Lee Min-ho is among the most popularK-dramaactors right now following his lead roles in highly successful romantic shows that gave us some amazing couples.The actor rose to prominence after starring as Gu Jun-pyo inBoys Over Flowers, one of themost beloved K-dramas of all time. From playing a king inThe King: Eternal Monarchto an assassin inCity Hunter, Lee Min-ho has done it all. While he is mostly known for playing the lead character inromantic K-dramas, Lee Min-ho has also had more complex roles, such as Koh Han-soo fromPachinko.
AlthoughLee Min-ho’s acting careerisn’t solely centered on romantic K-dramas, it’s the genre that accounts for his success. After getting his start onBoys Over Flowers, the actor went on to take onthe lead role in several romantic K-dramas. He is beloved for his charm and comedic timing which can be seen in the K-dramas he stars in. Lee Min-ho is not only a versatile actor, but he is also able to have great chemistry with his cast mates, which has resulted in many brilliant on-screen romances.
7Jeon Jin-ho & Park Kae-in
Personal Taste (2010)
Based on the novelPersonal Tasteby Lee Se-in, the K-drama centers around Jeon Jin-ho and Park Kae-in.Jin-ho is an architect who wants access to Kae-in’s house, Sanggojae, to save his firm. Kae-in agrees to let Jin-ho rent a room in her house under the mistaken assumption that he is gay. The two characters are as different as can be.
Lee Min-ho is as charming as ever inPersonal Taste, and Jin-ho’s rigid personality accounts for some of the funniest moments in the show.
Jin-ho is neat and organized, while Kae-in is messy and clumsy. Despite their differences, they begin to have feelings for each other. It’s not surprising thatPersonal Taste’s Jeon Jin-ho and Park Kae-in are some of the best K-drama couples, more so because the lead actors are known for taking on lead roles in romantic K-dramas.
Personal Taste
Cast
In this romantic comedy series, a meticulous architect pretends to be gay to become the roommate of a woman recovering from heartbreak. As they navigate their unconventional living arrangement, unexpected emotional connections and humorous misunderstandings arise, challenging their perceptions of love and relationships.
Jin-ho and Kae-in’s romance doesn’t start as love at first sight. Instead, the two characters begin to fall for each other when they spend more time together.Lee Min-ho is as charming as ever inPersonal Taste, and Jin-ho’s rigid personality accounts for some of the funniest moments in the show.
6Kim Tan & Cha Eun Sang
The Heirs (2013)
Also known asThe Inheritors, The Heirscenters around Kim Tan and Cha Eun-sang,two people from different backgrounds who fall for each other. After getting stuck in the US, Eun-sang meets Kim Tan, and he offers to help her out of her difficult situation. When they both return to South Korea, they meet again and start a relationship.
10 Best Coming-Of-Age K-Dramas
Great coming-of-age K-dramas depict the significant life transition experienced by its young protagonists, revolving around romance and friendships.
Unfortunately, they have a lot of obstacles to overcome before they can be truly happy.The Heirs’ Kim Tan and Cha Eun-sang are similar to Geum Jan-di and Gu Jun-pyo fromBoys Over Flowersin that in both K-dramas, Lee Min-ho’s character is a rich heir who falls for a poor girl.
The Heirs
The Heirs: This South Korean drama follows the lives of privileged high school students as they navigate love, friendship, and familial expectations. The series intertwines personal and social conflicts, highlighting the distinction between wealth and true happiness in a world where power and inheritance dictate their futures.
Despite the similarities, the characters in the K-dramas are different. Eun-sang and Kim Tan have a unique love story. While they love each other, Kim Tan has to decide if he will continue his relationship with Eun-sang or do what is expected of him and marry Rachel. The fact that he ultimately chooses Eun-sung is one of the great things about the K-drama.
5Lee Yoon-sung & Kim Na-na
City Hunter (2011)
InCity Hunter, Lee Min-ho plays Lee Yoon-sung, an MIT graduate who becomes a city hunter. After losing his father at a young age, Yoon-sung goes on a quest to find those responsible for his father’s death and make them pay. When he arrives in South Korea, he begins working at Blue House where he meets Kim Na-na, one of the bodyguards at the company.
Yoon-sung goes against the advice given to him and falls in love with Na-na. In a way,Na-na and Yoon-sung’s romance can be seen as forbidden lovebecause he was warned not to fall for each other due to the latter’s revenge mission.
City Hunter
City Hunter (2011) is a South Korean action drama series based on Tsukasa Hojo’s manga. Lee Min-ho stars as Lee Yoon-sung, an elite MIT graduate seeking revenge against the people responsible for his father’s death. Disguised as a playboy IT expert in the Blue House, Yoon-sung operates as a vigilante known as the “City Hunter,” targeting corrupt government officials while balancing personal relationships and moral dilemmas.
Yoon-sung falling for Na-na raised the stakes in the K-drama becausehe had to protect her at all costs. As Yoon-sung, Lee Min-ho did a great job of playing a character who wants to save the woman he loves. Yoon-sung and Na-na’s chemistry in the K-drama is palpable and it provides some light moments in an otherwise action-packed series.
4Heo Joon-jae & Shim Cheong
Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
The Legend of the Blue Seais a story about a mermaid who falls for a human but adds a unique twist to the story.The fantasy K-dramasees Shim Cheong, a mermaid from the Joseon era looking for the love of her life, Kim Ryung, in modern-day Seoul. She manages to find someone who looks exactly like her long-lost love, but he isn’t the same person.
Joon-jae is a criminal who only becomes interested in Cheong because of her jade bracelet, but the more he spends time with her, the more he falls for her.Joon-jae and Cheong’s love transcended space and time. There’s something quite romantic about a love that never fully dies despite facing obstacles.
The Legend Of The Blue Sea
The Legend Of The Blue Sea is a South Korean television series starring Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Min-ho. The story follows a mermaid named Shim Cheong who navigates the modern world after coming ashore and encounters Heo Joon-jae, a genius scam artist. Their lives intertwine as they uncover a deep connection rooted in their past during Korea’s Joseon Dynasty. The series blends fantasy, romance, and action with a historical backdrop.
The Legend of the Blue Seadoes have moments when it drags, butthe chemistry between Joon-jae and Cheong livens the K-drama. WhileThe Legend of the Blue Sea’s couple isn’t the best on-screen romance Lee Min-ho has had, the K-drama sets itself apart by featuring a unique storyline and a relationship that the actor hadn’t yet explored in his previous K-dramas.
3Gong Ryong & Eve Kim
When The Stars Gossip (2025)
When the Stars Gossipisthe first K-drama Lee Min-ho has starred in since returning to the genreafter he took a four-year-long break. AlthoughWhen the Stars Gossipis a typical romantic K-drama, it sets itself apart because of where it takes place. It sees a group of astronauts and tourists travel to a space station to study some of the biggest scientific problems that couldn’t be solved on Earth. Lee Min-ho plays Gong Ryong, an OB-GYN visiting the space station as a tourist, while Gong Hyo-jin takes on the role of Eve Kim, the space station’s commander.
Lee Min-ho is, of course, more grown up inWhen the Stars Gossip, but he still has the humor and charm that audiences have come to like about the K-drama actor.
Eve doesn’t initially like Ryong because she believes he will ruin her first mission as a commander due to how untrained he is. Ryong, on the other hand, admired Eve from the moment he laid his eyes on her. It takes a while for Eve to see Ryong differently. Her opinion of him only changes when Ryong saves one of the test mice. As Ryong continues to fall for Eve, he finds himself in a tough position given that he is supposed to get married when he returns to Earth.
When the Stars Gossip
This romantic drama series follows an astronaut and a space tourist who, despite their differing backgrounds and missions, become entangled in space, leading to unexpected romantic developments.
Ryong and Eve’s relationship is probably the most mature Lee Min-ho on-screen romance. Lee Min-ho is, of course, more grown up inWhen the Stars Gossip, but he still has the humor and charm that audiences have come to like about the K-drama actor. Gong Hyo-jin and Lee Min-ho are both seasoned actors, so their on-screen chemistry in the K-drama is clear to see. Given how great their relationship is inWhen the Stars Gossip, it’s a wonder why Gong Hyo-jin and Lee Min-ho haven’t played a couple before.
2Gu Jun-pyo & Geum Jan-di
Boys Over Flowers (2009)
Boys Over Flowersisthe K-drama that put Lee Min-ho on the map. Released in 2019,Boys Over Flowerscenters around a group of four rich boys who call themselves F4. F4 rules Shinwa High, with most of the student populace either wanting to be them or to be with them. Lee Min-ho plays Gu Jun-pyo, the richest and most popular of the four boys. When Geum Jan-di transfers to Shinwa High, Jun-pyo finds himself intrigued by the new student, but she doesn’t warm up to him due to how cruel he can be.
10 Best K-Dramas About School & College
There is no shortage of K-dramas filled with young love, friendship, and teen angst against the backdrop of a high-stress academic setting.
Jan-di comes from a poor family while Jun-pyo is the heir of Shinwa Group. Because of this, his mother wants him to be with someone who is in the same economic class as him, but he ends up doing the opposite of what she expects from him.Jun-pyo falls for Jan-di first and tries to win her over with romantic gestures,but he fails to do so as he is still learning how to show affection. However, the couple eventually falls in love and becomes each other’s safe place.
Boys Over Flowers
Boys Over Flowers is a 2009 South Korean television series based on the Japanese manga of the same name. The show follows Geum Jan-di, a courageous but impoverished girl who receives a scholarship to attend a prestigious high school. There, she encounters the infamous F4, a group of wealthy and influential boys, leading to complex relationships and social conflicts. The series stars Koo Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Bum, and Kim Joon.
Jun-pyo and Ja-ndi are probably one of the best couples in K-dramas due to the chemistry between the lead actors. Whiletheir chemistry plays a huge part in why the K-drama is so good, their relationship is also interesting because of how it develops. Jan-di doesn’t fall for Jun-pyo just because he is rich. Instead, she begins to see him in a different light when he shows her that he can be kind, sweet, and caring. The fact that he chooses her despite what society thinks is one of the reasons Jan-di and Jun-pyo are a beloved K-drama couple.
1Lee Gon & Jeong Tae-eul
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
The King: Eternal Monarchwas one of Lee Min-ho’s most anticipated K-dramas as it was the first show he starred in after returning from his mandatory military service. The K-drama focuses on two alternate universes; South Korea and the Kingdom of Corea. InThe King: Eternal Monarch,Kim Go-eun plays Jeong Tae-eul, a police officer who accidentally comes upon the Kingdom of Corea, while Lee Min-ho plays Emperor Lee Gon.
Tae-eul is brave and isn’t afraid of anything. Gon, on the other hand, has spent all of his life getting everything he wants. So when he meets Tae-eul, he is surprised when she disobeys him, which makes him intrigued by her.For Gon, Tae-eul was unlike anyone he had ever encountered in his life, and vice versa. The two characters not only came from different worlds but had different backgrounds. However, they overcome all their difficulties to be together.
The King: Eternal Monarch
The King: Eternal Monarch is a 2020 film featuring a Korean emperor, Lee Gon, striving to seal the portal to a parallel universe opened by malevolent forces. Alongside him, a detective is devoted to safeguarding her loved ones amidst the unfolding cosmic challenges.
Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-eun are incredible as the lead actors. They perfectly capture their characters' love for each other but still manage to infuse humor into thisK-drama.The King: Eternal Monarchis more than just a romantic K-drama. The Korean television series combines romance and fantasy with an interesting betrayal story. Because of this,The King: Eternal Monarchelevates itself due to its different perspectives and unconventional love story.
