result, gets disqualified from an international tournament. In "Who Are You: School 2015," he's also a star swimmer in school, who wants to become a national champion. Nam Joo-hyuk, the star of recent K-drama "Start-Up," has an upcoming drama called "Here."
Photo Credit: MBC
Nam Joo-Hyuk in "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo" and "Who Are You: School 2015"
Photo Credit: KBS2
Lee Jong-Suk in "W"
In this fantasy K-drama, Lee Jong-suk is Kang Chul, he's an Olympic gold medalist in shooting when he was younger. He moves on to become the owner of a broadcasting channel called W. He has a traumatic past, as his family was murdered and he was suspected to have killed them given his background in shooting. Kang Chul is the lead character in a comic series titled "W." Lee Jong-suk got discharged from the military in December last year.
Photo Credit: MBC
Lee Jong-Suk in "W"
Photo Credit: MBC
Cha Eun-Woo in "True Beauty"
Cha Eun-woo's Lee Su-ho is not only a top student who has a flair for music, he's also skilled in basketball and Brazilian jiu-jitsu—not to mention that he's wealthy and a heartthrob in "True Beauty," too! Last year, Cha Eun-woo also worked on a basketball reality show program, "Handsome Tigers," where celebrities who are really into basketball were recruited to form a team, to be trained by professional basketball player Seo Jang-hoon.
Photo Credit: tvN
Cha Eun-Woo in "True Beauty"
Photo Credit: tvN
Park Seo-Joon in "Fight for My Way"
Park Seo-joon's Ko Dong-man is a mixed martial arts fighter who used to be a taekwondo player. He struggles not only in his career but also in his love life, when he begins to fall for his best friend (Choi Ae-ra, portrayed by Kim Ji-won). Park Seo-joon's last K-drama was "Itaewon Class." His movie, "Dream," is slated to be released this year.
Photo Credit: Naver
Park Seo-Joon in "Fight for My Way"
Photo Credit: Keyeast
Lead photos from Naver (Park Seo-joon), tvN (Cha Eun-woo), and MBC (Nam Joo-hyuk)
Top Stories
Metro Beauty Picks Of The Week
BEAUTYMar 14, 2023
