lord_varvara:

Yeo Jin-goo. Netflix was pushing his dramas Clown King and Hotel Del Luna on me so I relented and try to watch both. Had to drop them. He's insufferable. First, he's a terrible overactor, screaming and shouting every line.  Everything has to be So. Freakin. Emotional, with this guy. Second, he isn't good looking. His face is like rubber and he's supposedly only 24 but looks at least 10 years older.  Will avoid him at all costs.

Kim Ji-won. She's always so frosty which ruins any character we are supposed to root for. Just zero life, zero warmth in this girl.

HDL was meh I still enjoyed AKO more because of the bromance and zombie girl/PK  friendship.. I don't find him handsome either he was miscast for the role of My Absolute Boyfriend he looked nothing like my favourite manga character Night Tenjo and his acting wasn't as convincing as Seo Kang Joon in AYHT. The only drama I liked from him was Reunited Worlds even though other people rated it low for some reason, Circle wasn't too bad either I liked watching the younger actors more than the older ones. 

Ooo nice responses in this forum. I tend to think that the majority of Korean actors/actresses (and dramas) are vastly overrated by their local media and international fans. Majority of them don't seem interested in acting as an art and have no interest in improving their skills or working on it. They just seem in it for the cfs and money. Superficial to the max. In the west, you have similar people in the category of A-listers/celebs. But at least you get a wider range of great talent and acting chops, something that Korea (and most of Asia tbh) seldom churns out because of the over-emphasis on looks and money. 

Actresses first. I mostly avoid dramas where these overrated people are in. Which sadly, it means not watching alot (not that I'm missing out on good quality shows tbh). 

  • Park Shin Hye - I think everyone on here has said enough. I find her way better in her movies tbh, it seems like she has more freedom to emote there or sth. Loved her in Royal Tailor. 
  • Kim Ji Won - Overrated by intl fans. Has no on-screen charisma/no X-factor and comes across cold. Average acting skills as well. And I find her very plain looking. Everyone talks about her chemistry with PSJ in Fight My Way and I'm like WHERE? They came across like siblings and I felt nothing when they got together. The drama was quite boring as well. 
  • Gong Hyo Jin - Same character and behavior in every.single.drama.role. From Master's Sun to Camellia. Plays the quirky-cute, trying hard to be gentle/feminine character. Which is really weird for me to see as she comes across very snobbish and cold off-cam. Much better in her movies. Liked her in Doorlock & Missing
  • Moon Ga Young - Average acting skills with characters that only focus on her looks. KeyEast seems to be hard-promoting her everywhereee. Interestingly I find her face less attractive the more I look at her overtime.
  • Park Min Young - As people here have said, always trying so damn hard to look pretty. I can NEVER watch anything she's in. She never looks in character and has a very unnatural way of saying her dialogue - like she's reading off her script. Couldn't finish Healer cos of her,  or city hunter - such an unbelievable security agent.  Can't stand her fake smiling in WWWSK (tho the plot sucked too). Also like MGY, takes roles that she only looks good in. Is in her mid-30s pushing 40, yet has only done romcom/romantic roles, doesn't even stretch herself. Also like someone mentioned, she likes to act really superior/smart on Busted. Harsh but she's one actress I hope can disappear off my screen as she gets older. Also needs to lay off the PS touchups as it's making her face very plastic n frozen. 
  • Go Ara - seems like a nice girl off-cam but really cannot act. Amazed she gets lead roles
  • Shin Se Kyung - Can't act either, no charisma, only relies on her looks
  • Shin Min Ah - God. Another hugely overrated star by both her local/intl fans. Average acting skills, only does well in "cute" roles and in romcoms. Don't find her attractive, tho cute. And has strangely aged alot overtime and always looks tired/haggard to me. She was pretty okay in the movie Diva, so hopefully she takes more roles like that. 
  • Lee Sung Kyung - HUGELY overrated by intl stans, just cos what? She's tall and a model and automatically "pretty"? Can't act and makes every character of hers annoying AF. 
  • Song Hye Kyo - she's lucky she started her career during the Hallyu wave. woman cannot act at all and is getting worse with time. Constantly taking characters that look good and can never emote. It's always about what she's wearing n what lipstick she has on. mediaplays all the time, especially about her relationships. looks sweet but isn't the mind-blowing beauty people keep making out to be. comes off cold and uppity, like she thinks she's better than you. she deserves the criticism she's been getting
  • Jun Ji Hyun - like her in Amsal, she's actually pretty good in her serious movie roles but for a long time just seemed to be known for her comedy (I thought she was quite cringey doing the over-acting cutesy thing in YFTS) and her looks/cf ads. 
  • Kim Go Eun - Can never pull me into her characters, dk why. Don't find her attractive either. 
  • Jung Ho Yeon - Goodness. just ONE role (which she wasnt even mindblowingly good in) and the whole world is hyping her to the high heavens. she better pray her performances in the next few roles are good, else she's gonna fall hard from the high pedestal ppl have put her on
  • Han So Hee - always seems to play the mistress/other woman role with bed scenes thrown in. otherwise is trying to look convincing in action roles (with bed scenes thrown in again) - my name? laughable. who believes such a petite girl is taking down villians single-handedly? her company is unfortunately media playing her to the high heavens and she's in so many things. like just take a break pls. 
  • IU - brings a cold frosty vibe to everything she does. No warmth. Can't generate romantic chemistry. Her HDL character was so natural probably cos no acting was needed. 
  • Any former idol turned actresses. the whole snsd acting line. suzy. krystal. seolhyun. hyeri. how these talentless ppl are getting LEAD roles are beyond me 

Edited for elaboration and grammar

Actors: 

  • Ji Chang Wook - he had promise at the beginning, but seems to be taking very strange roles in recent years. Overrated by intl fans for his looks mostly and Healer which was...years ago. 
  • Song Joong Ki - God. How is such a scrawny dude a soldier in DOTS? only liked him in werewolf boy, dont find him attractive and has been overrated since DOTS and his weird marriage to SHK
  • Lee Jong Suk - similar vibes in all his roles. like sum1 said, cant believe him as a romantic lead cos he looks like a small boy. and I'm constantly distracted by his Ps-ed face/nose. dont find him attractive at all
  • Lee Min Ho - even said by ppl here. comes off smug and full of himself in interviews. dont find him attractive either
  • Kim Woo Bin - blew up cos in comparison LMH wasnt great in Heirs. Is overrated by fans for his height/looks (he's not gd looking come on). Seems to only fit villian roles, was super bad in UF
  • Rowoon - is everywhere and can't freaking act. No charisma or chemistry with any of his ladies. his ps/nose is so distracting. was outacted by Lee Jae Wook in EY where he only had one eyebrows-raised/open mouth expression the whole drama
  • Na In Woo - has the same constipated rod up his arse expression in mr queen, ruined it for me. no idea how he got the lead in river. totally cant act
  • Ahn Hyo Seop - stiff as heck. No chemistry with ANY of his leading ladies. 
  • Nam Joo Hyuk - grossly overrated by i-fans for his height/looks. can't act shate. but is in so many leading roles wtf. 
  • Cha Eun Woo - cant seem to emote. had to drop Gangnam Beauty cos of him. only relies on his looks
  • Hyun Bin - probs an unpopular opinion but idc. has no chemistry with younger leading ladies, and seem to only take roles where his co-star/s (male or female) are huge stars/talented ppl on their own right, so he doesnt need to hard-carry anything. seems only concerned with making lots of cf/ads money, and taking roles where it's expected to be a "hit". all his drama/movie roles follow the same formula - 1. co-star with a talented actor/actress 2. is big budget so he can make loads of $$. mediaplays about his relationships all the time to stay relevant, like a male SHK.  
  • Song Kang - is everywhere, cant act and looks like a bug. the end. 
  • Gong Yoo - i've never gotten into his characters in anything. i always end up more interested in his leading ladies
  • Park Bo Gum - liked him in monster? and in Moonlight. good actor unfortunately, he is usually overrated commercially and for his looks
  • Song Seung Heon - it's been what, 2 decades? And dude still can't act. I see the same vibe in all his roles. smh. 
  • Jang Ki Yong. Oh God. Ruined Search WWW with the annoying way his idiotic character would pop up randomly in the lady's life. This dude should stay in supporting roles, he doesn't have the charisma or skills to take the lead. Looks like a bug too, but a different species from Song Kang. Unattractive to me. 

There are actors I find so gross that I wouldn't watch anything they are in, hence have no idea if they suck - Lee Byung Hun for eg. 

And there are some who fans say are good but there's nothing about them that draws me in - Son Ye Jin, Jung Hae In, Kim Soo Hyun. 

Edited for elaboration and grammar. 

 heomiya17:

Uh I know this will be a very unpopular opinion, but Hyun Bin! A handsome face with not so much prowess. 

I always thought he only picks hit dramas with commercial promises and “dreamy” type of male leads. At times I thought to myself gosh he’s getting older (as in not a 20s early 30s anymore) but still acting these same Prince type male leads? When is he ever gonna act on projects with more meanings lol

MDL didn't let me quote a long post so I'm reposting the juiciest comments which are spot on! 


  • Rowoon - is everwhere and can't freaking act. No charisma or chemistry with any of his ladies. his ps/nose is so distracting. was outacted by Lee Jae Wook in EY has he only one eyebrows-raised/open mouth expression the whole drama
  • Na In Woo - has the same constipated rod up his arse expression in mr queen, ruined it for me. no idea how he got the lead in river. totally cant act
  • Ahn Hyo Seop - stiff as heck. No chemistry with ANY of his leading ladies. 
  • Hyun Bin - probs an unpopular opinion but idc. has no chemistry with younger leading ladies, and seem to only take roles where his co-star/s (male or female) are huge stars/talented ppl on their own right, so he doesnt need to hard-carry anything. seems only concerned with making lots of cf/ads money, and taking roles where it's expected to be a "hit" 
  • Song Kang - is everywhere, cant act and looks like a bug. the end. 
  • Song Seung Heon - it's been what, 2 decades? And dude still can't act. I see the same vibe in all his roles. smh. 

Brilliant roast! @redmists

Just coming in here to comment how MUCH EPIC THIS THREAD IS!!

I love seeing actors rightfully roasted here, there are soooo many overrated actors in korean ent  with annoying BLIND fans, actors who rely on only popularity and/or looks and/or only pick same roles never challenging themselves nor taking on risky projects nor versatility, only in it for fame and money tsk tsk.

Refreshing honesty here, and I agree with most of the people mentioned here.

Might be an unpopular opinion but....

can't stand Jun Ji  Hyun. Her voice especially I find it super irritating...I watched two dramas by her, my love from the star and legend of blue sea.  Didn't enjoy the dramas at all because of all her OTT  acting. I strongly believe if the actress was anybody else I would have loved these two dramas.

Another actress I don't like is Song Hye Kyo, I don't understand why she is called the most beautiful actress of Korea, I find her stony-faced and her acting stiff. There are so many more beautiful ladies out there than her. I only watched DOTS by her. It's my fav drama but would have loved it more if her role was played by someone else.

And recently I am avoiding Han so Hee...don't like her much...but I am open to like her in future if she impresses me with her work.

Lastly, Kim go eun, I found her cute in Goblin, but nowadays can't stand her..I didn't watch The king eternal Monarch just because she is in it...

 JulySnow2:

Just coming in here to comment how MUCH EPIC THIS THREAD IS!!

I love seeing actors rightfully roasted here, there are soooo many overrated actors in korean ent  with annoying BLIND fans, actors who rely on only popularity and/or looks and/or only pick same roles never challenging themselves nor taking on risky projects nor versatility, only in it for fame and money tsk tsk.

Refreshing honesty here, and I agree with most of the people mentioned here.


Hear hear! absolutely nailed it! 

Speaking of actors who rely on their looks, which is almost a rule in teen and romance dramas, I cut CEW some slack because he's simply stunning, one of or the most beautiful male face I've ever seen. So if he relies on that, well, he also delivers in that department, unlike barely above average looking actors replying on their overhyped barely above average looks just because they came from some third-tier idol group or were idol rejects.  For some fans, if someone was an idol no matter how low on the totem pole, they are automatically considered hot and talented. Hell no!

That’s why it’s better to watch films than kdramas. You will find real talent there and not just pretty boy image with awful acting. Those pretty boys in kdramas won’t stand the chungmuro industry. 

Agreed. Films are were talent is. Yoo Ah In for example does a lot of films because he's really talented. There's a difference between his acting in dramas and your average Rowoon/AHS/Song Kang/Other Plank of Wood.

Idol actors/ actresses are generally over rated and you can't even criticise them because you are tagged as hater ...and their fans gives very lame excuse sinces they don't know intricacies of film making ..while there are hard working talented actors who are there just to play side roles  and had to struggle a lot ..it does not mean all the actors are talented - some over rated are - song Hye kyo, Lee Jong suk , Kim go eun ...these actors are decent but they take too much credit 

 Peachietime:

I always thought he only picks hit dramas with commercial promises and “dreamy” type of male leads. At times I thought to myself gosh he’s getting older (as in not a 20s early 30s anymore) but still acting these same Prince type male leads? When is he ever gonna act on projects with more meanings lol

Yup. I've observed the same. But his rabid fans will tell you otherwise. They will also tell you he's an awesome actor. Lol. 

 Sukai:

That’s why it’s better to watch films than kdramas. You will find real talent there and not just pretty boy image with awful acting. Those pretty boys in kdramas won’t stand the chungmuro industry. 

Exactly. And actually the ones with the acting chops stay doing films most of the time, like Yoo Ah In. They don't waste their time on dramas or having their faces plastered on cfs all over the place. 

 JulySnow2:

Just coming in here to comment how MUCH EPIC THIS THREAD IS!!

I love seeing actors rightfully roasted here, there are soooo many overrated actors in korean ent  with annoying BLIND fans, actors who rely on only popularity and/or looks and/or only pick same roles never challenging themselves nor taking on risky projects nor versatility, only in it for fame and money tsk tsk.

Refreshing honesty here, and I agree with most of the people mentioned here.

Kpop/Kdrama Stans in particular are some of the worst I've seen of any fandom combined across the world. Like at least in other countries, you have people openly criticising celebs, people will critique their performances. But this isn't allowed when it comes to K-celebs. The majority of fans just blindly support anything/anyone that looks good and don't seem capable of judging what is good acting or what makes a good drama or a good story. 

All they care about is how hot the kissing is,  how hot oppa looked half-naked in the shower and in general,  and whether oppa and the lead actress is dating. And stalking their IGs and finding "clues" of similar looking bracelets or whatever crap. And then writing weird fanfics in comments all over the Internet about how oppa and the actress are dating. Shipping random people who are acting as a couple for a job. So many people take it too far, like in places like Soompi shipper forums. And I feel sad for these fans honestly. Imagine being this obsessed abt the personal lives of people who don't know you exist. 

It's like critiquing a piece of drama or acting is just completely beyond their capabilities. And it sucks cos it means that the industry - screenwriters, broadcasting cos, PDs, and the celebs themselves have no incentive to improve. 

 dushturain:

Might be an unpopular opinion but....

can't stand Jun Ji  Hyun. Her voice especially I find it super irritating...I watched two dramas by her, my love from the star and legend of blue sea.  Didn't enjoy the dramas at all because of all her OTT  acting. I strongly believe if the actress was anybody else I would have loved these two dramas.

Another actress I don't like is Song Hye Kyo, I don't understand why she is called the most beautiful actress of Korea, I find her stony-faced and her acting stiff. There are so many more beautiful ladies out there than her. I only watched DOTS by her. It's my fav drama but would have loved it more if her role was played by someone else.

And recently I am avoiding Han so Hee...don't like her much...but I am open to like her in future if she impresses me with her work.

Lastly, Kim go eun, I found her cute in Goblin, but nowadays can't stand her..I didn't watch The king eternal Monarch just because she is in it...

I'm scratching my head at how Han So Hee blew up. I'm guessing it was partly being on a highly rated show (WOTM) and just not having many competitors her age. 

 Emperor:

Idol actors/ actresses are generally over rated and you can't even criticise them because you are tagged as hater ...and their fans gives very lame excuse sinces they don't know intricacies of film making ..while there are hard working talented actors who are there just to play side roles  and had to struggle a lot ..it does not mean all the actors are talented - some over rated are - song Hye kyo, Lee Jong suk , Kim go eun ...these actors are decent but they take too much credit 

Yes! Many fans have got zero clue of the intricacies of film making. And how each drama ep is chopped up into so many takes and repeat takes etc. They have no clue of how K-media works as well and believe everything they read in the media, where most translations are never 95% accurate. The naivety is what blows my mind alot of the time, cos many fans are actually grown adults with kids/families etc. Maybe I expect too much from adults. 

I think that problem lies in some type of dramas too.  Romance and teen are the biggest offenders when it comes to bad acting by expressionless or overacting pretty face #56784.  It's as if no one is concerned with directing these bad actors and actresses, but only with taking flattering shots.  Also, just because the actor/actress fanbase doesn't care about good acting or genuinely wouldn't know good acting if it hit them over the head (I'm looking at you, AHS fangirls, for his performance in Lovers of the Red Sky is the worst acting ever and an insult to blind people), it doesn't mean directors shouldn't strive to get good actors and performances even in genre where primary target audience is satisfied only with visuals.  They won't begrudge good acting while people put off by bad acting would stick around if acting is good. If a poorly acted drama reaches 10%,  who's to say it wouldn't reach few % more if acting was actually good? 

And yes, it sucks that you can see that a number of good actors aren't nearly in demand as the bad ones.  Take that first Rowoon drama, Extraordinary You. I couldn't watch past maybe 7-8 episodes but it was obvious to me that everyone in the principal and supporting cast acted circles around him. Not a high bar but they were legit better and some were really good. But it's Rowoon who's lining up leading roles because he's in a third-tier idol group.  And he isn't even an audience draw. EY and that Sunbae drama had poor ratings and the new one is a hit cause sageuk is always highly rated in Korea no matter what.  So it isn't him but the genre that has stable viewership. 

Edit:

"All they care about is how hot the kissing is "

ha ha! K drama or hot kissing. Pick one, fans. K drama kissing is infamously stiff and known as fish kiss. Nothing hot there. But I guess hot enough for fans who think a talentless visual from generic pop band #7567 is the reincarnated Brando. 

 Emperor:

Idol actors/ actresses are generally over rated and you can't even criticise them because you are tagged as hater ...and their fans gives very lame excuse sinces they don't know intricacies of film making ..while there are hard working talented actors who are there just to play side roles  and had to struggle a lot ..it does not mean all the actors are talented - some over rated are - song Hye kyo, Lee Jong suk , Kim go eun ...these actors are decent but they take too much credit 

So true! While there are a handful of idol actors act decently in some projects, majority still are a cringe fest. It is so annoying that idol actors get an express pass and take lead roles in an instant. Meanwhile, some very good actors only act as side characters and barely noticable and some took more than 10 years to get noticed. That’s how unfair the industry is.