Celebrate Lee Min-ho’s birthday by binge-watching his greatest K-drama hits

In Personal Taste, Lee Min-ho plays Jeon Jin-ho, an ambitious young architect who pretends to be gay so he can live with Park Gae-in (played by fellow Hallyu superstar Son Ye-jin) in Sanggojae, the hanok he hopes to study in order to secure a winning bid for a major project. The drama not only sees him switching gears from his rich chaebol persona in Boys Over Flowers, but also showcases his comedic timing and his talent for establishing chemistry with his co-stars.

The Heirs marks Lee Min-ho’s return to the rich-heir archetype. Following the rich boy-poor girl formula popular at the time, Lee Min-ho plays Kim Tan, heir to a powerful conglomerate, who is forced to choose between family duty and his love for Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye). A love triangle involving rival Choi Young-do (Kim Woo-bin) raises the romantic stakes and the dramatic tension, dominating conversations throughout its run.

The K-drama’s success solidified Lee Min-ho’s global popularity, and his chemistry with co-star Park Shin-hye was widely praised, earning them the SBS Drama Award for Best Couple.

In this fantasy fish-out-of-water (literally) romcom, Lee Min-ho further established his reputation as a bankable leading man. Starring opposite the legendary Jun Ji-hyun as the mermaid Shim Cheong, Lee Min-ho plays Heo Joon-jae, a con man who is always on the lookout for his next big score. But just as he decides to prey on the naïve Shim Cheong, he begins to develop feelings for her, and a fated romance centuries in the making plays out.

The fantasy time-travel romance drama reunited Lee Min-ho with celebrated writer Kim Eun-sook (The Heirs, Goblin, Descendants of the Sun, Mr. Sunshine), and marked his highly anticipated return after his mandatory military service. In this grand epic, where he plays the King of Corea in a parallel universe, the time-travel plot may have left audiences scratching their heads, but his chemistry with co-star Kim Go-eun was more than enough to keep them coming back until the end.

Marking a sharp departure from his usual portrayals of misunderstood chaebol heirs and fantasy romance leads, Lee Min-ho stars in the prestige K-drama Pachinko for Apple TV+. In this multi-generational saga based on Min Jin Lee’s novel, Lee Min-ho plays Koh Hansu, a man whose intense and complicated bond with Kim Sun-ja (Kim Min-ha) has lasting consequences that change the course of her life. Their relationship leaves ripples that span continents and generations.

Lee Min-ho’s layered performance revealed a more mature actor—one ready to take on more complex and ambiguous roles. It also gave him international recognition beyond mainstream K-dramas.

Don’t miss: Exclusive: ‘Pachinko’ Stars Lee Min-ho and Kim Min-ha Get Personal About Their Roles

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