Villains that viewers love to hate are one of the best things about k-dramas. Notable villains in recent k-dramas include Yoon Tae Joon, played by Sung Joon in "Hyde Jekyll and I," Kwon Jae Hee, played by Namgoong Min in "The Girl Who Sees Smells," and the ridiculous but nonetheless evil parents in "Heard It Through The Grapevine," played by Yoon Jun Sang and Yoo Ho Jung.
The mark of a great villain is that moment when you're watching a drama and you want to reach into the screen and give that villain a taste of his or her own medicine.
Here are five things we love about k-drama villains.
1. When they are bad, they are really bad. A good example is Gu Jun Pyo's mom in "Boys Over Flowers." She is so set against Gu Hye Sun's character dating her son, played by Lee Min Ho, that she hurts her family and drives them to destitution. There are no shades of gray to some k-drama villains. They often have no redeeming qualities.
2. They have no problem interfering in their loved one's love life. Lee Joon's parents in "Heard It Through The Grapevine" are not the first. If you saw "Secret Garden," you would know that Hyun Bin's mom, with her shrill, mean-spirited confrontations, was the worst.
3. They are really determined to be bad. A little thing like a conscience won't hold them back. Whether it's a historical or modern drama, villains will scheme and scheme until they get what they want and in the process get viewers so riled up. Jeon Gook Hwan as El Temur in "Empress Ki" did not care how many people he killed so that he could maintain power. Jung Wong In had no remorse about killing Lee Bo Young's mom if it helped him escape justice.
4. Love means less to them than power or revenge. Shin Sung Rok threw his pregnant girlfriend overboard in "You Who Came From Another Star." Yoon Hyun Min is prepared to sacrifice his lifelong love Soon Jung, played by Kim So Yeon, in "Falling For Innocence" aka "Falling for Soon Jung."
5. When they finally get their just desserts, viewers are so happy. The best thing about k-drama villains is seeing them get what they deserve, whether that is jail time or losing what they fought so hard to hold on to, even though it meant hurting others.
In "Heard It Through The Grapevine," for example, Lee Joon's pretentious cold-hearted parents could soon lose it all; prestige, wealth, and authority. And when that happens, viewers will cheer.
Who are your favorite k-drama villains? Let us know.
