Every K-Drama Female Co-Star of Lee Min Ho: From A-Listers to Rookie and Controversial Actresses
Which actress who has acted alongside Lee Min Ho in K-dramas is your favorite?
Best known for his handsome looks and irresistible charm in romantic K-dramas, globally famous actor Lee Min Ho has worked with various actresses over the years. Let’s take a look to see who these actresses are and find out about their differences and similarities.
A-list actresses with top beauty and skills
Lee Min Ho had the honor to act alongside his seniors who are powerful, talented, and stunning A-list actresses 3 times in his career: Son Ye Jin in “Personal Taste” (2010), Kim Hee Sun in “Faith” (2012), and Jun Ji Hyun in “Legend of the Blue Sea” (2006). However, both “Faith” and “Personal Taste” are not listed among Lee Min Ho’s memorable and successful works in his filmography.
“Legend of the Blue Sea” has a better performance than the other two, but it is still considered a step backwards for both Jun Ji Hyun and Lee Min Ho compared to their previous dramas and to the high production cost.
Famous actresses with controversial acting
All the female co-stars of Lee Min Ho in his three most successful dramas which are “Boys Over Flowers” (2009), “City Hunter” (2011) and “The Heirs” (2013) are all beautiful and famous actresses whose common point is that their acting is not highly appreciated. Goo Hye Sun is even considered one of the actresses with the worst and emotionless acting. Meanwhile, Park Shin Hye often came under controversy over stiff and awkward acting. Skill-wise, Park Min Young is considered the best out of the three but she draws criticism for always sticking to one image, so her acting feels flat and repetitive sometimes.
Actresses whose visuals defy Korean standards but have great acting
The actresses in this group are the opposite of the second group. Their beauty does not fit the common standards of the Korean public, however, their acting skills earn much praise. The two most outstanding examples are Kim Go Eun in “The King: Eternal Monarch” (2020) and Kim Min Ha of “Pachinko” (2022). In terms of achievements, “The King: Eternal Monarch” is unfortunately considered a flop in Korea since its ratings were not on par with the budget. Moreover, many viewers said they don’t feel the onscreen chemistry between Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun, saying it looks forced.
Since “Pachinko” airs exclusively on Apple TV+, its rating cannot be assessed. However, it receives lots of positive reviews and has a high IMDb rating with a score of 8.4/10. Kim Min Ha, although she is still a rookie actress with not much popularity and there are mixed reactions to her beauty, she shows good onscreen chemistry with Lee Min Ho, and in this regard, she does a better job than Kim Go Eun.
It seems that when Lee Min Ho works with actresses of the second group, his works will be more successful than the rest. Now, let’s look forward to his next drama in which he acts alongside Gong Hyo Jin, which will be released in 2023!
