K-dramashave been garnering more and more attention in the past few years, gathering millions of viewers around the world for their immaculate art direction, modern knights in shining armor, charismatic villains, love-triangle, supernatural, or revenge-centered plots, specialappearances by K-pop idols, and other common tropes.
Some of these shows garnered instant international acclaim upon their release on leading streaming platforms.
Directed by Ahn Gil-ho and starring Song Hye-Kyo and Lee Do-hyun, therevenge dramaThe Glory, for instance, broke numerous records when its two parts were released in December 2022 and March 2023. Clocking over 380 million hours viewed, it became Netflix’s seventh most popular non-English series and nabbed many prestigious awards, including Best Drama, Best Leading Actress for Song, and Best Supporting Actress for Lim Ji-yeon at the Baeksang Arts Awards.
But what about the shows that didn’t get enough acclaim and accolades despite their decent production value and standout cast? FromKill IttoMy Country: The New Age, here is a selection of South Korean shows that weren’t very popular, despite boasting compelling antagonists with complex backstories.
10Do Jae-hwan in Kill It (2019)
Produced by Studio Dragon and starring Jang Ki-yong as Kim Soo-hyun, an elite assassin disguised as a veterinarian, and Nana as the brilliant and determined police detective Do Hyun-jin,Kill Itwas a thriller drama that tackled bio-research ethics and aired for 12 sixty-minute episodes. The main antagonist isDo Jae-hwan, Hyun-jin’s adoptive father.
How He Stands Out
Jae-hwan is played by Jung Hae-kyun, who made a lasting impression in hit series likeAlong With the Gods: The Two WorldsandConfession of Murder. His character inKill Itis an intense and cold-hearted master manipulator who runs an organ-harvesting operation, which is a rather controversial topic for K-dramas.
Stream it on Viki
9Jo Moo-chul in That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013)
Directed by Kim Kyu-tae,That Winter, the Wind Blowsis a crime and romancedrama starring Song Hye-kyoas Oh Young, a blind heiress who has been living in isolation with her sick father and his manipulative mistress/secretary; and Zo In-sung as Oh Soo, a seasoned con artist and gambler who passes himself off as her estranged brother to receive his inheritance. As for Kim Tae-woo, he plays Jo Moo-chul, one of the many villains, a ruthless gangster with past ties to Soo and his deceased girlfriend, Moon Hee-joo.
Moo-chul may be a violent criminal who constantly attempts to thwart Soo’s plan, but there is a reason for his anger and persistence. Back when he was a teenager, he was madly in love with Hee-joo, but she chose Soo for his handsome looks. As soon as she told Soo she was pregnant, he broke up with her, and in her rush to follow him, she is killed in a motorcycle accident. Moo-chul’s resentment is therefore completely justified; his piercing gaze and rugged features highlight his bitterness and rage.
Stream it on Netflix
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8Wang Choon-soo in Wok of Love (2018)
Wok of Lovecenters on Dan Sae-woo (Jung Ryeo-won), a bubbly bankrupt heiress who gets a job as a wok hand at a neighborhood Chinese restaurant operated by Seo Poong (Lee Jun-ho). The latter used to be a sous-chef at a nearby luxury hotel, but his out-of-the-box style and recipes and his moodiness prompted Wang Choon-soo (Im Won-hee), the main chef, to fire him. Endlesscompetitions and challenges between both restaurantsensue.
Perhaps the reasonWok of Lovewasn’t an astounding success was because the two leads weren’t particularly likable. The secondary characters, however, were more nuanced, and Im Won-hee gave a convincing performance as the egocentric, ambitious, jealous, and sophisticated chef who stops at nothing to eliminate the competition.
7Neungyang/Cha Yul-mu in The Tale of Nokdu (2019)
Starring Jang Dong-yoon and Kim So-hyun,The Tale of Nokduis a historical romantic comedy revolving around Jeon Nok-du, a young man who cross-dresses in a women-only village to investigate the circumstances of his birth. There, he falls for Dong Dong-joo, a clumsy courtesan trainee with a hidden agenda of her own. Kang Tae-oh portrays Prince Neungyang/King Cha Yool-moo, who comes from a disgraced family.
Neungyang evolves from an idle and fallen prince with a passion for cooking to a determined and ambitious fighter who stages a coup and takes the throne. He must now assert himself as a legitimate and merciless ruler, but he can’t forget his affection for Dong-joo.
6Do Joon-young in My Mister (2018)
Also known asMy Ahjussi,My Misteris a bleak, raw, and violent drama tackling the themes of injustice, aging, addiction, corporate greed, and elderly care. It stars Lee Sun-kyun as Park Dong-hoon, an impassionate but honest structural engineer, and IU as Lee Ji-an, a temp at his firm who owes a violent loan shark money and must care for her bedridden grandma. Kim Young-min portraysDo Joon-young, Dong-hoon’s college junior and now his manager.
Joon-young is a particularly detestable antagonist. Not only does he weasel his way to the top, buthe also has an affairwith Dong-hoon’s wife for over a year, not because he has feelings for her, but purely out of spite. So jealous is he of Dong-hoon’s integrity and standing within the company that he attempts to incriminate him with bribery and forces Ji-an to spy on him and possibly seduce him.
5Queen Regent Jiso in Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth
Set in the kingdom of Silla and loosely based on a historical group of elite warriors,Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youthwasn’t well received by critics despite its star-studded cast, which included Park Seo-joon, Go Ara, Park Hyung-sik, and Sung Dong-il. Kim Ji-soo plays the main antagonist, the ever-elegant and intrepidQueen Jiso, who has been keeping her son hidden from the public eye for 11 years for all the wrong reasons.
How She Stands Out
Kim Ji-soo delivers a chilling and award-worthy performance as the Regent who rules in her son’s stead because he is a minor and therefore a potential political target. Far from simply being protective, she simply wants to hold the reins of power until he is of age, and probably indefinitely. When the truth comes out, and he finally ascends to the throne, she decides to end her life rather than become his subject.
A fitting and melodramatic end to a particularly spiteful, greedy, and calculating villain draped in lavish costumes and clearly jealous of the prince’s youth, beauty, and gender privilege.
4Various Criminals in Through the Darkness (2022)
Also known asThose Who Read Hearts of Evil,Through the Darknesschronicles various criminal cases and is brimming with villains, such as Oh Seung-hoon as Jo Kang-moo, a serial killer. This drama features Kim Nam-gil as Song Ha-young, a criminal profiler at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and Jin Seon-kyu as Gook Young-soo, the leader of the Criminal Behavior Analysis team.
How The Villains Stand Out
Contrary to other K-dramas, this show doesn’t focus on one or two antagonists, but rather follows several suspects, mainly psychopathic serial killers, in a raw and detached manner, explaining their backstory and unveiling their layers in due time.Per Soompi, the show is “Not for everyone with its often-unforgiving brand of realism. However, veteran crime drama watchers and casual fans alike will enjoy seeing the hero who wears his heart on his sleeve as his team doggedly seeks to read the hearts of the evil.”
Stream it on Kocowa
3Lee In-jwa in The Royal Gambler (2016)
Also known asJackpot,The Royal Gambleris an underrated sageuk starring Jang Keun-suk, Yeo Jin-goo, and Jun Kwang-ryul. The plot follows a king and his son who engage in gambling matches with very high stakes. Jun Kwang-ryul playsLee In-jwa, a character based on a real military official during the reign of King Yeongjo.
In-jwa is a radical and a ruthless schemer with his own twisted vision of how the kingdom should operate. His sword targets children and adults alike, and he uses his minions to discredit the royal family in any way he sees fit.
2Crown Prince Lee Yung/King Yeonsangun in Queen for Seven Days (2017)
Starring Park Min-young as Shin Chae-kyung/Queen Dangyeong, and Yeon Woo-jin as Grand Prince Jinseong/ King Jungjong,Queen for Seven Daysis inspired by real events and is a poignant dramatization of forbidden love and political intrigue. Lee Dong-gun delivers an unforgettable performance as Crown Prince Lee Yung/King Yeonsangun, the primary antagonist.
Historical K-dramas with complex power struggles always produce exceptionally shrewd and manipulative court villains, most of them looking to harm the royal family. InQueen for Seven Days, this trope is reversed. The prince, who later becomes king, is paranoid, prone to fits of rage, and obsessed with the thought of hidden enemies looking to dethrone or murder him, particularly his innocent half-brother, the male lead.
10 K-Dramas That Divided Critics
Not all viewers agree on the definition of a near-perfect South Korean production, least of all critics.
1Yi Bang-won in My Country: The New Age (2019)
My Country: The New Ageis set in the transitional period between the end of the Goryeo dynasty and the rise of Joseon, and the bloodshed that ensues. In the midst of years of turmoil, two best friends from different backgrounds turn into enemies. Jang Hyuk is particularly charismatic as one of the main antagonists, PrinceYi Bang-won, the king’s illegitimate son, who longs for his approval but only receives his contempt.
“Yi is a man who seems heartless at first sight. But he carries deep scars and sorrows because of what he’s gone through. You feel for him in many scenes, like when his father decided to name a younger son the crown prince.” – Jang Hyuk to Korean JoongAng Daily
The bastard child of a general who forces himself on the throne, Yi Bang-won takes the audience on an emotional roller-coaster. He ruthlessly and steadily eliminates all obstacles in order to be officially designated as heir, from instigating a rebellion to murdering his younger brothers. It is, however, his gentler side, coupled with the actor’s magnetic delivery, that makes viewers swoon. Not only is he fiercely protective of his soldiers and allies, but he also saves the protagonist’s life on several occasions.
