By Jae-Ha Kim
Kocowa.com
August 9, 2020
There’s something about a uniform that can make a handsome man even more attractive: Brad Pitt in “Spy Game.” Idris Elba in “Pacific Rim.” Richard Gere in “An Officer and a Gentleman.” Denzel Washington in “Flight.”
You get the picture.
K-Dramas are no exception when it comes to good-looking men making even the most plain uniforms shine. Whether they’re wearing school, work or athletic uniforms, here are a few of our favorites.
Playing a privileged high school student in “The Heirs,” Lee Min-Ho (and most of the cast) looked much too old for their roles. But they got the mannerisms down pat. His character is much more sympathetic than the role he played in “Boys Over Flowers,” but the two K-Dramas serve as a companion piece to each other. School uniforms are supposed to be the great equalizer, where all the students dress and look alike. But as this series depicted, the rich and privileged always find ways to make themselves stand apart, while ridiculing those who have less.
One of Korea’s most versatile entertainers, Lee Seung-Gi steals just about every scene he appears in. “You’re All Surrounded” is no exception. Playing a police detective who, as a young boy, had witnessed his mother’s murder, his goal is to put that criminal behind bars. Of course, there’s also a romance subplot in this K-Drama, with Lee reunited with a childhood friend (played by Go A-Ra).
Playing a country bumpkin who transfers to a tony performing arts school in Seoul, Kim Soo-Hyun was a breakout star in “Dream High,” where he was competing against Ok Taec-Yeon for Suzy‘s affection. With his wild hair and satori, he was a fish out of water. But as you can see in the photo above, he cleaned up nicely.
For a different kind of uniform, I give you So Ji-Sub in a judo gi. In “Ghost,” he played a police officer embroiled in a cyber investigation. There’s a hi-tech game of cat and mouse where he and his former trainee and best friend may be working on different sides of the law. There is subterfuge and a thrilling ending. But there are also segments of So and Choi Daniel sparring in judo.
Ji Chang-Wook has donned many uniforms in his roles, including as an elite soldier in the series “K2.” But the role that won him international fame was as a master of disguise in “Healer.” Who would question that he wans’t a copy when he looks like this, right? Playing opposite Park Min-Young, who portrayed a young reporter, he was smart, sexy and conflicted in this superb K-Drama.
We can’t forget about Park Seo-Joon in “Fight for My Way,” where he played a former taekwondo champion who was aiming for comeback. The K-Drama was bittersweet, because his character had given up on his former glory days and was getting making meager earnings for a modest lifestyle. The flashbacks showed all the promise he had as a high school student destined for South Korea’s Olympic team, and how life can get in the way of fulfilling what seems to be a sure thing.
He played a college baseball player in “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” but Jung Hae-In got a much larger role in “While You Were Sleeping” playing a police officer whose dreams seem to foretell the future. He was stuck in the second lead syndrome opposite Lee Jong-Suk and Bae Suzy. But as good as he looked in his police uniform, one of his most talked about scenes was when he was shirtless.
Who’s your favorite man in a uniform? Let us know in the comments below!
