K-drama villians of 2025: Top 5 villains in K-dramas of 2025 that brought the chaos (& left us speechless)

2025 was the year of great K-dramas. From new K-dramas such as When Life Gives You Tangerines to returning K-dramas such as Weak Hero Class 2, 2025 gave us numerous Korean shows to binge and rewatch.

However, along with new fan-favorite characters, these Korean dramas also gave us villains that most definitely became highlights of the dramas they appeared in, not just for their popularity but also due to their compelling and gritty screen performances and character arcs.

In this article, we have listed the top 5 villains in K-dramas of 2025 that brought chaos to the story and gave us a thrilling watch.

Disclaimer: This entire article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

Top 5 villains in K-dramas of 2025

1) Player 333/ Lee Myung-gi (Squid Game 3)

Yim Si-wan in Squid Game | Image via Instagram: squidgamenetflix

Squid Game 3 was the final season of the Netflix thriller K-drama and came out in June 2025. It picked up from where we left off in Season 2, where Gi-hun started as a rebel but lost and had to reluctantly be a part of the game. While Gi-hun was still grieving the death of his childhood friend, he was thrust with the responsibility of Jun-hee's newborn baby.

While the Front Man and the rich for whom the game was conducted remain the ugliest villains of the K-drama, it was Yim Si-wan's character, Myung-gi, that ended up being the most chilling villain in the series. He, who was also the father of the baby, wanted to survive at the end and leave with the money and was ready to pay any price for it.

Si-wan's performance remains one of the best, as he perfectly captured Myung-gi's emotions at the end of the final game. The weight of what he was about to do could easily be seen in his face, and also the need to survive at the end, even if it meant sacrifices that would haunt him for life, making him one of the most popular villains in K-dramas of 2025 due to his chilling performance.

2) Moon Baek (Trigger)

Kim Young-kwang in Trigger | Image via YouTube/Netflix

Trigger came out in July 2025 and starred popular actors such as Kim Nam-gil and Kim Young-kwang. The K-drama followed the story of South Korea, where gun crimes quickly began to rise due to illegal gun distribution. Kim Nam-gil's character Lee Do, a former sniper turned police officer, gets entangled in the investigation of the case.

While he tries to find the source of the gun distribution, he is unaware that the man he has been hanging out with is behind all the crimes he is investigating. Young-kwang's Moon Baek gets close to Lee Do without him realizing that he is the main culprit, and by the time he realizes, Baek has already laid out his dangerous plan. In the role of a villain, Young-kwang did not just show Moon Baek's psychopathic side but also the charming and vulnerable side that helped him fool Lee Do at the beginning, making him another of the best villains in K-dramas of 2025.

3) Geum Seong-je (Weak Hero Class 2)

Lee Jun-young in Weak Hero Class 2 | Image via YouTube/Netflix

Weak Hero returned with a second season in April 2025, with Si-eun transferred to a new school and fighting new villains. While he tried to keep himself away from getting involved and stop the bullying, he could not help it and got entangled with a gang known as the Union. While the Union's leader, Baek-jin, was the main villain of the K-drama and did a perfect job in displaying the cold and composed side of the character, it was Lee Jun-yeong's Geum Seong-je that gave a scene-stealing performance.

Seong-je was the right-hand man of Baek-jin and was one of the main causes of most of Si-eun's troubles and fights at the beginning. He scared everyone with the display of a maniacal side of Seong-je and later charmed the viewers by showing his vulnerable side and helping Si-eun gather secrets about the Union's finances. However, it was his last betrayal against Si-eun that completed his villain arc. In just eight episodes and a recurring role, the South Korean actor showed numerous sides of Seong-je that viewers started hoping for him to take over as the main antagonist in a potential Season 3 of the Netflix series.

4) An Yo-han (The Manipulated)

Do Kyungsoo in The Manipulated | Image via YouTube/Disney+

When it comes to psychotic villainous performances in K-dramas in 2025, Doh Kyung-so's character Yo-han from The Manipulated deserves to be on the list. Yo-han is a character who describes himself as someone who sculpts other people's lives, and that is what he tried to do with Ji Chang-wook's character, Tae-jung. After learning the truth about Yo-han being the one who planned to send him to jail, Tae-jung's revenge against him began.

As the K-drama progressed, we learned more about Yo-han's unsettling backstory, which made his character scarier. There aren't many moments in the K-drama where Yo-han's vulnerable side can be seen, as most of the time he displayed the unsettling side that oversaw the downfall of Tae-jung's life but also enjoyed it, which is why he is among the most unhinged villains in K-dramas of 2025.

5) Moon Do-hyeok (Dear X)

Dear X premiered in November 2025 and is among the most popular K-dramas of 2025. When it comes to villains, there are several in the Korean series, including the main character, Baek Ah-jin, who is also a victim. The K-drama narrates the story of Ah-jin and her story of how she became a top actress. From murders to manipulating people around her, Ah-jin has done everything to reach the top, but gets busted at the end by her own friend.

While Ah-jin might seem like the true villain in the K-drama, it is later revealed that the more dangerous and cruel villain is Moon Do-hyeok, whom she marries in the series. As the K-drama progressed, it was revealed that Do-hyeok had been keeping his eye on Ah-jin for a long time and was aware of everything about her. He is also revealed to be the one who orchestrated the killing of Kim Jae-oh.

Along with orchestrating Ah-jin's life and being the reason behind her struggling mental state, he also has a mysterious past that makes him even more dangerous for the people around him, especially Ah-jin, which is why he deserves to be on the list of best villains of K-dramas in 2025.

Other villains from K-dramas that appeared in 2025 and showcased a chaotic presence are mentioned below: