It is quite normal to fall in love with a K-drama because of the main protagonist of the series. However, you know a show is exceptionally good when the one who pulls all your attention to himself isn’t the main lead but the main antagonist! In fact, it is more difficult to create a villainous character who is more interesting and refreshing to watch than the so-called good characters! Memorable K-drama villains aren’t just someone whose sole purpose is to jeopardize the joy of the main leads’ lives. Instead, they serve as a contrast from the protagonist, demonstrating in what way they are different from each other. Kudos to these amazing actors who do justice to the incredibly written villain characters!
Although there is a long list of K-drama villains who have been very impactful, we have picked out the top seven for you. Let’s check out the top seven best K-drama villains whose wickedness and fright is still alive in our minds.
7. Itaewon Class: Chairman Jang
Played by: Yoo Jae Myung
As much as we love Park Seo Joon’s character, Park Saeroyi— his life story, struggles, and determination of taking revenge for his father’s death, we equally hate Chairman Jang Dae Hee for his actions against a seventeen-year-old boy. He is PURE EVIL, and no statement for him can convince us that he deserves to be forgiven. His entire life revolves around winning, no matter what price he has to pay for it and whom does he hurt in the process. At first, he forces his son to be immoral and evil like him, but when he is encountered with the charges of his past action of murdering Saeroyi’s father, Chairman Jang doesn’t think twice before throwing him out of his way of reputation either.
An embodiment of the classic ruthless CEO conglomerate, Jang Dae Hee ends up losing everything he cherished by the end of the drama and kneels in front of Saeroyi— the most satisfying moment one can witness ever! Indeed, he is one of the evilest K-drama villains of all time!
6. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay: Head Nurse Park Haeng Ja
Played by: Jang Young Nam
The biggest plot twist of the 2020 Kdrama, ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’ is the fact that the nurse who had been taking care of Ku Moon Young’s father for the last twenty years is no other than her mother. It was almost impossible for us to get suspicious of her because of her sweet and polite demeanor and actions that proved she wanted nothing but good for the patients at the hospital. Since the beginning of the show, we were hinted that Moon Young’s mother used to be very manipulative and controlled her life to the extent of taking away every bit of warmth from it.
She wanted her daughter to be exactly like her— a monster, and in order to make sure of that, she did her best to manipulate Moon Young into stabbing her to death by the end of the drama. Moreover, she mercilessly killed the innocent mother of Sang Tae and Gang Tae, leaving them as orphans at such a young age. Not to mention how this incident ended up giving Gang Tae, who was already diagnosed with PTSD, a trauma involving butterflies.
5. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon: Kidnapper Kim Jang Hyuk
Played by: Jang Mi Kwan
That one K-drama villain whom everyone considers creepy and scary from both his visuals to actions is Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’s main antagonist, Kim Jang Hyuk. He abducts young, beautiful, and skinny women dresses them up like a bride and chains them up at a secret place beneath the junkyard. The character is so obsessed with the play ‘Blue Beard and His Seven Wives’ that after watching it innumerable times, he now considers himself as the main lead of the play and wants to collect seven brides to marry them at once.
His twisted mind is the result of a troubled childhood during which he is abused by his mother physically, followed by the rejection he faced by a girl he liked. He wears a silicon mask while kidnapping and is smart enough to misguide the entire police department into looking over the details of the case. The viewers almost lost it when he tricked Bong Soon into losing her powers with the help of her best friend and wasn’t even a little hesitant at the thought of blowing up an entire building.
4. Strangers From Hell: Seo Moon Jo
Played by: Lee Dong Wook
Before Strangers From Hell, we always saw Lee Dong Wook with a cute and adorable smile enough to put sunflowers to shame. However, in this series, the cynical smile that he has ended up being something unforgettable in the K-drama world, giving you the creeps every time you watch it. On the outside, Seo Moon Jo is a charismatic dentist who is kind and gentle, and naturally, everyone around him loves him.
However, he is also a psychopath whose character brings horror to the show. He is the leader of Eden Dormiarty, where he trains others to kill people in the most gruesome way. He takes in Jung Woo as his student and makes it a goal of his life to transform him into the biggest piece of art ever created by him.
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3. The Penthouse: Joo Dan Tae
Played by: Uhm Ki Joon
When you think a K-drama villain cannot be any more freaky, Joo Dan Tae, aka Baek Jun Ki’s name from The Penthouse, pops up! He is a power-hungry, manipulative, greedy, and selfish to the power infinity person who is capable of pulling off almost every evil deed one can think of. Not only does he abuses his family members physically and mentally, but he also thinks it’s alright to kill them in order to save himself. He tends to get very violent and loses his mind after getting blood on his face.
Despite the thrilling backstory of losing his mother and younger sister at a young age at the hands of his father, it doesn’t justify his dreadful actions void of any remorse. He remains a dangerous character without any bone of sympathy in his body who finds it fun to outpower everyone.
2. Vincenzo: Jang Han Seok
Played by: Ok Taecyeon
When we were first introduced to the character of Ok Taecyeon, he was an adorable puppy-like intern under Cha Young whose presence was only for comic relief. However, once the story unfolded, we came to know that he is no other than the corrupt leader of the Babel Group who has been under the disguise of Jun Woo all this time. Moreover, he isn’t just a regular antagonist of the K-drama world. He is so brutal that he wouldn’t even bat an eyelash while killing someone who has been with him for a long time.
He treats his younger half-brother, Han Seo, as a tool to bear the consequences of all his evil activities, and the way Han Seo is scared around him proves the dreadful impact he has over him. Han Seok is a sociopath capable of killing his own family members. One of the most brutal things that he has done is smashing the head of a prosecutor with a hockey stick, leaving the viewers totally disturbed! Ok Taecyeon indeed won the viewers’ admiration for his wonderful acting performance.
1. Sky Castle: Coach Kim Joo Young
Played by: Kim Seo Hyung
There’s a reason why Sky Castle received so much hype during its air! Sky Castle is a drama that challenges the mentally of parents obsessed with making their children successful no matter what and the education system of South Korea. The show makers have brought this out through the character of coach Kim Joo Young. She claims that she can help any child get into any of the three renowned universities of South Korea and make them their family’s pride. However, the path she takes to fulfill their needs is horrifying!
The way she abuses the children’s minds, irreparably deteriorating their mental health and making their family crumble down, might end up sending chills down your spine! She can do anything and everything to make things go her way and doesn’t mind murdering someone if she needs to. Well, next time, if you find someone too perfect to be true, make sure to do a background check.
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