5 K-Dramas with villains so twisted that fans were terrified, but couldn't get enough: Vincenzo to Strangers From Hell

Some villains are just plain despicable. No debate, no second thoughts—you loathe them so much that you can’t imagine them in any other role. They embody their characters so convincingly that even the mere sight of them is enough to make your skin crawl (looking at you, Ramsay Bolton).

And then, there are those villains who command your attention the moment they step on screen. They wield their power effortlessly, leaving you both unsettled and utterly captivated. You fear them, yet you can’t look away. Villains like that? They don’t just steal the show—they steal your heart, often outshining even the noble, well-meaning protagonist. You tune in just for them.

In the world of K-Dramas, we have plenty of these scene-stealing antagonists. So, let’s take a look at the villains who were so compelling that fans clamored for entire prequel series. After all, bad has never looked this good.

1) Ok Taecyon in Vincenzo (2021)

Ok Taecyon really had us fooled in the beginning of the show, as the lovable, goofy, well-meaning and hapless intern. Who would have known that he was actually the most sinister character in this vigilant drama, murdering people with baseball bats and the like? Jang Joon-woo was absolutely batty, bizarre and terrifying too: You never knew what he could pull next. Too bad, he chose to crow over (get our drift?) with Song Joong-ki’s Vincenzo, a Korean-Italian mafia leader, who doesn’t think much of blood, when angry.

2) Jang Young-nam in It’s Okay Not To Be Okay (2020)

Another one who had us neatly fooled: Jang Young-nam plays a responsible nurse in a psychiatric hospital, in It’s Okay Not To Be Okay. However, as it is revealed in a chilling manner: She’s also a narcissist and murder, who is out to make sure that her daughter (Seo Yea-ji) becomes just like her. Jang Young-nam’s reveal as the villain was one of the best plot twists in the show: You won’t forget that twisted smile at the camera.

3) Squid Game (2021)

Would this list even be complete without mentioning the notorious Front Man? Hidden behind a mask, he oversees the brutal games, only to later step into the chaos himself. Lee Byung-hun’s portrayal—calm and unflinching on the surface yet riddled with inner turmoil—cements him as one of the most compelling villains in recent memory. That subtle muscle twitch, the vacant stare, and the faint traces of unexpected emotions stirred by fleeting friendships within the games? The Front Man is, without a doubt, one of the most fascinating antagonists ever written.

4) Hell Is Other People also called Strangers From Hell (2019)

I had to watch Goblin again, to reset my perception of Lee Dong-wook. In Hell Is Other People, Lee Dong-wook plays a cheery resident, helping out Im Si-wan’s Yoon Jong-woo.  Moon-jo seems lovely till…you discover that he is a serial killer who enjoys removing his victims' teeth and making bracelets out of their teeth before brutally murdering them. However, his most chilling act is when he somehow makes Jong-woo a murderer like him.

5)  Sky Castle

Many are familiar with the intense pressures of the Korean education system, but Coach Kim Joo Young (Kim Seo Hyung) turns the fear up several notches—enough to make you think twice about ever enrolling a child in it. As an elite tutor with a flawless track record of securing spots in Korea’s top three universities, her success comes at a chilling cost. What makes her truly terrifying is how disturbingly plausible her character feels in the real world. The extreme measures she takes—even resorting to manipulation, coercion, and murder—will leave you cold. The show masterfully uses her as a tool to expose the lengths some parents will go to for their children’s success. Let’s just say Korea’s tutoring industry probably felt the aftershocks of her portrayal.