6 K-Drama Male Leads Who Are Walking Red Flags (But We’re Still Obsessed)

K-dramas are famous for their nice, well-mannered, gentlemanly, and progressive male leads — the ultimate green-flag men. But real K-drama fans know this is a fairly recent trend. Until about a decade ago, leading men were… well, a different breed. They were possessive, controlling, and jealous. They’d grab the heroine by the shoulders, corner her against a wall, yell about how madly in love they were, confess their envy of the sweet second male lead (who adored the heroine unconditionally, but of course, she loved the red-flag lead instead), and seal the moment with a fierce, locked-room kiss. Yes, Kim Tan from The Heirs, we’re looking right at you.

These are the red-flag men your friends and family warn you about — the ones you know you shouldn’t root for, but somehow can’t resist. Because, let’s be honest… red has always been our favorite color. Here are 6 fictional K-drama red-flag men we are absolutely obsessed with.

1. Lee Myung-gi (Im Si-wan) — Squid Game Seasons 2 & 3

Lee Myung-gi was easily one of the most skilled contenders for the ultimate ₩45.6 billion prize — and also one of the most conniving and selfish players in the game. After a massive crypto scam leaves him in hot water with his followers, Myung-gi enters the deadly competition, only to run into Jun-hee, his former girlfriend… who also happens to be pregnant with his child. At first, it seems like he wants to protect Jun-hee and their unborn baby. But as the game unfolds, his true colors emerge — he’s dangerously self-centered, calculating, and manipulative enough to consider sacrificing even his own child for the money.

We may despise Myung-gi’s actions, but Im Si-wan’s brilliant performance (and electric chemistry with Jo Yu-ri) almost makes us root for him. Honestly, we wouldn’t mind seeing the two in a full-fledged romance K-drama.

2. Baek Sa-eon (Yoo Yeon-seok) — When the Phone Rings

Baek Sa-eon is the kind of man you can’t help but fantasize about — handsome, intelligent, intense, brooding… and emotionally unavailable. Married to Hong Hee-joo (Chae Soo-bin), a mute sign language interpreter, his world shatters when she’s kidnapped after work by a psychopath with a personal vendetta against him. As the mystery unravels, so does their complicated history. Baek Sa-eon has secretly loved Hee-joo since childhood and even married her to protect her from her abusive mother, who planned to sell her off to a wealthy heir. But instead of showing his love, he chooses to be cold and distant, masking his feelings under a wall of rudeness to “protect” them both.

Our take? If Baek Sa-eon and Hong Hee-joo had just opened their hearts (and maybe had a few deep sign-language conversations), they could have saved themselves years of angst. Still, Yoo Yeon-seok’s smoldering performance makes this emotionally stunted red-flag man utterly irresistible.

3. Park Jae-eon (Song Kang) — Nevertheless

Park Jae-eon is the type of guy your instincts tell you to run from — the one who lies through his teeth on dating apps, then shows up in person looking impossibly handsome and oozing irresistible charm. You know he’s trouble, but somehow you’re already in too deep before you even realize it. In Nevertheless, Jae-eon is a textbook Casanova — he loves to flirt, hates to commit, and treats romance like a game. Opposite him is a woman who’s happy to date but doesn’t believe in love or relationships. On paper, this pairing is a giant flashing red flag, but on screen? When it’s Song Kang and Han So-hee turning the tension into sizzling chemistry… well, who’s complaining?

4. Lee Young-joon (Park Seo-joon) — What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim

Lee Young-joon is the ultimate chic, handsome, suit-clad, ego-driven chaebol vice-chairman of Yumyung Group. Women everywhere — from the office to glittering parties — swoon over his looks and charisma. But only his long-suffering secretary, Kim Mi-so (Park Min-young), knows how exhausting he really is. He treats her more like a servant than a colleague, barking orders and expecting perfection. So when Mi-so suddenly announces she’s quitting, Young-joon doesn’t see it as a career move — he takes it as a personal rejection. Naturally, this is K-drama land, so we later learn they were childhood sweethearts, and he’s secretly adored her all along. So… where is our K-drama CEO boyfriend already?

5. Yoo-jung (Park Hae-jin) — Cheese in the Trap

Cheese in the Trap is one of the most frustrating K-dramas to sit through — and that’s largely thanks to Yoo-jung, a wealthy heir (Park Hae-jin) whose romance with scholarship student Hong Seol (Kim Go-eun) is anything but a Cinderella story. On the surface, Yoo-jung is polite, charming, and seemingly perfect. But dig deeper and you find someone manipulative, calculating, and downright unsettling. Circumstances pull Hong Seol into his orbit, and things only get messier when his former best friends, Baek In-ho (Seo Kang-joon) and Baek In-ha (Lee Sung-kyung), crash into the picture. Yoo-jung is the kind of man you spot from across the street and instantly make a U-turn to avoid — pretending you never saw him in the first place. Statutory warning: stay away.

6. Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho) — The Heirs

No list of red-flag K-drama men would be complete without at least one Lee Min-ho role — and we say that as a compliment. The Hallyu superstar has practically been the torch bearer for the genre’s possessive, problematic male leads, and his turn as Kim Tan in the star-studded The Heirs is peak red flag. Kim Tan is a wealthy young heir (shocking, we know) exiled to the U.S. by his domineering father and older stepbrother.

There, he meets Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye), a damsel in distress — unaware she’s the daughter of his family’s housekeeper. Their romance faces the usual K-drama hurdles of class differences and meddling suitors, but the real obstacle? Kim Tan himself. Far from a Prince Charming, he’s possessive, jealous, and controlling — memorably pinning Eun-sang in a storeroom for a kiss. Lee Min-ho has since expressed regret over the way that scene was filmed and even apologized to Park Shin-hye, but it’s heartening to know the two maintained a warm friendship off-screen. On-screen though? Kim Tan will forever remain one of the genre’s most iconic walking, talking red flags.

Which of these red-flag K-drama fictional characters is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

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