7 Of Lee Min Ho’s TV Shows And Movies You Should Know
From his breakout role to his Hollywood debut.
To K-culture fans and avid viewers alike, the name Lee Min Ho should be anything but foreign. Since his breakthrough role as the main love interest in the hit 2009 romance television drama, Boys Over Flowers, the Hallyu star has been charming global audiences with his good looks and emotive, enthralling performances. Lee has gone on to make his mark on the big screen, even making his Hollywood debut in Apple TV+’s Pachinko.
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As a household name in the Asian entertainment scene and a rising global sensation, it’s no surprise that the actor, singer, and model has an expansive filmography of successful projects. Here, we look back at the projects that have defined Lee’s career.
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Boys Over Flowers (2009)
Boys Over Flowers, the 2009 TV series adaptation of Yoko Kamio’s manga of the same name, starred Lee as the series’ main love interest, Gu Jun Pyo, a rich playboy who falls for Koo Hye Sun’s character Geum Jan Di. The romance comedy chronicles the story of a working-class girl who transfers to a elite high school and finds herself involved in the machinations of four wealthy young men. The show was an instant smash hit with both domestic and international audiences, and is still often regarded as a pioneer of the Hallyu, or “Korean Wave” phenomenon. Lee’s performance in Boys Over Flowers as the devilishly charismatic Jun Pyo shot him to stardom and cemented him as one of Korea’s Hallyu icons.
City Hunter (2011)
Based on Japanese manga artist Tsukasa Hojo’s popular manga of the same name, City Hunter is an action drama TV series that starred Lee as the show’s titular character, a vigilante fighter codenamed “City Hunter”. Aired in 2011, the show was a commercial success that received generally positive reviews throughout its run. Lee’s performance in the show led to him netting the Best Actor award at the 4th Korea Drama awards and boosted his international popularity due to its success with European audiences.
The Heirs (2013)
The Heirs (2013) marked Lee’s return to playing the role of a chaebol heir. The show, which also stars Park Shin Hye and Kim Woo Bin, is set in a high school for the elite and wealthy, and follows a group of rich heirs and heiresses as they gear up to take over their respective family empires. A huge commercial success both domestically and internationally, The Heirs cemented Lee’s reputation as a solid character actor, global heartthrob and movie star.
Gangnam Blues (2015)
Lee’s first leading role on the big screen came in the form of Gangnam Blues, a 2015 neo-noir action saga directed by South Korean filmmaker and director Yoo Ha. Co-starring Kim Rae Won as Lee’s childhood friend and partner-in-crime, the movie would go on to form the basis for many of Lee’s future movie projects.
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Bounty Hunters (2016)
One year after the release of Gangnam Blues, Lee played the lead in Shin Terra’s Bounty Hunters (2016). The action comedy, which was a China-Hong-Kong-South-Korea production, grossed over US$31 million, and stars Lee as martial expert Lee San, alongside Wallace Chung, Tiffany Tang and Louis Fan. Other than its commercial success, with the flick topping box office charts, Bounty Hunters also showed that Lee could excel in a multitude of roles across genres.
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
Following the end of Lee’s military enlistment from 2017 to 2019, fantasy romance drama The King: Eternal Monarch marked his return to acting. The 16-episode show, which featured Lee as a modern-day emperor of the Kingdom of Corea, was written by The Heirs’ writer Kim Eun Sook, and stars other renowned Korean actors such as Kim Go Eun, Woo Do Hwan and Jung Eun Chae.
The show, which revolves around two parallel worlds that Lee’s character traverses through, was wildly popular even before its premiere. Hailed as one of the most anticipated series of the first half of 2020, it broke several ratings and continuously topped viewership charts. Despite mixed reviews, the series was an immense commercial success, being listed as Netflix’s most popular Korean drama series in several countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines.
Pachinko (2022)
Lee made his Hollywood debut with Pachinko (2022), an Apple TV+ television series based on the 2017 novel written by Min Jin Lee. Playing the role of a mysterious merchant by the name of Koh Hansu, Lee’s outstanding performance within the already critically acclaimed series earned him global buzz and laudation from critics. The episode centered around his character was included in the Best TV Episodes of 2022 lists by publications such as Rolling Stone and The New York Times.