Villains don't get more charismatic than Lady Mishil in Queen Seondeik.

Shin Sun-Rok as Lee Jae-Lyung in My Love from the Star

Top pick: Lee Dong Gun in Queen for Seven Days was amazing.
Close second: Jang Hyuk in My Country: The New Age

Choi Min-Soo in Warrior Baek-Dong So as Chun (or every other villains :p).

Only one? That's so not fair.

I'm with @alathe, the man and his fan, Jang Hyuk (Yi Bang-won), in MY COUNTRY.

The other favorites:
(oldies)
Kim Myung-min (Doctor Jang) in WHITE TOWER
Kyeon Mi-ri (Lady Choi) in DAE JANG GEUM
Jeong Bo-seok (Jo Pil-yeon) in GIANT
Go Hyun-jung (This Mishil) in QSD

(Not so old)
Yoon Shi-yoon in NOKDU FLOWER
Jo Sung-ha in SAVE ME
Choi Min-soo (Ahn Oh-joo) in LAWLESS LAWYER
Yoo Jae Myung in FOREST OF SECRETS and ITAEWON CLASS

I know I broke the rules too often, but don't ban me until after Christmas. 🙇‍♀️

Uh, Strangers from Hell and Inspector Koo spoilers? And very light spoilers for the killing vote, Blind, Big Mouth, Children of Nobody, Nobody Knows, Psychopath Diary, Mouse and Happiness (because i mention no names this time, but i do mention story elements)

I would have picked Seo Moonjo, he can certainly sweet talk, otherwise he wouldn't be a dentist, BUT anyone with just a tea spoon of survival Instinct would not come near this man. You can sense he is a freak (not the friendly-freak type) and he literally stands like this 🧍‍♂️ in the middle of the street while staring. Your telling me fight or flight wouldn't kick in while he is near you???

Anyway. I pick K from Inspector Koo. She is so charming, i think i would be ready to befriend her even if she told me she is a serial killer (what she is, she kills people mostly for fun).

Some other charming villains i would totally fall victim to because they are charming/seem innocent:

the Killing Vote: i think it's also because of the actor, but i would realisticly never suspect "that person" to have killed a small child in cold blood/out of jealousy.

Blind: this is one of my favs, but i kept on confusing myself even more, especially by accidentaly seeing parts of spoilers and then going bonkers with theories. The serial killer is someone i would probably accidentally befriend haha.

Children of Nobody: okay, probably "charming" isn't the exact word i would use, but i am not really joking when i am saying i could see this serial killer kills someone in front of me and still think they are a baby that needs to be hugged. This was kinda obvious, but my heart refused until the damn reveal was already over xD.

Mouse and Happiness. Yeah no way i would find out either of those serial killers aren't the charming and nice guys they pretend to be. I would find out in my last few seconds after they stabbed me.

Some "charming" villains i wasn't suprised about at all because they just give that *vibe*: Big Mouth (the big bad was sus from the beginning to me, but the actor kept making me doubt myself lol). Psychopath Diary (same situation as Strangers from Hell. Sure, the only reason no one figured out this lil freak is a serial killer, is becauese he stays mostly away from people. Hang out with him for a while and he can't hold back the mess he is)

Nobody Knows. No suprises here as well, he is just so fun to watch on screen. I don't blame the people that fell for him at all, he is really good at messing with people to feed his own saviour complex or whatever else he has going on...

I know this is technically two, but if charisma is the main criteria, than you can't really beat the deadly duo of destruction that is Mishal and Bidam in Queen Seondeok. They set the screen on fire in pretty much every scene and for better or worse they totally stole the show.

I have to say, my favorite charismatic villain that immediately comes to mind is actually a villainess. The fiery, charismatic, gorgeous, dark eyed Kim Hye Ri in The Promise. She was pure evil, the kind you love to watch on screen. Her tirades were so stunning to watch. I really don't understand why we're not seeing more of her in makjangs like Penthouse. If I were a director or screenwriter, I would write a drama just for her. Yes, she has that much charisma and screenpower!

I pick Park Hee-soon in My Name, who exudes charisma. All the villains in My Name (Chang Ryul, Lee Hak-joo) were more charismatic than the vanilla leads (Han So-hee, Ahn Bo-hyun).

Yoo SeungHo as Harry in Missing You (or I Miss You). He did terrible things but he also had terrible things happen to him. A tortured soul with a calculating mind and a swoony gaze..... no wonder he overshadowed both the ML and the FL!

Kim Min Jung in The Devil Judge.
I liked her way better than the "good guys".

She didn't pretend to be something she wasn't. She didn't act like she was better than the others, she was just like them and she knew it. She just wanted to make things right (in her own twisted way ofc). She was brave and had no filter.
I still remember the speech she gave to does high school girls. I loved it. She was awesome. She totally stole the show.

Honorable mentions:
—The heat in My Liberation Notes. They needed to be liberated from that horrible summer.
—Kim Ji Hun's hair in Flower of Evil. That hair got me so distracted. Too much charisma.
—Park Hoon in Nobody Knows. I don't remember the show that much, but I remember how he made me feel. That means a lot.
—Jayden!!! from The Kidnapping Day. Hilarious guy.
—Son Ho Joon in Terius Behind Me. I loved his character.

Definitely and forever Choi Mu-jin of My name (Park Hee-soon)
Also I wanted to mention someone that I doubt anyone would do, the villainess from Taxi Driver S1 aka Baek Sung mi.

I pick myself.

After a lot of years it's still Ji Se-kwang (Park Sang-min) in Incarnation of Money for me.

Shin Jae Ha was pretty dang charismatic while being super creepy in Welcome 2 Life.

I'm not a fan of villains, and I don't often watch the types of dramas that have charismatic villains, but the two in Lawless Lawyer made a big impression... we're first introduced to a gangster played by Choi Min-soo, and he is honestly so scary, but THEN, the drama does a cool thing and introduces the other villain by showing us how intimidated Choi Min-soo's character is of them as he grovels before them. Thanks to those two, this was a very stressful drama for me to finish 😅 (but it has the super cool Lee Joon-gi being super cool!!)

Mishil : Queen Seondeok.

Honorary mentions
Won Sang-ah : Little Women.
Jung Sung-ah : The Devil's Judge.
Queen Dowager Choi Ga-yeon : Bloody Heart.
Park Gye-won : Bloody Heart.

I mean, if @dramaddictally gets to have Junho in Chief Kim/Good Manager in this category, then I get to have....

Park Kang-hun as Shin Do-shik in HeartBeat.

Not only does this particular actor have "charisma," this role was not a single-note villain at all. Really, Shin Do-shik was a complex human being who was, yes, in parts, (seemingly) villainous. Everything he did that worked against our OTP came from the fact that he simply had principles, and he stuck by them.

It's like y'all left him for me, and I thank you for it! 😘

Uhm Ji-won in Little Women! The character was just ridiculously nuts but she pulled it off with such elegance and style that she never seemed OTT in a bad way. I thought she was such a luscious villain!

Jang Ki Young in *My Ajusshi*. Ok, maybe he's not exactly charismatic but he's so swoony and angsty that I can't resist.

In COME AND HUG ME (2018) (Viki US) Kim Seo-hyung played in Reporter Park Hee-young (I believe) the most vile news reporter in kdrama history.
I was shocked and pleased when I watched episode one of NOBODY KNOWS (2020) (Viki US) to see her transformation into a righteous police detective. It was one if my favorites of 2020.

Namgoong Min in pick one, I don’t care, between Remember War of the Son or The Girl Who Sees Smells. My best friend and I have totally different taste in men and he hooked us both. I became an instant fan.

I have a soft spot for villains who are both charismatic AND flashy.

So the Oscar for flashy, charismatic villain in a drama goes to Lee Joon in Bulgasal and the Oscar for flashy, charismatic villain in a movie goes to Lee Jung Jae in "Deliver us from Evil" (I watched this movie entirely because of his incredible sartorial choices).

The Queen Mother in The Queen’s Umbrella. Man, she always had a way to twist the story. Luckily she was up against a just as deviously-thinking Queen.

Lim Ji Yeon in The Glory and the Queen Dowager in the Queen's Umbrella.

I've never rooted for villain role no matter attractive/charismatic they were. The only memorable villain (sort of) for me is Lee Chang Jun from FoS. He is not your regular villain (but then, nothing is really regular in this show); he is layered and someone we couldn't fully despise despite his bad choices. While I usually hate and wish for villain to disappear; my heart broke in pieces for him.

Or Jang Hyuk in Bloody Heart!

Kim Jae-wook as Mo Tae-goo in Voice

1. FoS: Lee Chang Joon and Lee Dong Jae
2. Innocent Defendant: Cha Min Ho
3. Queen Seonduk: Mi Shil and BI Dam
4. Remember: War Of The Son: Nam Gyu Man

Finally an easy prompt! It is hands down Jaden Lee from Doctor Lawyer Shin Seong-rok is my favourite villain
Runner ups: Shin Seong-rok as the emperor in Last Empress

Stop lying to yourselves, Kang Doyoung is the obvious choice here

I would say NamKoong Min being a versatile actor, very charming and charismatic. He has taken many roles and he shone in The Girl Who Sees Scents as the villain.

My second choice after Nam KoongMin will be Jo Jae Yoon in Alchemy Of Souls. He looks really evil and one look at his appearance and oily voice, I get chills.

I wanted to reply to so many of the comments that I decided to just put them all in one comment.

I don't count antiheroes in villain category, whether they have a redemption arc or not. Also, I hate when writers make villains extremely handsome or attractive or sympathetic just for the sake of it. I never root for villains, it just makes me hate them more or even drop a show.

I am going to leave Seo Yul out of this, I have ranted too many times on this site that he is not a villain. Anyway, back to the topic at hand:

Sung Hoon (Nobody Knows) and Yoon Shi Yoon (Nokdu Flower) and the villain in Blind (avoiding spoilers here) gave three of the best performances in recent kdrama memory but I wouldn't call their characters charismatic.

Same (or opposite) with Oh Jung Se in Stove League. He sure was charismatic, and his scenes with Namgoong Min were Deasang worthy magnetic, but was he a villain?

Yoo Jae Myung in Forest of Secrets was the epitome of charisma, but he is not on my list either, for obvious reasons.

Kim Min Jung in My Fellow Citizens was by far more interesting than KMJ in The Devil Judge, because villains who kill left and right, or play cat and mouse, only because it is fun lose my interest immediately. She was much more convincing in MFC because she had power as in money, and knew exactly what she wanted: More money.
I liked her clothes and her obvious ridiculous dumbness, but charismatic? Her baby sister BY FAR outshone her in that category. Ahn Eun Jin was fabulous.

I completely agree with:

Shin Jae Ha (Welcome 2 Life)
Uhm Ki Joon (Defendant)

For my own top pick, I choose Choi Mu Sung in Lookout. His acting is like burning ice. I don't root for him, he is not sympathetic in any way, he is simply chilling and fascinating at the same time.

Taealha from Arthdal Chronicles

You can't make a list of charismatic (and creepy) bad guys without Namgoong min. He was sinister in both Remember, and the girl who sees smells.

I wondered if my spontaneous answer of Kim Young Kwang as Seo Do Young in Evilive was too partial because I'm still watching the drama.
However, if Ok Taecyeon as Jang Jon Woo in Vincenzo has fully seduced my friend, in my comparison of vilains Seo do Young stays ahead.

There are some vilains that are more charismatic than the lead, easy feat for Namkoong Min in Girl who see scents ad Ji Jin Hee in Blood.
A few vilains are as seducing as the good guy: Park Sung Hoon in Psychopath diary, Lee Junho in Good manager, Wi Ha Joon in the worst of evil, Park Bo gum in Hello Monster and Shin Jae Ha in Taxi driver 2.

Nevertheless, Seo Do Young does not try to deceive. "I am a gangster" says he, assuming his vilainess in all situations. He rules by scare, but also admiration. Don't you want to be free to act as you wish?

No votes for Park Hyuk-Kwon as Gil Tae-Mi in Six Flying Dragons ?

Or my personal favourite, Cho Jae-Hyun as corrupt prosecutor Lee Tae-Joon in Punch.

Lee Joon in Bulgasal hands down

Nobody mentioned Lee Dong Wook in *Bad and crazy*

I haven't seen it but I want to/don't want to, but I saw a scene or two and DANG LDW's crazy smile is chilling!

Dong Ha as Jung Hyun-soo in SUSPICIOUS PARTNER - That sociopathic bystander to the gang rape of his crush in his teens who grew up to be the sociopathic murderer of his schoolmates who took part in the rape.

That was a star turn by Dong Ha.

Since the brief mentioned "charismatic" I think I have to be more specific with my choice .. hm ... for once, I consider Joo Dan Tae & Cheo Seo Jin (Uhm Ki-Joon & Kim So-Yeon) great villains, but as often screaming & shouting as they are, does not belong into the "charismatic" category .... same goes for Jang Han Seok (Taecyeon) in Vincenzo or Park Yeon Jin (Lim Ji-Yeon), both are great, nasty villains played greatly by both performers but they belong to the petty, over-the-top type of villains ... so!

My choices here are :

- Choi Yoo Jin (K2) Bad Drama with Great Villain #1, played magnificently by the ever-great Song Yoon-Ah. In fact I remember when the drama aired back then many people shipped Ji Chang-Wook's Je-Ha more as opposed to Yoona's Anna which is crazy considering she's the main lead girl and Yoo Jin is the MAIN VILLAIN!
- Coach Kim Joo Young played by Kim Seo-Hyung, her many villainous roles showed her expertise in this role, but in here she surpassed herself as the psychopathic tutor. Coach Kim is a rare villain in K-dramaland, rarely a tutor considered a villain but Sky Castle is a drama that broke many conventions at that time (and brought back the resurgence of makjang genre into spotlight again)
- Huh Jun-Ho as Choi Tae Gook in Why Her, the Bad drama with Great Villain #2. Huh Jun-Ho's intimidating face actually makes him always a great choice to play villainous roles, too bad one of his best performance was in this treacherous drama. His best scene is around episode 9/10 mark - his direct confrontation with his former student Soo Jae (Seo Hyun jin) through a lengthy but very intense debate scene. Amazing performance from both actors all the way.
- Ryu Soo Young as Baek Jae-Min in Queenmaker - evil politician and presidential candidates do not get any better than him. In my book, this is what Why Her should be, and his Jae-Min character struck with me as the smooth talker with evil, twisted schemes behind his kind demeanor.

To be charismatic, you need to bring righteous people or convert evil people into your illegal or self-serving plans by being a cool, calm and logical psychological chess master.

The trifecta of the clash of such wills was found in DOCTOR PRISONER when Namkoong Min, Kim Byung-Chul and Choi Won-Young each played charming and ruthless men who created minions to be used like sacrificial pawns.

The only one that came to mind for me is Keon Yul as Jang Tae-jin. He is charismatic, educated, and rich; but oh boy he is so so bad.

I went through my 50+ watched dramas list and could not remember who half the villains were..

My addition is Park Hae-joon from World of the Married, the cheating husband. He really made me so angry.. his performance was really good.. and if I remember correctly all the characters took his lies as sincerity for a long time on the show... quite charismatic.

I have to put in a vote for the villain in Oh My Ghostess. Even if you disregard the resolution for the villain in the last episode, which is just ridiculous, you rarely get to watch a villain struggling so mightily with his (their, technically, since he was possessed) conscience. His story and character arc added a lot to the show.

Oooh, I think it has to be Ok Eul-tae from Bulgasal for me. He was narrowly edged out of my favorite non-human character slot, but I can't think of any villain more charismatic than him. He was played to perfection by Lee Joon and maintains juuuust enough ambiguity in his past and actions that you're never sure just what he'll do next, but you know he'll look amazing doing it. I loved that we never got the full backstory of him and the two leads until the very last episode, so we constantly had to guess if he was just a villain or a victim also. Not to mention his wardrobe was spectacular, and he cycles through quite a lot of clothing because, you know, it gets blood on it ;)

Ok Taec-yeon in Vincenzo

Lee Soo-Hyuk as Gwi in The Scholar Who Walks The Night. I have not seen the show. I never plan on seeing it but damn...