Top 8 Best Jang Geun Suk Korean Dramas

I’m a huge Jang Geun Seok fan. Anyone who’s been following my videos for any length of time knows this fact. Out of all of the younger 20-something Korean actors he’s one of my favorites if not my number one.

 

I think part of this is because he’s just not your typical Korean actor. While most Korean guys play up their ultra manly or ultra pretty smoldering dark good looks and short hair, he tends to run in the other direction with lighter colored long hair and a look that is certainly not ultra manly though I’d call it more indie-hipster than feminine. His roles are also not really all that typical for a Korean actor. He’s not afraid to take somewhat controversial risky roles and instead I think he chooses roles that he personally just really wants to play. Some of the dramas on this list I’ll admit are a bit kitchy.. and I mean they’re like a bad acted sci-fi and others are so low key and grungy that they remind me of the old US TV show “Freaks and Geeks”.

This guy has been in the business for a long time. He started acting when he was a kid. He’s actually got far more movies and dramas than I included in this list of eight, but I left out all of his movie roles and all of his guest and supporting roles. The ones that he’s starred in though have often been pretty epic. While some only are praised in the indie cult fan groups, there are others like You’re Beautiful that have become so popular and epic that other Asian countries have tried to re-create his role.. to little success.

One of the most controversial choices I think he’s made in his career is turning down the role of Goo Jun Pyo in 2009’s Boys Over Flowers in order to challenge his acting more with his role in Beethoven Virus which wasn’t nearly as popular. But, it’s choices like this that actually make me like and respect him more. Besides while anyone who’s a Jang Geun Seok fan knows that he would have nailed the role, it helped launch Lee Min Ho’s career and I know that there’s very few people complaining about that. Jang Geun Seok’s awesome.. there’s just no question about it!

the list:

8. Nonstop 4 – 논스톱 4

7. Alien Sam – 에일리언 샘

6. Love Rain – 사랑비 

5. Beethoven Virus – 베토벤 바이러스 

4. Mary Stayed Out All Night – 매리는 외박 

3. Hong Gil Dong – 쾌도 홍길동

2. Beautiful Man – 예쁜남자 

1. You’re Beautiful – 미남이시네요

  • sarah eel November 8, 2013, 5:08 pm

    So chinggu, can I call you eel? Thanks for this. Love Jang Keun Suk. And I post this on our blog. See this http://jangkeunsukforever.com/archives/27921 hope more people will come here to put their vote on. Thanks for your work again.

  • Anusha Fernando November 8, 2013, 5:34 pm

    I agree with everything you have written…but I do think that Jiro Wang did an excellent job as Tae Jing in the Taiwanese version of You’re beatiful..

  • Arthea Emory November 8, 2013, 5:35 pm

    I sometimes find more enjoyment from the bloopers than the actual post…that said.

    Rose Nyland *Betty White, Blanche Devereaux *Rue McClanahan(sp?), Dorothy Zbornak *Bea Arthur, Sophia Petrillo *Estelle Getty (Golden Girls)

    Hwang Jin-i (another Sageuk JGS was in, with Ha Ji Won!)

    LOVE THE DUCK FACE!! More a fan of the Duck Face roll…when the head and lips roll from one side to another…FLOORED!!

    And while some may disagree, I kinda like that he didn’t take the BOF role and did Beethoven’s Virus instead. There was more substance to the BV role than the BOF role, more character. And to be honest, I didn’t even like LMH in BOF.

    Ps…thanks for getting James Blunt stuck in my head for the rest of the day! (smell the sarcasm)

  • Mamacri November 8, 2013, 8:05 pm

    I have not seen his acting in Nonstop 4 or Alien Sam because I can’t find eng subs…but I love his acting in Hwang Jin Yi, Hong Gil Dong, MMM, YAB and LR not in any particular ranking…but even BV was not as popular I like him playing in that drama because it’s really something else and he really stood out despite he played opposite a very respected senior…too bad because of this role people started to “not” like him because they found him unrespectful towards the elder..(wow did he act or did he act to achieve this but that is JKS he makes you go through a lot of emotions but never indifferent)

    I have seen the original Meteor Garden and Jerry Yan (and F4) is the only one for me….I could not watch BOF because I found it overly dramatised and glamourized…maybe if only JKS had taken the role I might have watch it passed the first ep..but that is my opinion off course

    Looking forward to Beautiful Man….seems really funny…

  • Sel Ma November 8, 2013, 8:33 pm

    I think he looks better with his head shaved & i’m probably the only one who does !!

  • hallyuback November 9, 2013, 4:18 am

    I checked your blog, really cool! ^^ Thanks for posting my vid!

  • hallyuback November 9, 2013, 4:22 am

    LOL Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia now I’m gonna try to remember those. Don’t hold me to that tho.. lol It’s more my husband’s era than mine….. LOLOLOLLzz

    btw We’ve been trying to include as many good clips as possible in the bloopers so I’m happy to hear you like them. 🙂 You may have noticed they were longer than usual this time around.

    I agree with you on the BOF comment, and as for James Blunt.. you’re welcome ;p

  • Richard November 9, 2013, 4:40 am

    I TOTALLY agree with you!!! ;D haha

  • hallyuback November 9, 2013, 4:42 am

    Agree with you on BOF.. and WOW it looks like you’ve seen ALL JGS’s dramas. If you ever find subs for Nonstop 4 pass them along! ^^

  • Anusha Fernando November 9, 2013, 10:24 am

    Didnt realise that the trailer was out untill I read your comment. You’re right.. it looks like a total romcom…

  • Leti43 November 9, 2013, 6:48 pm

    Only watch Love Rain, and I loved him. Now I’m waiting for Beautiful Man

  • Lyn Getrude November 10, 2013, 2:21 am

    YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL…ohh my goodness i still just cant get enough of that drama…love him to beats

  • Marta Janowicz November 11, 2013, 9:35 am

    Oh! I totally agree with what you wrote about JGS! And I think that for me, I like him because of the same reasons you do!
    Have you seen Crazy Waiting? I really liked him in this movie, the ending was so great for him 🙂

  • BazingaKdrama November 12, 2013, 6:49 am

    They started to “Not” like him because of his character with a bit of rebellion in it :O
    Gosh! What’s with koreans :O

  • Mamacri November 22, 2013, 12:00 pm

    Have seen that too…starting preparing for when JKS will be away for the LONGEST 24 months…

  • Jack Bautista July 4, 2015, 7:04 pm

    I love talking about him too!!!!! =) He is my no.1 Korean actor and I fell in love with him because of “You’re Beautiful” (way back 2009). I am totally surprised that he turned down the BOF role. This is the first time I heard about it and I do think that he would have nailed it perfectly but thanks to that because a LMH was born (I’m a huge fan of LMH but JGS is still the best for me). I also think that the role of JCW in “Healer” would be awesome for JGS. Actually, I’m watching You’re Beautiful again right now because I oh-so-miss this guy and yes, I also loooove the pouty duck lips!!! Not to mention his androgynous outfits! Love love love! Still waiting for his next drama =(… </3</3</3

  • kristine bondoc July 8, 2015, 12:55 am

    I’ve seen Beethoven virus and I love it. he really played it well. I miss his dramas. I only JKS dramas over and over again.

  • Shubhalaxmi ojha August 14, 2016, 8:37 pm

    you are beautiful…is my fav…I mean just love all the characters specially Jang Eun Suk and Park Shin Hey.