Lee Min Ho Opens Up About Receiving Hate Comments During “Boys Over Flowers”
Lee Min Ho is one of the most legendary K-Drama actors, having won awards for his skills. Yet, he was once just a rookie actor when he scored the lead role of Gu Jun Pyo in the 2009 K-Drama Boys Over Flowers, based on the Japanese manga series of the same name by Yoko Kamio.
While this is now one of Lee Min Ho’s most iconic roles, he revealed in a new interview that he initially received hate for portraying the character.
Lee Min Ho is currently promoting his new tvN K-Drama series, When the Stars Gossip, in which he portrays an OB-GYN who joins astronauts as a space tourist as he’s on a secret mission on behalf of his potential in-laws who are chaebols.
Gong Ryong (Lee Min-Ho) is an obstetrician and he is the prospective son-in-law for the largest chaebol group MZ. He has a secret mission that he can’t tell anyone about. For his secret mission, he pays large sum of money to travel to the space station as space tourist. At the space station, Eve Kim (Kong Hyo-Jin) is stationed there. She is an elite space scientist and is currently on her first space station mission as a commander. She is a perfectionist who strictly follows rules and doesn’t tolerate a single mistake in an area where dangers lurk everywhere. Her crew members including fruit fly research scientist Kang Kang-Su (Oh Jung-Se), who is the second son of a family that runs a global financial company.
— AsianWiki
Lee Min Ho revealed that after the first episode of Boys Over Flowers aired, he received many hate comments. Gong Hyo Jin (also romanized as Kong Hyo Jin) wondered if it was due to the unusual (now iconic) curly hairstyle. Lee Min Ho explained it was actually for his character’s bullying of Geum Jan Di (Koo Hye Sun). Of course, the two characters later fall in love, but Jun Pyo’s initial bullying is horrible.
LMH: "After the first episode of Boys Over Flowers aired, my mini homepage got flooded with hate comments."
GHJ: "asking you "What's with your hair?"
LMH: "No..For bullying Geum Jandi."
Hyojin unnie 😭🤣
Goo Junpyo's hairstyle was indeed iconic 🤣
pic.twitter.com/XvGYsEAB2s— ♡ (@__3360) January 7, 2025
Despite the initial hate, Lee Min Ho became a household name and synonymous with “wealthy” leading men. His portrayal of the F4 leader ultimately earned him the “Best New Actor – Television” award at the 45th Baeksang Arts Awards that year.
Watch the full interview below.
