Cross-Dressing in K-Dramas

We know the story well by now: a determined young girl wants to follow her dreams, but the only thing stopping her is her gender. So she cuts off her hair, wraps her body tight, and joins the all-boys school or rock band without looking back. We wait eagerly for one of the boys to discover her secret, and hold our breaths when the wrong person comes too close to finding out. But what is it about the cross-dressing theme keeps K-Drama writers and viewers coming back to it again and again?

Coffee Prince made waves in Korean entertainment by portraying an unconventional romance between tomboy played by Yoon Eun Hye and cafe owner Gong Yoo back in 2007. The tender confessions, beautiful OST, and kissing scenes make this drama a must-see.

[caption id="attachment_1318" align="aligncenter" width="238"] Yoon Eun Hye played a tomboy in Coffee Prince[/caption]

Why do we love this kind of story so much? Maybe because girls secretly dream of being close to (and even living in the same house) with their favorite idols. This is the premise of two incredibly popular music-centered dramas, You're Beautiful and more recently K-Pop Extreme Survival. In both dramas, a girl disguises herself to join an idol boy band.

[caption id="attachment_1319" align="aligncenter" width="400"] A kiss from K-Pop Extreme Survival[/caption]

Of course, we can't forget the sweet but forbidden feelings that grew between Joseon scholars in Sungkyunkwan Scandal, played by Park Min Young and Micky Yoochun. And we can look forward to even more cross-dressing and gender-bending in the upcoming To the Beautiful You starring SHINee's Minho and f(x)'s Sulli, who will disguise herself as a boy to enter a prestigious all-boys high school.

Check out this post on Viki and tell us which Korean actress plays the best fake boy!

You're Beautiful - Park Shin Hye

Coffee Prince - Yoon Eun Hye

K-Pop Extreme Survival - Go Eun Ah

Sungkyunkwan Scandal - Park Min Young