Looking for a K-drama bae? These handsome oppas will steal your heart

The South Korean standard of beauty for male K-pop idols is not for everyone, this we'll say. K-drama leading men are different, however.

More masculine and rugged, with some quietly gentle, they seem to get even more attractive as the years passed. 

Below, we list some of our favourite K-drama oppas, if you're looking for someone to give your heart to. 

Gong Yoo

After his breakout role in the 2007 romantic comedy series Coffee Prince, Gong Yoo enlisted into military service in January 2008 before being discharged almost two years later. He spent several years making his comeback and while he's found some level of success and recognition for roles on the silver screen, television, and even theatre, the 40-year-old only saw a resurgence in his career from his role in the 2016 zombie film Train to Busan.

The hit drama Goblin came soon after, and sealed his place in our hearts. 

Most recently, he was cast in the South Korean film Wonderland alongside Chinese actress Tang Wei, and other familiar names like Bae Suzy and Park Bo-gum. The movie is about people who can reunite with their missing loved ones, and Gong Yoo plays a single father whose wife (played by Tang Wei) has died. The film is tentatively scheduled for release in the first half of next year. 

Status: Single, from what we can tell. And if you're interested, he once said that "assertive women are charming".

Hyun Bin

This heart-throb has been giving us heart palpitations since he burst onto the scene with the 2005 romantic comedy series My Lovely Sam-soon.

Hyun Bin went on to star in several television series such as Secret Garden and Memories of the Alhambra. He was even in box office hits like Confidential Assignment, The Swindlers, The Negotiation (where he co-starred for the first time with Son Ye-jin) and Rampant. His 2010 film Late Autumn drew him critical praise and was screened at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.

The dapper 37-year-old's last hit was the 2019 romance drama Crash Landing on You where he plays a charismatic and handsome North Korean army captain, and was reunited with co-star Son Ye-jin. The role also got many swooning over him and we're not surprised.

He will be seen next in the upcoming thriller-action film Bargaining, which tells the story of a kidnapping in the Middle East and the attempt to rescue the victims.

Status: Single, though there are recent rumours that he's back with his old flame Song Hye-kyo.

Ju Ji-hoon

His role as the reluctant crown prince forced to honour a betrothal to a commoner in the 2006 romantic comedy series Princess Hours catapulted this model-actor to stardom.

Ji-hoon went on to star in the 2007 revenge drama The Devil and 2008 film Antique before he enlisted in the army in February 2010. His post-military acting career seemed to focus more on the silver screen as he made his mark in productions like Asura: The City of Madness, the two-part fantasy epic Along With the Gods, and thriller films The Spy Gone North and Dark Figure of Crime.

Recently, the 38-year-old made a stunning return to TV with the Netflix zombie period drama Kingdom (where he played another crown prince with smouldering good looks), fantasy legal drama Item, and another legal drama Hyena.

It's been reported that he's currently in talks to star as the lead of upcoming film Silence, which depicts the events that occur after a mysterious beast escapes during a car accident.

Status: Single, no recent reports on his dating life after his break-up with South Korean singer Ga-in in 2017.

Lee Min-ho

Following his role as the spoilt rich kid Gu Jun-pyo in the 2009 romantic comedy series Boys Over Flowers, Lee Min-ho gained domestic, regional and even international recognition for his works. Come on, the guy even has a wax figure in the Madame Tussauds wax museum located in Shanghai.

He went on to star in a string of hits like Personal Taste (opposite Son Ye-jin), City Hunter, The Heirs, and Legend of the Blue Sea. Incidentally, The Heirs saw his popularity soar in China. Min-ho also expanded his portfolio to take on roles in films like Gangnam Blues and Bounty Hunters.

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After his stint in the military, the 32-year-old returned this year as the lead in the Netflix-distributed drama The King: Eternal Monarch, which airs its finale this Friday (June 12). This is the most recent project that Min-ho is involved in.

Status: Single, no recent reports on his dating life after his break up with Park Min-young in 2012.

Park Seo-joon

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Some K-drama fans are probably still a bit sore that Park Seo-joon lost out on the Best Actor prize in the Baeksang Arts Awards 2020 held last Friday (June 5). But trophy or not, his role in the drama Itawon Class has won him truckloads of new fans and, of course, nods to his acting skills.

Prior to playing Park Saeroyi in the Netflix drama, the 31-year-old found fame first as a charming but immature taekwondo fighter in Fight For My Way before his turn as a narcissistic chaebol in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim.

Seo-joon recently made history by becoming the first Korean actor to receive the YouTube Gold Play Button — awarded to YouTubers with more than 1 million subscribers on their channel. Not a difficult feat for him, it seems, seeing how he started his channel only 11 months ago.

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Other things we love about him: he's so not-shy about showing off his muscular bod and abs as well as performing kissing scenes in his dramas.

He's now filming with singer IU for the new movie Dream, where he plays a professional football player on disciplinary probation and becomes a coach to a ragtag team of players.

Status: Single as far as we know. His What's Wrong With Secretary Kim's co-star Park Min-young rubbished rumours that they are dating. Online tabloids also questioned his sexual preference since Seo-joon is famously close to his celebrity bros like Choi Si-won, Park Hyung-sik, and Kang Ha-neul.

There're still lots of handsome K-drama leading men and we'll be featuring them soon, so watch out for it!

bryanlim@asiaone.com

kwokkarpeng@asiaone.com