I realized that nearly all of the most popular younger generation K-actors have had a chance now to play a sageuk king, prince, or even fictional modern day Korean king/emperor. It’s totally an excuse for me to collect the entire menagerie of regal hotness for a question – who is your hottest His Majesty or His Royal Highness? For me it’s a no brainer – Kim Soo Hyun in The Moon Embraces the Sun for the sageuk drama and Lee Min Ho as the modern day ruler in The King: Eternal Monarch. The former was passionate and burned brightly like the sun and the latter a royal scientist solving problems with logic, both are hot in their own way.

Other notable royal male leads in the last decade or so include, and in no particular order: Yoo Ah In twice in Jung Ok Jung, Live in Love and again in Six Flying Dragons, Song Joong Ki in Tree With Deep Roots, Shin Sung Rok in The Last Empress, Seo In Guk in The King’s Face, Yoo Seung Ho in Ruler: Master of the Mask, D. O. in 100 Days My Prince, Yeo Jin Gu in The Crowned Clown, Lee Jun Ki in Moon Lovers, Im Shi Won in The King Loves, Joo Ji Hoon in Goong (Princess Hours), Park Bo Gum in Moonlight Drawn By Clouds, Lee Dong Wook in Goblin, Jang Geun Seok in Hong Gil Dong, Lee Seung Gi in The King 2 Hearts, Jung Il Woo in The Moon Embraces the Sun, and Ji Chang Wook in Empress Ki. Whew, this is an amazing array of hotties with major power, and yes you’re welcome.