Flower Boy Power

Everywhere you look right now, everyone’s talking about Lee Min-ho. And for good reason, since the formerly little-known actor has experienced a meteoric rise in visibility — and popularity — since last week, headlining KBS’s newest smash success, Boys Before Flowers. 

The newfound attention has turned up pictures that show Lee Min-ho with another rising “flower boy” (i.e., pretty boy), Jung Il-woo. Actually, the pictures aren’t new and the friendship isn’t a secret — the two were high school classmates — but Lee Min-ho just wasn’t famous enough for it to be interesting until now.

The two friends will both be heading dramas simultaneously, too, when Jung Il-woo’s Return of Iljimae starts up next week. (They won’t be battling timeslots though; Lee’s on a Monday-Tuesday series while Jung’s is Wednesday-Thursday.)

Apparently, Lee had also been scheduled to make an appearance on the 2006-07 MBC sitcom Unstoppable High Kick (the show that shot Jung to stardom), but couldn’t after he was in a car accident.

As for Boys Before Flowers, despite some glaring flaws and criticism for overuse of CG, the drama seems (in my opinion) to owe much of its appeal to Lee, who is earning the lion’s share of the positive feedback. Say what you will about its problems, you can’t deny its popularity.

The drama also looks like it may be able to finally topple East of Eden from the top ratings spot, or at least prevent it from reaching 30%. Eden has dominated Mondays and Tuesdays for months, but now its numbers are starting to decrease while Boys‘ numbers are rising. At last count, Eden’s episode 40 pulled in a 28.4%, while Boys‘ episode 4 scored a 21.4%. Even Boys‘ reruns are producing double-digit ratings — for instance, re-broadcasts of episodes 1 and 2 pulled in a 10.1% and a 15.1%. (For comparison, Eden’s reruns in the same slot were a 4.6% and a 8.9

Actor Lee Min-ho: "Past trials led me to drama role"

Main lead of the KBS 2TV drama "Boys over Flowers"

The latest heartthrob for Korean women is the young actor Lee Min-ho, the hero of the new hit KBS 2TV drama (airing Mon-Tues) "Boys over Flowers." His casting as the hero of this drama series, extremely popular across Asia, created a buzz from the start. Any handsome actor would covet the role of one of the members of the "F4," a group of rich and popular boys at a school where the story takes place.

The Korean cast for F4 was finally revealed and the casting of a complete novice actor, Lee (22), for the role of F4 leader "Gu Jun-pyo" was almost shocking.

The series has kicked off and Lee has literally become a star overnight, silencing doubts of how he would handle the heavyweight role. His name tops various Internet search-word lists and 100,000 fans visit his Internet homepage each day.

The "F4 craze" has hit Korea since the drama series was also made in Taiwan and Japan, and Lee is at the center of it all. But he had his share of trials thus far. He debuted in the 2006 EBS drama "The Secret Campus" but had to take a year off after a car accident. After his rehabilitation, he landed his first lead role in the SBS high teen drama "Mackerel Run!" but the series ran short.

Lee said, "If I didn't have the accident and continued acting I might not have been able to meet 'Jun-pyo.' I shiver at this thought. What I suffered led me to this breakthrough role. I worried about the role because I'm unknown to the public, but of course I was thrilled to be cast."

But the title role of the super popular Asian drama series is actually a heavy burden to shoulder.

Jun-pyo is the heir to Korea's number one conglomerate group and a typical spoiled and arrogant character. He is hot-tempered and rough, but also has childlike innocence. A polar opposite of his friend Ji-hu (played by Kim Hyeon-jung), Jun-pyo has his heart firmly set on Geum Jan-di (Gu Hye-seon), the daughter of a working class family who runs a dry cleaning store.

Women viewers empathize with the rich F4 boys doting on Jan-di. They also get to love Jun-pyo as more of his sides are shown and say he is attractive in many ways. Women want to take care of him and be embraced by him at the same time.

He is a high school student in the drama, but Lee is actually on leave from Konkuk Univ. where he majors in cinema/art. What is Lee really like? He said, "I think I'm somewhere between Jun-pyo and Jan-di. I have both sides of them. This cute handsome guy role is unfamiliar though. I can totally carry a pathetic role as well (laugh). But for now, I hope to be Jun-pyo and him alone."

F4 Lee Min-Ho, the next generation Hallyu star in waiting

There has been growing interest in Lee Min-Ho (21), who is acting as F4 leader Gu Jun-Pyo in the drama “Boys before Flowers”.

Ratings for the 1st airing of “Boys before Flowers” on 5th Jan, were high, which continued into the 2nd episode as well.

The original “Boys over Flowers” manga were already quite popular, and after drama versions from Japan and Taiwan were produced, it is no exaggeration to say that the 4 pretty boy characters of F4 are deeply ingrained in the hearts of those in their teens and 20s.

The drama production team also put in a lot of effort in the casting of actors similar to the drama’s character, including Lee Min-Ho, who has been praised for his great resemblance to Tsukasa Domyoji (Gu Jun-Pyo).

Netizens have been visiting Lee Min-Ho’s mini-homepage, leaving comments like “the coolest among F4”, “your perm fits you ”, and awaiting more good acting from him in the drama.

Gu Jun-Pyo is the 2nd generation heir of Korea’s conglomerate “Shinhwa Group” who receives scant attention from his parents, resulting in a character that seems warped on the outside but is actually quite pure and sincere. Together with Geum Chan-Di (acted by Gu Hye-Son), they will have a relationship of many ups and downs.

This Korean version of “Boys over Flowers” has also been receiving much attention from overseas, which is a good opportunity for the birth of the next generation of Hallyu stars.

Lee Min Ho as "Gu Jun Pyo" in Boys Over Flowers

 

Ask any Kdrama connoisseur to recommend a fan-favorite classic and one of them is bound to suggest Boys Over Flowers. Also known as “Boys before Flowers”, this iconic Kdrama hit is based on the Japanese manga of the same name. 

Gu Jun-pyo (구준표)

played by Lee Min-ho, The leader of the F4 and heir to the Shinhwa Group, one of the biggest companies in South Korea. His mother is a cruel woman who believes that only beneficial relationships are allowed. He is hot-tempered and believes that there is nothing that money can't buy. Though he's unable to express his feelings, deep down, he has a heart of gold. He always try to protect Jan-di even if it means hurting his own feelings. He torments Jan-di after she stands up to his bullying ways, but ends up falling in love with her and does everything to protect her.

Early Life

Jun-pyo was born into the famous Gu family, founders of Shinwa Group. He was in line to inherit the company from the time of his birth. In kindergarten, Jun-pyo became friends with Yoon Ji-hoo, So Yi-jung  and Song Woo-bin. They also befriended Min Seo-hyun during this time.

High School 

Jun-pyo and his friends were called the F4 by the time they reached high school at Shinhwa School. They used their parents' influence to control the school and do what they wanted, such as wearing regular clothes instead of uniforms. Jun-pyo, in particular, seemed to enjoy using his power to bully the other students. When a student defied the F4, they were given a red card. These students were ceaselessly bullied until they dropped out.

Jun-pyo's most distinguishing feature was his dark, very curly hair. Though he occasionally wore more casual outfits, the majority of Jun-pyo's wardrobe consisted of dark-colored suits. They were often paired with fur accessories, black loafers, and a wristwatch he always wore on his left arm.

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Lee Min Ho Career Beginnings

2006–2008: Beginnings

Lee Min Ho started auditioning and landed minor roles in several television dramas such as Nonstop 5 and Recipe of Love. His official debut role was in an EBS series, Secret Campus (2003). Early in his career Lee went by the stage name Lee Min because his agency thought his birth name was too ordinary. However, as his stage name was pronounced and written (Hangul) in the same way as the Korean word imin, which means "immigration", he later said it was difficult to find himself in internet search results. He eventually went back to using his original name.

"Secret Campus" 2003 photos

In 2006, his acting career was put on hold for a year following a serious car accident, while riding with fellow actor Jung Il-woo. Lee was severely injured and spent several months bedridden. Upon recovery, Lee received his first leading role in the high-school drama Mackerel Run in 2007, but the series was reduced to only eight episodes due to low viewership ratings. In 2008 he appeared in various roles on television (dramas Get Up and I Am Sam) and two movies, Public Enemy Returns and Our School's E.T.. During the shooting of the latter he became good friends with actor Kim Su-ro, who later praised him on a variety show: "I recognize a star when I see one. When I was doing Our School's E.T., I knew that Lee Min-ho would become one of the top actors in the country".

"Mackerel Run" 2007 Photos 

"Get Up" 2008 Photos 

"I am Sam" 2008 Photos 

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Lee Min Ho | "Our School's E.T." Movie September 11, 2008

Our School's E.T. (Korean: 울학교 이티; RR: Ulhakgyo Iti) is a 2008 South Korean comedy-drama film directed by Park Kwang-chun (also known as K.C. Park). It stars Kim Su-ro as an unconventional, "alien-like" high school P.E. teacher whose position is put at stake when the school adopts a new policy to boost Englisheducation, so he decides that becoming an English teacher (E.T.) overnight is his only hope.

Chun Sung-geun (Kim Su-ro) is the gym teacher of a private high school in an upscale district where competition is heated among students to enter top colleges. Called "E.T." by his students because of his quirky appearance and behavior, he is a teacher who has lived life his own lazy, ignorant way for years without any worries. But one day he's hit with a crisis: At the school's board meeting, a parent requests that the school get rid of "useless" gym classes and expand the hours for English classes. The school decides to hire another English teacher— at the cost of a gym teacher. In danger of losing his position, he remembers by chance that he obtained a license to teach English a decade ago. The school board president tells him to pass a test in order for her to acknowledge it. So Sung-geun, who hasn't spoken (much less taught) English for ten years, faces the near-impossible task of becoming an English teacher within two weeks. His only weapon is his amazingly incomparable physical strength, and with the help of a few students who understand his warm heart, the simpleton Sung-geun begins his rigorous training to exercise his brain "muscles" to master English in his journey to become the school's E.T.

Lee Min-ho as Oh Sang-hoon.

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Lee Min Ho | "Public Enemy Returns" Movie June 19, 2008

Public Enemy Returns is a 2008 South Korean film directed by Kang Woo-suk. It is the sequel to Public Enemy (2002) and Another Public Enemy (2005), also directed by Kang.

2007 was a poor year for South Korean cinema, largely due to the reduced screen quota from 146 to 73 days as part of the 2007 free trade agreement between the US and South Korea. This resulted in production costs rising, a series of box office failures, and the number of Korean films sold overseas dropping. During May 2008, only 7.8% of films shown in South Korea were Korean, the lowest level since records began in 2000. It was hoped that the Korean film industry might rally behind Public Enemy Returns. The film sold 4,337,983 tickets nationwide and was the 4th most attended film of 2008.

Kang Chul-jung has been a detective fighting crime for 15 years, but he leads a financially insecure life. Meanwhile, the men he’s put behind bars in the past are now doing much better for themselves, which drives Chul-jung to regret choosing to be a cop. On the other side of the spectrum is Jae-young, the wealthy honcho of a large network of businesses including finance, butchery, construction, and entertainment, as well as a number of clubs. He trains young boys to work for him while at critical times forcing them to take the fall on his behalf by falsely confessing to the crimes he committed. KANG Chul-jung feels an incredible anger towards Jae-young, who is quick to turn young boys into criminals for his own selfish gains. Chul-jung vows to get him.

Lee Min-ho as Jung Ha-yeon.

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Lee Min Ho | Was hospitalized for 7 months

Lee Min Ho and his close friend, actor Jung Il Woo, were traveling together when their vehicle was struck head-on by another car. The group of friends were driving to Gangwon Province when a car crossing from the opposite lane after fleeing from a previous hit-and-run hit them head-on, destroying the hood and engine of their car.

Tragically, the two friends seated in the front seats lost their lives instantly, while Lee Min Ho and Jung Il Woo, who were in the back seats, sustained serious injuries. He was only 19 years old when it happened in August 2006. His acting career was put on hold due to the incident. Lee was severely injured and in a coma for a month, after which he spent several months bedridden. His injuries included broken ribs, thigh and ankle, along with a tear in his knee cartilage. As part of his treatment, a 46-centimeter metal pin was inserted in his thigh, leaving one of his legs shorter than the other. He still has metal pins in his leg today and sometimes experiences discomfort from them.

At first, the doctor said that Lee Min-ho might not be able to walk again. But, thanks to his perseverance, he healed despite having to have 46 cm iron plates planted in his right leg for 3 years. The iron plates in his right leg were removed in 2009 after he filmed the drama Boys Over Flowers. The incident details were shared by Jung Il-woo when he guessed on KBS2’s Happy Together in 2020. 

Lee Min Ho became ambidextrous during his stay in the hospital for several months.

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Lee Min Ho's Media Influence

As of this writing October 20, 2022, Lee Min Ho has over 3.1 million followers on Twitter, 28.1 million followers on Weibo and was the first Korean celebrity to garner 20 million followers on both Instagram 31.2 million followers and Facebook 28 million followers. 

In 2014 and 2015, Lee Min-ho topped an online poll organized by a Chinese entertainment magazine and was voted as the "Asian Male God". In 2017, Lee was chosen as the "Most Favoured Korean Actor" by fans of the Korean wave in the United States. With a combined total of 65 million followers, he is referred to as the "King of Social Media".

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