I once ranted about how most historical ministers attain power that sometimes made them more powerful than the King in Korea's pre-modern era, right?

I will say, now that I think about it, watching court scenes in historical dramas actually fanned my anger for that rant and if the actors portraying these roles in dramas can frustrate me that badly, then they must be very close to, if not perfectly portraying real history.

That is because some of these actors behave as if they were born into the role or as if they witnessed all these events in person and if not that the Joseon dynasty ended 114 years ago, I would have believed the latter to be true. Although we have so many old and aged Appas that fit into these roles very well, some are so notorious you could hate them in real life if you are not careful. Who are these actors?

Let’s talk about 5  most notorious historical K-Drama villains.

Lee Jae-yong (Almost all his Sageuk features)  

Lee Jae-yong is that villainy prime minister, left state minister, or right state minister no one is coming close to, and I mean, never!

It seems like he was born for the role of historical K-Drama villains. From the days of Jumong till now, it felt like he was out to make us puke blood with every one of his roles in historical dramas (sometimes in modern dramas too). Anytime you come across this man in a historical drama, just know he is the villain, and I promise you, you are right all the time. In fact, if the drama is full of many villains, he will be the most notorious of them all.

Some notable Sageuk features of his include Jumong, Bossam: Steal the fate, Moon Embracing the Sun and a host of others.

Kim Tae-woo in Mr Queen  

A villain with so much confidence in his ill ambition? That’s Kim Tae-woo right there in Mr Queen. He might not be one to pick up villainy role constantly but his presence in that series did make a statement and not a silent one, rather it was shouting ‘I am a green snake under a green grass and I am here for your heads oh King and Queen’ (cringes in God Abeg). If not anyone else, he made me go green with anger.

Jung Woong-in in Our Blooming Youth

Yes, he is an all round villain (I can hear your voice), but he had me stupefied in Our Blooming youth. His AUDACITY was giving a 10 out of 10 vibe. Even at the point of death, he was still fighting to cut someone down with his sword. An applause for bravery in villainy please (lol)

Kim Eui-sung in Under the Queen’s Umbrella

Amidst all other power-hungry ministers in this drama, I can’t be the only one that Hal A Beo Ji was scaring with his facial expression whenever he was exuding that villainy vibe. Starring as the chief state councilor Hwang Won-hyeong, a ruthless and ambitious official engaging in intense power struggles within the palace, he felt so engrossed in the role you will get goosebumps once in a while.

Yang Dong-geun in The Forbidden Marriage

Talk about wreaking great havoc till the very end, and you have your man right here. In fact, dear minister Jo (his name in the series), how would you have defended the death of the king in your compound if you had made good on your threat to make his new queen a widow? His character made me wonder the things the actual historical noblemen did for power.

These actors brought depth to their portrayals of antagonistic ministers, contributing greatly to the tension and drama in their respective series, and one thing about all of them is that they were unrepentant to the end and that makes their downfall even more scrum-delicious.

Is there any historical drama villain who frustrated you so much you wanted to puke?