The Big Three: Ji Chang-Wook, Lee Min-Ho, Kim Soo-Hyun

Jae-Ha Kim

By Jae-Ha Kim
Kocowa.com
January 31, 2019

Hallelujah!

Kim Soo-Hyun, Ji Chang-Wook and Lee Min-Ho will be discharged from their mandatory military duties in South Korea later this year. As fans anxiously await their comebacks, let’s head back in time to revisit some of the actors’ most iconic work — which are available right here on KOCOWA.

Kim Soo-Hyun

Expected date of discharge: July 1, 2019

Notable role: Do Min-Joon, a real-life E.T. in “My Love From The Star.”

Why it’s good: Yes, the chemistry between Kim Soo-Hyun and his co-star Jeon Ji-Hyun (who plays spoiled movie star Cheon Song-Yi) is out of this world. But the series explores so much more: friendship, loyalty and sacrifice. This K-Drama does a beautiful job of transporting viewers back in time to the Joseon era. This is offset by modern-day Seoul, in all its glitz and glamour.  Kim was just 25 when he tackled the role of the enigmatic Do Min-Joon, who has been patiently waiting to return to his planet for more than 400 years. It was a career-defining role that catapulted the young actor to international stardom. The role could’ve been robotic left in the hands of a less-skilled actor, but Kim effortlessly straddles the line between drama and comedy. There also are some awesome meta moments. The best is a cameo appearance by the adorable Bae Su Ji (Suzy), who tells him he looks just like her high school boyfriend, Sam-Dong. (Sam-Dong was Kim’s character in “Dream High,” where he starred opposite Bae.) The open-ended series finale is bittersweet and not quite the happily-ever-after ending some fans had hoped for. But I felt it rang true to the story arc.

Ji Chang-Wook

Expected date of discharge: April 27, 2019

Notable role: The titular role in “Healer.”

Why it’s good: The interactions between Ji Chang-Wook and Park Min-Young is insanely good in this fast-paced, clever series that is equal parts espionage, action and romance. It doesn’t hurt that Ji exudes smoldering sexuality, even when he’s disguised as a dweebish nerd. “Healer” is one of those rare dramas where the plot ramps up as the episodes progress. There is no down-time in this sterling series, so viewers are expected to keep up. One of the things I love about K-Dramas is that they touch on topics not often addressed in mainstream Korea. For instance, the issue of child abandonment and adoption are recurring storylines, where children are expected to forgive their parents’ choices. Both Ji and Park exhibit heartbreaking restraint portraying characters who refuse to be broken. On the action front, many actors can go through the motions and do a passable job at playing a hero. But like fellow actor Lee Joon-Gi, Ji really sells it and makes viewers believe that he is Healer. I loved the ending, which gave ownership to the characters played by both of Ji and Park. If their characters were to have children, you just know their progeny will be badass!

Lee Min-Ho 

Expected date of discharge: April 25, 2019

Notable role: Kim Tan in “The Heirs.”

Why it’s good: Though he initially won fame as a flower boy, Lee stands apart from many of his colleagues because he has a knack for lending gravitas even to lighter moments. “The Heirs” is a great example of this. I view Kim Tan as a continuation of Gu Jun-Pyo, the morally ambiguous character Lee portrayed in “Boys Over Flowers.” Once again, Lee plays a rich, handsome son of a chaebol who isn’t above bullying others. But here, his character has a conscience and a sense of right and wrong. When he asks new peers if he had ever bullied them in the past, you get the idea that Kim truly feels shame for having behaved like his other privileged classmates. Lee is one of South Korea’s biggest stars and “The Heirs” shows why he’s so beloved. Besides the obvious looks, he has a knack for making unrelatable characters relatable. Paired with Park Shin-Hye (who portrays his love interest Cha Eun-Sang), Lee adds subtle nuances to the rich boy/poor girl cliche that make his character compelling. And not for nothing, but I may or may not have hoarded a few coffee sleeves from Seoul’s A Twosome Place, because Lee’s face was plastered on them.

It’s always fun to see which projects actors choose after their time in the military. Song Joong-Ki became more popular than ever with “Descendants of the Sun,” his first post-military series. What kind of roles would you like to see Kim Soo-Hyun, Ji Chang-Wook and Lee Min-Ho tackle next?

You can watch all of my K-Drama picks on KOCOWA. Let me know in the comments section which actors you are waiting to be discharged from the military.

Note: KOCOWA originally ran this on January 31, 2019. They re-ran it on September 5, 2021, with the same title.

EXTRA, EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT:

33 thoughts on “The Big Three: Ji Chang-Wook, Lee Min-Ho, Kim Soo-Hyun”

  5. Reply

  7. Reply

  8. Reply

  11. Reply

  12. Reply

  13. Reply

  16. Reply

  20. Reply

  26. “Dream High” was my first Kim Soo Hyun drama and I very quickly figured out the guy is the BEST UGLY CRYER on the planet! “Moon Embracing the Sun” damn-near dehydrated me!😭

    Reply

  30. Lee Min Ho Oppa!!!!
    I love all of your dramas. My mission is to watch/ rewatch all of your
    dramas before you are released from military; so far so good🙈🙈🙈
    Saranghae!!!!
    Wishing you all the best and a successful comeback💚

    Reply

  32. I was introduced to
    Korean drama by a friend back in 2011. The title is “Boys Before
    Flowers” after that I got all the dramas and movies
    you featured in.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *