Ever since I wrote a post on my top 10 favorite K-Drama couples, I think I got inspired to  start doing top 10 list for different things regarding Korean pop culture.This time  I will be making a list of my personal top ten favorite Korean male actors that I have liked over the years. Let’s get started shall we? Please don’t forget to leave a comment below and perhaps even share with me some of your personal favorites as well.  I will go from 10-1 again. Now, we will go for a ride of fun!

10. Won Bin (Mother-2012)

Won Bin might be up there in years compared to a lot of younger Korean male stars but I still like him. He is a fine actor,not just in Korea but globally. I think he has gotten some attention in other parts of the globe besides Asia. Thanks to this film called Mother directed by Bong Joon Ho, Won Bin was able to grab the attention of cinematic folks from around the world. I grew up watching Won Bin ever since  I was a very young girl but I don’t think I severely fangirled over him though. However, I think I respected him more than anything.

9. Lee Hyun Woo (Master of Study-2010)

I heard of this guy’s name a lot in the last two years but never really saw any of his stuff until just recently thanks to a show called Master of Study and it came out in 2010. I watched this somewhat recently and I thought he was really cute in it. I think I like this guy for more or less a shallow reason. Honestly, his acting is pretty average but he is very charming. I think it’s the smile of his? Besides, so many people really seem to like this guy.

8. Lee Min Ho (Boys Over Flowers-2009)

This man was the it stuff back in 2009. Boys over flowers was everywhere and those of you who don’t know, Boys over flowers is a manga.Japan and Taiwan both did their own adaptations respectively and suddenly Korea decided to jump on the band wagon too. When I first saw this drama I was blown away because Lee Min Ho was the carbon copy of Domyouji Tsukasa. I have read the manga and also saw the anime so I am very familiar with the characters in that show, so I was able to analyze the ins and outs of it. Looking at Lee Minho, I thought he was very convincing as Domyouji so ever since then I decided to like him. I remember having liking the character Domyouji a lot so, someone in real life being able to portray him was good in my book. The only thing about Lee Min Ho is that after Boys over flowers he hasn’t done anything that caught my attention as much so that is a bit unfortunate.

7. Jang Geun Seuk (You’re beautiful-2009)

I remember I did have a thing for him when I first saw him in Hwang Jin Yee back in 2008. Although Hwang Jin Yee came out in 2006 but I saw it two years later. I was very late in the game because of it. I  started to get into Jang Geun Seuk a  year before You’re Beautiful came out. I thought this charismatic guy looked so cute in his Korean traditional wardrobe. Yes, I have a thing for Korean men that look good in the traditional gear. Anyways, my love for him went from innocent little girl crush to OMG he is so hot by the time You’re beautiful came out. I think the agency was pushing him towards that and I don’t mind his powerful look with black makeup and all but I still do miss his innocent self from Hwang Jin Yee. I forgot to mention that I really enjoyed him in Nonstop 4 as well and he was this silly little med student, although, he was only in high school when the show came out. Jang Geunk Seuk brings me back to some of the good memories of those years.

6. Hyun Bin (Secret Garden-2010)

Oh, where do I begin. I first saw Hyun Bin from Nonstop 4 along with Jang Geun Seuk. In that show he was such a goody goody kind of guy. I mean, he was so good that it was almost too painful for me. I kinda had a crush on him then because of  his little story with Han Ye Seul’s character, which was really cute. This was just the beginning where things really got amped up once I watched a show called My lovely Samsoon. Even here I was late in the game. The show came out back in 2005 but didn’t watch it till  2 years ago. I had a Hyun Bin kick for a time because of the drama Secret Garden and after watching that show everything just snowballed from there. After Secret Garden, then it was My Lovely Samsoon and I was able to put a stamp on it and say to myself that I really like Hyun Bin. After this incident I watched just about all of his shows that were on his filmography.

5. Lee Jong Seok (Secret Garden-2010)

I heard of his name here and there but I didn’t know what he was about until I saw this movie about Table Tennis called KOREA.There, he played a North Korean Ping Pong player and he was supposed to be a very stiff character. Well, in North Korea you don’t have the freedom to really express yourself so it’s natural for this kid to be  inflexible. I think that this was his charm and it was kind of adorable. His North Korean mannerisms and speech made me chuckle though. However, he wasn’t that bad and I know this because I have a thing for languages. Also I am into regional dialects of each languages so I was able to familiarize with the way North Korean folks talk. I wasn’t crushing on this dude in a major kind of way but it still affected me to a degree. One day, I ran into a drama called Secret Garden not too long after watching the movie Korea, and oh man, I fell for it again. This time he was playing a gay character which seemed interesting to me. This could offend some people but I am kind of gay friendly so I thought it was so cool to see him playing such a character that could be a taboo or a social stigma.

4. Yeon Woo Jin (When a Man Loves-2012)

This is how the story goes. I tend to go through phases when it comes to Korean actors, although, I am pretty loyal in my own ways. Anyways, there was a time when I was briefly into an actor by the name Lee Junki and because of him I got to watch a show called Arang and the Magistrate. It’s strange because I initially watched that show to fangirl over Lee Junki but what happened? Some where along the way I became a fan of Yeon Woo Jin instead. There was this aura about him that I just couldn’t resist. It’s his boyish looks. You wouldn’t believe how old this guy is and  that’s besides the point. It wasn’t his looks that drove him to me but I think it was just the way he carries himself, even when he is in character. Also, his acting is really good and it’s not like he has been in this industry for a long time like some other actors in Korea. He has  only been in this field for about a  handful of years and he was able to impress me with his acting chops. The drama that sealed the deal for me was When A  Man Loves starring: Song Seung Hun and Shin Se Kyung.  However, in this particular show he was a real jerk.

3. Jo Hyun Jae (King’s daughter Soo Baek Hyang-2013)

This actor is very special to me and I have liked him for a very long time. I liked him  ever since I was a teenager. The first thing I ever saw him was in Untold Scandal. I had no idea who Jo Hyun Jae was and at the time I wasn’t even interested in Korean actors. I think I was more into Anime characters and Japanese celebrities. However ,this movie Untold Scandal and Jo Hyun Jae himself lured me into the K- pop world or should I say to the world of handsome Korean men.

Someone I knew back then brought me a DVD and I looked at the cover and I was like what the? However, I knew I was going to like it since I am really into period dramas for some strange reason. On the DVD cover it had an image of Bae Yong Joon and these two ladies. I thought Bae Yong Joon or Yonsama (In Japan), was gonna captivate me since he was the star but who said that the main actors will always steal your heart?

The moment Jo Hyun Jae appeared on my television screen I had my mouth literally opened liked a shocked person. He was so beautiful with his White Korean traditional robe. Also, his black traditional hat made him look like a very handsome scholar of the Joseon Dynasty. I have a thing for Korean men that look good in Korean traditional clothing and he looked so good in it that he literally stole my heart within seconds. That is a record actually. No Korean actor was able to get me like that in matter of seconds and I am not even exaggerating here.

Anyways, that was just the beginning of it all. The more I saw him the more I liked him. I saw shows like: Only you, Rays of Sunshine, Love Letter and Ballad of Seodong and these sealed the deal for me. So I was able to officially call myself a fangirl and till this day he is the only Korean actor that I sent anything resembling a fanmail and also a care package.

This is how special he was to me and one day I kinda grew further and further away from him unfortunately. I was busy liking other people but he was still there deep inside my heart. Flash forward to some odd years later or rather sometime not too long ago to be exact. I rekindled myself with Jo Hyun Jae through an awesome show called King’s daughter Soo Baek Hyang and I have to say that this is the best show he has ever done along with 49 days. After watching Soo Baek Hyang, I wanted to go back to how things  used to be so I started playing catch up and I ended up watching everything I missed from the moment I grew apart from him. No matter what, and no matter who I am fangirling over this man will always remain close to my heart.

2. Ji Chang Wook (Smile Dong Hae-2010)

Ji Chang Wook used to be my ultimate favorite actor until not too long ago and unfortunately his number one spot has been replaced by someone else.  I was really into Ji Chang Wook for a little awhile and I was a very passionate fangirl for him. The first time I saw him was in Empress Ki and it was totally by accident. It was that time where I was urging for another historical flick. I went onto some streaming site and Empress Ki was looking right at me as if it was saying to me, “Watch Me!” I was like okay, what the heck? Since I got nothing to lose so I delved right into it. The moment I saw his face, I fell right into his big brown eyes.

Just a handsome face gets boring real quick but Ji Chang Wook was more than just looks. His acting was really good too as a matter of fact. There were some frustrating moments in Empress Ki but his acting made a difference. You know why? I was invested and I wanted to continue to support the show and it’s not because of the drama itself but for Ji Chang Wook’s awesome acting chops.

He has a wide range of facial expressions and the same goes for his voice as well. It makes sense that he started out as a theater actor before he hit the silver screen. From beginning to end Ji Chang Wook impressed me again and again. His acting was so darn good that I decided to look him up and from here on out I watched just about all of his previous works. I thought to myself before I started to watch his other stuff, “Hmm…I wonder if his good acting in Empress Ki was just a fluke?” I was so wrong about this and I felt bad for doubting him. In dramas like: Smile Dong Hae, Five Fingers,Warrior Baek Dong Soo and Bachelor’s Vegetable store I was able to see his glowing passion for acting.

So after my experience with him in other dramas, he became one of the young and credible actors in my book. I seriously want to see more of him. Why did he get replaced by my current number one actor? I don’t know, it just happened. Don’t get me wrong, I still follow him and I really like him a lot!!! By the way, he has a great smile with those big eyes of his and also the sound of his laugh is something that nobody can imitate. This guy is very charming no matter who my number 1 is!

1. Yoo Seung Ho (Operational Proposal-2012)

Here it is guys! Thanks for waiting to see my number one! It is Yoo Seung Ho everyone! I had no idea that I was going to be fangirling over him and the thought has never even crossed my mind.

The strange thing is that I usually like men with double eyelids and this has been my preference for a long time but somehow along the way that changed. I thought about it, Yoo Seung Ho is one of the few Korean men that actually looks really sexy with single eyelids, along with Yeon Woo Jin and Hyun Bin.

Anyhow, I remember seeing Yoo Seung Ho in passing a lot, although that didn’t dawn on me till just recently. The first thing I ever saw with him in it was Love Letter and he played the child version of Jo Hyun Jae’s character which is Lee Woo Jin. A little while after I remember seeing a film called The Way Home and he was only 9 years old at the time. I thought he was cute but that was it.

Years later I saw him again in other shows and it’s funny because in those shows there were guys that I was fangirling over. In Arang and the Magistrate he was the Jade Emperor but I was all into Yeon Woo Jin. Also, in Warrior Baek Dong Soo he was Yeo Woon, Ji Chang Wook’s archnemesis and at the time I was going all out for Ji Chang Wook.

I don’t know, I never took the hint while watching Warrior Baek Dong Soo. There was a scene in that show where this one girl character compliments  Yoo Seung Ho’s character, I kinda looked at him and said, “He is kinda cute I guess.” and just shrugged it off. I didn’t doubt about his handsomeness but I was too busy liking other people that he just kinda went over my head. However, this all changed once I started watching this historical epic: Great Queen Seon Deok.

I don’t know what came over me but his character in the show was able to draw me in. He played a character called Kim Chun Chu and he was very naive when he was first introduced. He even got his butt kicked and him begging while whining was so cute. However, I realized that Chun Chu had more up his sleeves than what you see on the surface. Historical epics are hard to do. I feel like you either make or break in these kinds of situations.

This boy was only seventeen years old and he was able to do such a complicated role which impressed me a lot. Also his traditional Shilla Dynasty clothes looked so fabulous on him. This was the start of my fangirling for him. After Great Queen Seon Deok, I accepted my stance on this guy and decided to go all out.

I watched everything that I could get my hands on and I’m still not done yet. The more dramas and movies I see of him I like him more and more. When I watch his older stuff I am impressed by his acting abilities even when he was just a child. However, when it comes to now, you can tell that he is willing to mature as an actor.

I watched shows like Flames of Desire,Operational Proposal,and I Miss You . With movies I saw The Way Home, Don’t Tell Papa, Hearty Paws and Blind. Every single one of them makes me want to cheer him on even more. Right now I am a die hard fangirl for this guy and I want it to last as long as I can.

Oh my! How can I forget? Just like Ji Chang Wook, Yoo Seung Ho has such a beautiful smile. It’s a different kind of beauty. When Ji Chang Wook smiles You see his thick lips and gigantic eyes but with Seung Ho when he smiles very big, his eyes disappear. However, that is his charm. His boyish face that looks mature when you look very carefully. Also, the laughing sound of his really charming just like Ji Chang Wook. For some reason these two have commonality with their smiles and their laughing sounds. Maybe, that is why they got to play the main characters in Warrior Baek Dong Soo!

Thanks for reading this long post. I wanted to share with all of you where I stand in not just in Korean Dramas and Movies but also with our dear actors as well. I hope you enjoyed reading this and hopefully you’ll throw in your two cents. I would love to read your comments and also I am curious about your top tens if you have any~!