5 Underrated Korean Actors We Recommend You Pay More Attention To This Year
After all, the more oppas, the merrier!
Whether you have been a K-drama fan for years or just discovered this world last year because of quarantine, it's highly likely that the list of Korean actors you're drawn to or are impressed by is so long you can't easily pick your Top 10 (remember those "Who's Your Favorite Oppa?" Instagram Stories templates that were so popular at the height of the quarantine?).
We know it's hard to narrow down the list and decide which Korean actors and their respective series should make it to your binge-watch list. For newer K-drama fans, the priorities are understandably the titles that star A-listers who were trending last year. But if you're looking for more variety in terms of the K-content you're consuming and hoping to expand your knowledge on K-drama artists, you won't be hard-pressed to find underrated ones who will not just grab your attention but will also make you want to get to know them better through their small screen portrayals. (There's that, and then there are young, rising, and handsome Korean actors on our radar too - check out some of them here.
Here, we introduce you to five good-looking and versatile Korean actors in their 30s who we think deserve more attention, especially this year when they're coming out with new K-dramas.
Check out the gallery below:
5 Underrated Korean Actors
5 Underrated Korean Actors
Jung Kyung-Ho
New K-drama fans may only recognize Jung Kyung-ho as a cardiothoracic surgery associate professor from 2020’s “Hospital Playlist,” but this 37-year-old has actually been an actor since 2004. He has played a pretty varied range of roles in K-dramas—from an NIS agent in “Time Between Dog and Wolf,” an ambitious prince in “Ja Myung Gyo,” an investment banker in “Beating Again,” a gossip magazine reporter/photographer in “One More Happy Ending,” a celebrity in “Missing 9,” a forensics scientist and detective in “Life on Mars,” to a famous composer in “When the Devil Calls Your Name,” among others.
Photo Credit: @management_allum
Jung Kyung-Ho
A K-drama staple, he’s had small screen projects every year since 2013. He has starred in more than 10 K-dramas, and had a memorable supporting role in 2017’s “Prison Playbook,” too. Not only is he good-looking, he’s also a good actor. If you haven’t seen any of Jung Kyung-ho’s series yet, get started with “Hospital Playlist,” and we say so because it’s confirmed to have a second season that’s said to be released this year; he’ll reprise his role in it, and we think his portrayal of a doctor there is believable.
Photo Credit: @management_allum
Jung Kyung-Ho
Trivia: He’s in a relationship with K-pop idol-turned-actress Sooyoung who became popular as a member of Girls’ Generation. According to reports, they’ve been dating since 2013. Check out other Korean celebrity couples in the link below. | Photo: Arena via @jstar_allallj
Photo Credit: Korean Celeb Couples You May Not Have Known To Be Dating
Lee Je-Hoon
If you’ve just gotten to know this actor and if you’ve realized he’s one whose career you’d like to continue following, it’ll be fairly easier to familiarize yourself with his body of work on the small screen. The charming 36-year-old actor hopped from indie to a mainstream acting career in 2010, and has since starred in four memorable and highly recommended K-dramas with pretty challenging roles: a crown prince in “Secret Door,” a criminal profiler in “Signal,” a real estate company CEO in “Tomorrow, With You,” and a member of the General Planning department in Incheon International Airport in “Where Stars Land.”
Photo Credit: @sarament_official
Lee Je-Hoon
He has more films than K-dramas, and has received several acting awards for his big screen projects. For K-dramas, “Signal” and “Where Stars Land” earned him acting awards, so you may want to start your Lee Je-hoon crash course with these titles. Although he only played the second male lead in 2012’s “Fashion King,” his portrayal of a second-generation chaebol there shows that he’s just as promising as an antagonist as he is as a protagonist, so that title is worth checking out too.
Photo Credit: @leejehoon_official
Lee Je-Hoon
Do not forget to check out “Signal,” so you’re ready to binge-watch again for when its rumored season 2 is released. While we wait for that sequel to happen, fans of Lee Je-hoon are in for a treat this year. After a cameo in series “Stove League” last year, he’s returning to the small screen with an action/crime drama that seems to perfectly fit him to a tee. In “Taxi Driver,” Lee Je-hoon’s character is a former special forces officer who now works for a taxi company that offers a so-called revenge-call service.
Photo Credit: @sarament_official
Lee Joon-Hyuk
In his almost 15-year-long acting career, Lee Joon-hyuk has appeared in more than 20 K-dramas in both supporting and lead roles. Last year, he starred in the underrated series “365: Repeat the Year,” where he embraced the character of a detective and delivered a remarkable performance. He was so impressive in it that he even won two acting awards for it from the 5th Asia Artist Awards and the 39th MBC Drama Awards.
Photo Credit: @acefactory.official
Lee Joon-Hyuk
Though supporting, his roles as a former ROK Navy Lieutenant Commander and independent member of the National Assembly in “Designated Survivor: 60 Days,” a secretary in “Are You Human?,” and a prosecutor in “Stranger” are enough to spark curiosity and interest in this talented and handsome artist. Last year, he also reprised his role in the season 2 of crime/drama/thriller “Stranger.” As he’s typically cast in thriller and mystery series, we’re looking forward to seeing more of him in light rom-coms.
Photo Credit: @acefactory.official
Lee Joon-Hyuk
2020 was a busy year for 36-year-old Lee Joon-hyuk, and it seems the story will be the same for him this year. He’s been confirmed to star in the series “Dark Hole” as a former detective who currently works as a wreck car driver; his character comes across that of actress Kim Ok-vin, a detective whose husband gets murdered. Lee Joon-hyuk was also reportedly tapped to join the cast of the movie “Firefighter” that was supposed to be released last year but got delayed because of COVID-19.
Photo Credit: Singles via @acefactory.official
Lee Soo-Hyuk
The filmography of this 32-year-old may feature lesser titles than those of other Korean actors his age, but it certainly doesn’t mean he’s less talented. With his drop dead gorgeous looks and sexy aura, it’s not surprising that he started out as a model in 2006, walking the runways of the likes of J. Anderson and Balenciaga. He continues to model today as the face of the fashion campaigns of The Knit Company, and has endorsed Adidas and Bvlgari too.
Photo Credit: @leesoohyuk
Lee Soo-Hyuk
But come 2014, his road to becoming a sought-after K-drama lead began with the rom-com “High School King of Savvy,” wherein he played the role of a company’s project team director and an illegitimate son; he played second lead to Seo In-guk. The following year, he was cast in another second lead role, a carpenter who gets romantically involved with a married woman in “Valid Love” (one of the all-time favorites of Filipina actress and K-drama expert Janice de Belen, by the way; Lee Soo-hyuk is one of her favorite Korean actors as well).
Photo Credit: @leesoohyuk
Lee Soo-Hyuk
If not the second lead in a love triangle (check out his 2020 series “Born Again”), Lee Soo-hyuk seems to have been typecast in characters with a cold, dark, or evil personality (e.g. “The Scholar Who Walks the Night” or “Sweet Stranger and Me”). While we wait for a K-drama that will truly highlight him as the male lead and show a different side of him as an actor, he has an upcoming series that’s likely to present him in a new light: “One Day Destruction Came to My Door,” wherein he’s the head of the “Life Story” web novel editorial team.
Photo Credit: @leesoohyuk
Jang Ki-Yong
It’s high time more K-drama fans appreciate the dashing Jang Ki-yong. Both his supporting and lead roles have proven his capabilities and range as an actor. He went from a second male lead in “Confession Couple” and a supporting villain in “My Mister” to a lead star who continues to shine this year.
Photo Credit: Marie Claire Korea via @juanxkui
Jang Ki-Yong
He’s been a part of the entertainment industry for about eight years, breathing life to lead characters such as a rookie detective in “Come and Hug Me,” a skilled killer and veterinarian in “Kill It,” a composer in “Search: WWW,” and a defiant son and elite medical student in “Born Again.” These projects tell us that Jang Ki-yong has so much more to offer with his craft, making him deserving of more attention.
Photo Credit: @juanxkui
Jang Ki-Yong
His upcoming K-drama, “My Roommate is a Gumiho,” is one of the most anticipated shows this year. It promises to introduce him to a wider audience, as it’s the first-ever Korean original production of streaming entertainment platform iQIYI (pronounced as ai-chee-yee). The K-drama, based on the popular webtoon “Living Together,” features Jang Ki-yong as a gumiho (nine-tailed fox) who has devoted 999 years of his life trying to become a human, only for his gumiho bead or pearl to be accidentally swallowed by a college student (portrayed by Lee Hyeri) at such a crucial point in his quest.
Photo Credit: YG Stage
Who are the other Korean actors you love but you feel are underrated? Let us know!
Lead photos from @sarament_official @acefactory_official @leesoohyuk @management_allum
