Sexiest Man Alive: 2021 K-Drama Edition
2021 is the year a Korean drama became the most-watched show EVER on Netflix—but People Magazine still managed to miss most of the Korean actors K-drama fans have been watching long before Squid Game. Clearly, they need my help to be better prepared for 2022 as K-dramas continue to grow in popularity. Just look how much money Netflix, Apple TV+, and Disney are pouring into developing Korean productions.
I’ve never really been a fan of People Magazine’s annual Sexiest Man Alive issue. There are probably enough reasons to write a stand-alone blog post on why—but lack of diversity is right at the top of my list. Out of 36 covers, only five have been non-white. When I saw that stat it reminded me why I don’t watch American TV anymore.
The discovery of Korean dramas during the pandemic literally changed my life. It changed the way I see myself, the country where I was born, Koreans, Asian people in general—and yes—Asian men. All because I finally have the opportunity to see people who look like me portrayed positively instead of the few (generally negative) stereotypical examples Hollywood gives us. It’s sad it took so long but this is why representation matters.
Truth be told, I kind of hate the term “sexiest.” It just seems so cheesy and in the case of this annual magazine issue, it’s objectifying AF. Not to mention the evidence pretty much spotlights the fact Hollywood measures what’s attractive based on white European standards, so that’s also problematic. However—since People Magazine insists on doing this every year, I’d at least like to see more than a nod given to a handful of Asian men. I’d love to see Daniel Dae Kim, Daniel Henney, or the seven members of BTS on the cover. Time to make up for lost time. For the next 20 years in a row, the cover should feature a different man of color. Since my influence is quite limited might I suggest the white actors propose various actors of color when People Magazine approaches them, just like when they turn down roles that belong to POC.
K-dramas actually have a global audience and their fans are not afraid to speak up for their favorites. So buckle up and get ready to enjoy. I’ve got a lineup of K-drama actors to help mix things up in a variety of categories and choosing to showcase Korean male actors on the covers of some of the top magazines in the world for this blog post is quite purposeful. This one’s for you guys—you’re beautiful inside and out!
Click on any of the photos to see more info on the featured actors and K-dramas.
DIMPLES
Why does a little dent in your cheek seem to make one’s smile cuter? I didn’t even realize just how prevalent dimples are in so many of our favorite Korean actors. I wanted you to get the full effect so GIFs were the only way to go.
ROYALTY
Who doesn’t love a good historical K-drama? The term for these dramas set in the Joseon and Goryeo periods is sageuk (사극: history) and one thing that really gives you a glimpse into these time periods is the beautiful elaborate clothing. If you’re an actor in Korea seems there’s a good chance you’ll be in at least one historical drama. I’ve rounded up a few kings and princes who pull the royal thing off so well I feel like I should call them jeonha (전하: majesty). Learning some of the common royal words and phrases is one more side benefit of watching historical K-dramas.
OVER 40
You know what they say—Asian don’t raisin. While most people were gushing over Lee Gon and Captain Jo in The King: Eternal Monarch my kids also took note of how handsome Lee Lim is. It reminded me of the time they told me there were “older wolves” in Teen Wolf in an effort to get me to watch (I didn’t). All kidding aside, these actors over 40 give new meaning to the word ajeossi (아저씨) and the young ones better look out for their hyung (형: older brother) cause they’re giving them a run for their money!
BROMANCE
K-dramas know how to make our hearts flutter with a good bromance. Alot of viewers liked the bromance in Goblin better than the romance. Did you catch when Captain Jo replied, “there have been rumors,” when Sin-Jae asked if he and the king were dating? I especially love it when a bromance extends into real life, which we know is true with Gong Yoo & Lee Dong-Wook, Lee Min-ho & Woo Do-Hwan, and the Wooga Squad. It’s just nice to see men be affectionate and sweet towards one another and not worry about how it makes them look. Masculine is a construct so whether they realize it or not, many male Korean actors are widening that lane.
TEARS
Can we talk about men who are not afraid to be vulnerable? Oh my—are they not the sexiest of all? Men who openly weep is something I see in every single K-drama I’ve watched. I think I’m up to around 70—and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one where the men aren’t afraid to show us sadness or tender hearts. From watery eyes to tears streaming down their cheeks, and sometimes full-on sobbing—or as Oprah calls it—the ugly cry. It’s actually kind of cathartic because it’s hard not to cry along with them.
SIDE-JOB: K-POP IDOL
Is it really that surprising to see a singer who acts or an actor who sings? If you’ve got that creative gene may as well take advantage of it. When I was watching Hwarang a few months into my K-drama journey I couldn’t place where I’d seen one of the actors. His face was so familiar but I just couldn’t recall what other K-drama I’d seen him in. Turns out it was none other than Kim Tae-Hyung aka V from BTS. In my defense, I was a new K-drama fan, and back then BTS was just the name of a K-pop boy band to me. I think I became part of ARMY just over a year ago (as in, I’m a true fan) but even before that my Korean Artist Playlist was growing and includes music by Lee Min-ho, Hyun Bin, Lee Seung-Gi, Park Hyung-Sik, Park Seo-Jun, and lots of K-drama OSTs.
SECOND LEAD
K-dramas are famous for breaking our hearts with second-leads. When I was watching Her Private Life with my daughter Taylor she was devastated when she realized in the first episode Ahn Bo-Hyun was second lead, which meant Nam Eun-Gi wasn’t going to get the girl. For many, their first heartbreak is Kim Hyun-Joong’s Ji-Hoo in Boys Over Flowers. And was anyone else confused as to who the second lead even was in Start-Up? Were you team Nam Do-San or Han Ji-Pyeong? Woo Do-Hwan stole a lot of hearts in The King: Eternal Monarch in what I would describe as a non-typical second lead role.
SLO-MO SCENE
K-dramas do slo-mo better than anyone. Whether it’s the Goblin and Grim Reaper in long flowing coats, the King and Captain Jo with guns blazing to change the past to protect the future, or Ri Jeong-hyeok rescuing Yoon Se-ri—I love a good slow-motion scene. Slowing things down allows us to see them in all their glory and really take things in! My dream is to stand in the same plaza as Lee Yun-Sung and let myself slowly take in what it means to be on Korean soil for the first time since I was a baby, just like Lee Min-ho’s character in City Hunter.
VILLAIN
The best bad guys are so good they make you waver—there’s something about them you just can’t resist. Kim Woo-Bin in The Heirs comes to mind. The reason my daughter Taylor was so sad for Ahn Bo-Hyun in Her Private Life is because she felt bad for him in Itaewon Class. And I felt like I needed to re-watch Dream High to get Taecyeon’s Jang Han-Seok from Vincenzo out of my head.
FOREIGN ACTOR
When I saw Daniel Henney in My Lovely Sam Soon my first thought was, “the guy from Criminal Minds is in a K-drama?” I also loved Chris Lyon as Kim To-ni in Itaewon Class. It was nice to see a K-drama showcase a storyline that put a spotlight on racism and I could really empathize with To-ni searching for his Korean dad. David McInnis caught my eye in Descendants of the Sun but it turns out he’s from Green Bay, Wisconsin (and he’s half Korean). Whose heart wasn’t captured by Anupam Tripathi’s, Ali, in Squid Game? Anupam’s friend in real life, Filipino actor Christian Lagahit was also in Squid Game. In a KoreAm cover story featuring Daniel Henney in 2013 Henney talks about the difficulty of roles for an Asian actor in Hollywood. Exactly the reason why I wanted to highlight the lack of Asian candidates for People Magazine’s SMA nearly 10 years later. Side note: the KoreAm issue also happens to feature folk-pop duo Chasing Lovely (aka my kids) so I have the actual magazine. But here’s the kicker—I didn’t even read the cover story until I came across the magazine a year or so ago—I was shocked to realize it was Daniel on the cover—now I have an emotional connection because of his role in My Lovely Sam Soon. Representation matters.
ACTION HERO
One of the coolest things about K-dramas are the actors who do their own stunts. It’s pretty impressive considering how great they pull off those kick-ass fight scenes or fantastic sword battles. I’d heard people talk about Ji Chang-Wook quite a bit but it wasn’t until I saw K2 that I understood why they were so enamored with him. When I saw Lee Min-ho in City Hunter a quick Google search showed me he was indeed doing his own stunts. And who would’ve thought the guy I like to listen to on Spotify is the same guy in Vagabond? Lee Seung-Gi is a triple threat. Props to all the actors who take on that extra training and hard work for their roles. YouTube is the only way to do these men justice.
YOUR FAVORITES
This blog post could go on and on but I feel like I’ve given People Magazine plenty of Korean actors to consider next year. What categories would you add and which actors did I leave out? Let me know in the comment section below.
WHERE TO WATCH
While Netflix, Disney+, and AppleTV+ are grabbing headlines these days don’t forget about Viki. This streaming site is not new to the game and it’s where you go for the motherload when it comes to K-dramas.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
If you haven’t already noticed, whenever I want to talk K-dramas one of the first places you’ll find me is in the @kdramaticsclub on Clubhouse. One of the other things I was inspired to do after seeing People Magazine’s lack of inclusion for SMA was to host a room on Clubhouse so everyone else could also weigh in on this very serious topic. 😉 It was clear I had only just begun to scratch the surface in this blog post as everyone suggested more categories and nominated their favorites. The room lasted for two hours and I’m still working on making sure I have all the candidates’ names right in the seven categories we talked about. I love that ‘Over 40’ had the most names brought up with ‘Voice’ coming in second. If you want to know who won 2021 Sexiest Man Alive: K-drama Edition as per the K-Dramatics Club check the photos below for the big reveal! Thanks to K-Dramatics admin, Carol Markwei for the great graphics.
GQ KOREA MEN OF THE YEAR 2021
Honestly, People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive has become somewhat of a joke. While it’s good press to be featured is there any man who doesn’t feel a bit silly being proclaimed SMA? Props to GQ for their Men of the Year series. Even though this is technically an update to this blog post, I thought it was important to include these examples.
