Lee Min Ho’s 16th Debut Anniversary: Dissecting the Hallyu Heartthrob’s best lead roles over the years
On this joyous occasion, let’s take a look at some of Lee Min Ho’s iconic roles. Read ahead to know more.
Lee Min Ho gained widespread fame worldwide with his role as Gu Jun Pyo in ‘Boys Over Flowers’ which also earned him the Best New Actor award at the 45th Baeksang Arts Awards. His notable lead roles in television series include ‘Personal Taste’, ‘City Hunter’, ‘The Heirs’, ‘The Legend of the Blue Sea’. Known for his sweet smile and handsome looks, let’s take a look at some of his best roles over the years:-
Arguably one of his most known roles, Lee Min Ho transformed into Gu Jun Pyo, the hot-headed leader of the F4 and heir to the Shinhwa Group, one of the biggest companies in South Korea. Based on a Japanese manga series, Lee Min Ho was the poster boy for an angsty rich teenager that never truly experienced love and the fans loved him as Gu Jun Pyo. From dedication to the person he loves to his great comedic timing, Lee Min Ho has gained recognition for this role and rightly so!
Personal Taste
Released in 2010, Lee Min Ho played the role of Jeon Ji Ho, an architect who is earnestly trying to keep his small firm afloat in a fair manner. He moves into Sanggojae to study it for his next project. Neat and organized, he is unable to stand Kae In's (Son Ye Jin) living habits, and tries to change her into a better version of herself after she agrees to it. Lee Min Ho is a confident and a typical K-Drama male lead i.e a soft soul but pretends to not care in the beginning.
After ‘Boys Over Flowers’, Lee Min Ho gained a lot more recognition playing the role of Kim Tan, who is hot-headed and at times immature, he is warm-hearted and honest. Although he is engaged to Yoo Rachel (Kim Ji Won), he is attracted to Cha Eun Sang (Park Shin Hye) at first sight and falls in love with her despite her poor background. Similar to the other school drama, Lee Min Ho’s cute childish banters and brooding mannerism gained an immense number of fans.
Legend of the Blue Sea
A 2016 drama, Lee Min Ho played two roles- Kim Dae Ryeong, the town head and son of a magistrate in the Joseon era who falls in love with a mermaid as a child, and names her Se Hwa (Jun Ji Hyun) after his late sister and Heo Joon Jae, Kim Dae Ryeong’s future self, who is a con-artist who uses wits and looks to conduct scams on people of the privileged class of the society. He meets Shim Cheong (Jun Ji Hyun), a mermaid and ultimately falls in love with her, thus being able to read her thoughts. Here, Lee Min Ho had a more light-hearted role, with the best look of jealousy and just comedy in general. Serious storyline aside, Lee Min Ho was amazing in this drama.
The King: Eternal Monarch
Lee Min Ho played the role of Lee Gon, the third king of the Kingdom of Corea. He is a mathematician and a rower. He is a compulsive and reticent person. He is sensitive when touched by others and does not easily let go of his skepticism towards someone. This was his most different role as a lead as he has a more mature and jaded personality and had the aura of a king.
Arguably, one of his best roles till date, Lee Min Ho played the role of Goh Han Su, Zainichi Korean man (Ethnically Korean with permanent residency in Japan) who lives in Osaka, Japan. Introduced as a merchant and fish broker who regularly visits Busan, South Korea. This was the first time he had a role that resembled that of an antagonist. Selfish and mean, Goh Han Su always sought after things that gave him the desired results. While he had a deep and tragic history, it always hardened him as a person. Lee Min Ho’s acting skills truly come out in this series.
With new dramas already lined up for the coming up, let's hope to see Lee Min Ho for another 16 more years in the industry!
ALSO READ: Kim Sejeong, Nam Yoon Su & Choi Daniel starrer ‘Today’s Webtoon’ to premiere on THIS date
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Which drama starring Lee Min Ho do you like the most? Let us know in the comments below.
A BMM graduate, Anoushka has been writing professionally for over 2 years. K-Pop and K-Dramas consume her day and she...
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