Park Hyung-sik, Rowoon, Nam Yoon-su: Who are the K-drama hunks hogging our screens (and hearts) now?

As the Netflix K-drama The King's Affection trends on the streaming platform, we've definitely taken notice of the three handsome male leads — Rowoon, Nam Yoon-su and Choi Byung-chan. 

Just in case these names sound slightly unfamiliar to some, here's a quick introduction to these young heartthrobs, as well as others who are on our screens recently. 

1. Rowoon 

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Rowoon plays Jung Ji-woon, the tutor of Crown Prince Lee Hwi, and the two share a complicated and romantic past in The King's Affection. We bet his charming portrayal of the cheeky and smart Ji-woon pining for his first love is getting him lots of female fans. 

Prior to becoming an actor, the 25-year-old debuted as the lead singer of Korean boy band SF9 in 2016. Three years later, he became the male lead in the school fantasy drama Extraordinary You, which earned him the Best New Actor award at the 2019 MBC Drama Awards. 

2. Nam Yoon-su 

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In The King's Affection, Nam Yoon-su plays Lee Hyun, also called Prince Jaeun, who is Lee Hwi's cousin. 

Yoon-su, 24, first debuted in 2014 as a model. Although he made his first foray into acting by appearing in music videos, his official acting debut came in 2018 where he appeared in 4 Kinds of House and also the web drama Want More 19. 

In February, he also played a supporting role in Beyond Evil, a Korean TV series about two policemen who break the law to catch a serial killer. 

3. Choi Byung-chan 

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Originally a member of the boy band Victon that debuted in 2016, Choi Byung-chan is pretty new to acting. The King's Affection is the 24-year-old's second acting role and he plays Kim Ga-on, Lee Hwi's bodyguard.

His inexperience shows in the drama, but since Ga-on is a mysterious fella who hardly speaks, viewers shouldn't be too disappointed with him yet. 

In 2020, he appeared in Live On, a high school drama starring Jung Da-bin, Hwang Min-hyun and Noh Jong-hyun. Byung-chan is also expected to star in the SBS drama A Business Proposal in 2022. 

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4. Nam Da-reum 

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Young as he may be, Nam Da-reum actually has quite a few years of acting experience up his sleeve. He was a child actor from 2009, notably playing a young Yoon Ji-hu in Boys Over Flowers. The grown-up version was played by Kim Hyun-joong.

The 19-year-old is best known for his role as Park Sun-ho, a middle-school student who becomes a victim of school violence, in Beautiful World.

Most recently, he starred in The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim, a fantasy mystery series by KakaoTV. 

5. Park Hyung-sik 

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After being discharged from his military duties in January, Park Hyung-sik is back in action playing a detective in the newly released drama Happiness, an apocalyptic thriller set in a time when infectious diseases have become the norm. 

Hyung-sik — who turns 30 on Nov 16 — is a member of the South Korean boy group ZE:A, and prior to his hiatus, had been acting in television shows since 2010. His last television series before enlistment was the Korean remake of Suits, a drama centred around the lives of lawyers. 

The King's Affection is available on Netflix, while The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim and Happiness are available on the iQiyi International app or iQ.com.

You can also catch Happiness on Viu, and on tvN (Singtel TV CH 518, StarHub TV CH 824) every Saturday and Sunday at 10.30pm. 

claudiatan@asiaone.com