Check out these villain roles that were so good that it’s hard to imagine them as the good guys.
Kim Byung-chul in Goblin and Sisyphus: The Myth
Kim Byung-chul is one of the most productive supporting actors in K-dramas. He can play both antagonist and protagonist characters extremely well. Kim Byung-chul’s most memorable role was surely the wandering evil spirit Park Joon-heon in Goblin: The Lonely and Great God. As the manipulative eunuch of King Wang Yeo, he takes advantage of young King Wang Yeo’s power to use it for his family’s benefit. It was his sudden appearance as the evil spirit that turned Goblin: The Lonely and Great God into a suspense drama. With his sharp eyes, purple-black lips, worn-out clothes, and messy hair, the evil spirit can make any person tremble. In Sisyphus: The Myth, Kim Byung-chul played Sigma, the antagonist character who came to the past and changed some events to alter the future. In the past, his father abused him, leaving him with troubled mental health and a psychotic mind.
Oh Man-seok in Crash Landing on You
The success of Crash Landing on You is owed to both the excellent storyline and the great casting. Oh Man-seok played the North Korean middle-rank military officer Cho Cheol-kang, who went toe to toe with a military officer, Ri Jung-hyuk (played by the handsome actor, Hyun Bin). Jo Chul-kang used his military connections and every evil scheme possible to get rid of Ri Jung-hyuk. Cho Cheol-kang is cold, emotionless and he has the power to make any person disappear without a trace. He never hesitated to kill his rivals. Even after getting several gunshots and facing his own death, Cho Choel-kang threatened Ri Jung-hyuk and his family.
Kim Seo-hyung in SKY Castle
In SKY Castle, Kim Seo-hyung played Kim Joo-young, an antagonist tutor and college entrance advisor. All of the students that she has tutored pass the college entrance examination. With her perfect success rate, her information is only available to the richest and elite. According to staff, Kim Seo-hyung decided her own fashion style and hairstyle for Kim Joo-young’s character. Her stiff character, all-black outfit, the sleek hairstyle can make every student fear more of her than the fear of failing the entrance examination. With her smirk and cold stare, Kim Joo-young instills fear in her prey.
Yoo Jae-myung in Itaewon Class and Stranger
Yoo Jae-mung, one of the most charismatic Korean actors, played Jang Dae-hee, the President of Jangga Group and the main rival of Park Sae Roy (played by Park Seo-joon) in Itaewon Class. The veteran actor managed to raise the tension and anger of viewers with his calm and charismatic character. Jang Dae-hee used his power, money, and political connection. He even used Park Sae-royi’s first love to get into the mind of Park Sae-royi. He agreed on growing facial hairs and using makeup to make himself older than his age. In one of the scenes, Yoo Jae-myung’s character changed from a homeless person into a murder suspect with just a single question.
In the suspense K-drama Stranger Season 1, Yoo Jae-myung played a high-ranking prosecutor, Lee Chun-jae. His charisma, connection with a Chaebol father-in-law, friendship with the head of the police district, and clever thinking get him a position as head of the district prosecutor and later as secretary of the Blue House. He used to be an honest and strict young prosecutor but his marriage with the daughter of a business conglomerate owner made him a political puppet. Lee Chun-jae must cover up the dirty corrupt acts of his father-in-law’s company from the honest but emotionless prosecutor, Hwang Si-mok (played by Cho Seung-woo).
Ok Taec-yeon in Vincenzo
Ok Taec-yeon starred alongside Song Joong-ki in the K-drama Vincenzo. His character, Jang Joon-woo, is a young attorney with a dark secret. His character can change abruptly from a warm person into a cold and imposing character. In public, Jang Joon-woo is a bright and warm attorney but he masterminded the production of dangerous medicine. He is a psychopath who can threaten and brutally murder his enemy without mercy.
Shin Sung-rok in My Love From The Stars
With his sleek hairstyle, dark clothes, and evil smirk, we know that Shin Sung-rok was destined to be the villain in My Love From the Stars, Lee Jae-kyung. There was something uneasy when looking at his character. Lee Jae-kyung is the only villain who has no fear and can bargain with an alien who has the ability to stop time, teleport and move things with his mind. His character was so strong and it was very hard to see him as a good guy in other K-dramas.
Jang Young-nam in It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
Senior actress Jang Young-nam is used to playing good characters. In It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, Jang Young-nam played two characters, the head nurse of a hospital Park Haeng-ja, and Moon Yeong’s mother, Do Hee-jae. A sudden revelation of her second character brought a new twist to the drama. As a head nurse in a psychiatric hospital, her job is to take care of patients but she uses her job to murder her patients or make her patient’s mental health even worse.
Park Hae-joon in The World of the Married
Park Hae-joon played the role of Lee Tae-oh, a husband who cheated his wife with his secretary. He makes viewers disgusted and emotional because he has the gut to bring her to his house and introduce the mistress to his wife. Due to his antagonistic role, Park Hae-joon received a lot of praise from critics and harsh comments from drama viewers.
Uhm Ki-joon in The Penthouse
Uhm Ki-joon played the villain character in the blockbuster drama The Penthouse. In the drama, his character Joo Dan-tae is connected with all the main female characters. He was a former lover of Na Ae-kyo (played by Lee Ji-ah), former husband of Shim Su-ryeon (played by Lee Ji-ah), and current husband of Cheon Seo-jin (played by Kim So-yeon). He is very manipulative, cruel, and greedy, both in his love life and in his daily life. Cheating and killing a person is like a habit for him. He suffered a mental trauma when he was a kid which caused him to hold grudges against the rich family who caused the death of his mother and sister.
Jung Woong-in in I Can Hear Your Voice
In the drama I Can Hear Your Voice, Jung Woong-in played Min Joon-kook, the main villain who murdered Lee Jong-suk’s character’s father and set the main plot of the drama. He holds a grudge against the young lawyer who testified against him and proved he was guilty of the murder. After serving jail time, he sets out to search the lawyer and the young boy who made him a murder convict.
Kim Tae-woo in Mr. Queen
Kim Tae-woo played the evil advisor, Kim Jwa-geun in the K-drama Mr. Queen. Due to the connection with the king and the power of his clan, Kim Jwa-geun is even more powerful than the king himself. In his eyes, the king is merely a toy and a puppet that he can use for his own purpose. He kills the families and entire rival clans to strengthen his clans’ position in the kingdom. Which of the villains is your favorite villain? Kindly drop a line with your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below and don’t forget to share this article on your social media account.
