Everything About Byeon Woo-Seok

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Birth

‍October 31, 1991 Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea

Nationality

‍South Korean

Physical Statistics‍

Height 190.3cm

Weight: 73kg

Blood Type: A

Shoe Size: 285~290mm

Family

‍Parents, Older Sister (born in 1986)

Education

‍Yuan Elementary School (graduated)

Bongseon Middle School (transferred)

Gaewoong Middle School (graduated)

Woosin High School (graduated)

Cheongju University, College of Arts (majored in Theater and Film / dropped out)

Military Service

‍Republic of Korea Army, 37th Infantry Division, Sergeant, discharged after completing service (November 2011 ~ August 2013)

Religion

‍Roman Catholic (baptismal name: Francisco)

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Before Debut

Born on October 31, 1991, in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, he attended kindergarten and spent his childhood in Gyeonggi Province before graduating from Yuan Elementary School in Gwangju, his mother's hometown.
He then attended Bongseon Middle School and took his 3rd-year graduation photo there before transferring to Gaeung Middle School in Guro-gu, Seoul, where he graduated.
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He entered Ushin High School, and after graduating, he pursued his dream of becoming an actor by enrolling in the Department of Theater and Film at Cheongju University.

However, he took a leave of absence after the first semester of his freshman year and started working as a model in Seoul, thus not completing his degree. His family currently resides in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, his father's hometown, and he has one older sister.

From November 2011 to August 2013, he completed his military service as an administrative assistant in the 37th Division’s Information and Public Affairs Office. Despite trying to gain weight to receive a grade 1 in the physical examination, he received a grade 3 due to his thin physique.

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Career

1. Model

Q: It seems like you had to put your true passion on hold during a time of career confusion.

A: Our family wasn’t well-off, but my parents always let me do what I wanted. So I listened to them. They were worried because I had no connections in the modeling or acting world. After high school, I entered a contest held by the modeling agency K-Plus. I decided to give it a try, thinking that if I didn't place in the top three, I would quit and find another path. Luckily, I placed, and that's how it all started.

-21.23 ELLE Interview-
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From high school, he was taller than average, and people around him often suggested he try modeling.
Influenced by his sister, who had modeling experience, he gradually became interested in the field.
Despite wanting to start working earlier due to the difficult financial situation at home, he respected his parents' wish for him to wait until he graduated high school. He participated in a contest held by K-Plus agency with the mindset of trying once and finding another path if he didn't place in the top three. Fortunately, he did place, and he began his modeling career in 2010.

After completing his military service, his agency K-Plus merged with YG Entertainment in February 2014, making him a part of YG K-Plus.
From 2014 to 2017, he actively worked as a fashion model, participating in runway shows at Seoul Fashion Week for designers such as Kim Seo Ryong, Chang Kwang Hyo, Ko Tae Yong, McnLogan, Jang Hyeong Cheol, and Kwon Moon Soo.
He also appeared in fashion magazines like Arena, Cosmopolitan, W, and Elle, as well as in various advertisements, building his reputation as a model.

On January 17, 2015, he made his international debut by walking in seven runway shows for brands like Christian Pellizzari, Brioni, Corneliani, John Varvatos, T.Lipop, and Msgm at the 2015 F/W Men's Fashion Show. Throughout 2015, he walked in 14 brand collections, solidifying his position in the industry.

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2. Acting

(In his first shoot, he prepared intensely for a scene where he scolds Yoon Yeo-jeong's character, who is overly generous to others)
I was so nervous despite all the preparation. I only managed to deliver one expression. Director Hong Jong-chan advised me to try expressing it in multiple ways, even if repeating one was okay. I learned a lot from my first project.

- 22.11  Vogue  interview -

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While working as a fashion model, he took acting classes at the actor's school of his agency YG K-Plus, and eventually transitioned into acting.
His acting debut was in the 2016 tvN Friday-Saturday drama "Dear My Friends," where he played Son Jong-sik, the nephew of Oh Choong-nam (played by Yoon Yeo-jeong), who runs a cafe. The cafe is a place where Oh Choong-nam, who is generous to artists and even more so to her family, works, and Byeon Woo-seok appears as her only family member who stays by her side, showcasing his fresh, rookie days.

In the latter half of 2016, he appeared in SBS's Monday-Tuesday drama "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo" as the ex-boyfriend of Go Ha-jin (played by IU), and in MBC's Wednesday-Thursday drama "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo" as a senior from the Taereung Village swimming team to Jung Joon-hyung (played by Nam Joo-hyuk). In 2017, he had a minor role as a mysterious man in tvN's Saturday-Sunday drama "Live Up to Your Name." Despite appearing in multiple projects, he didn't receive much attention. Byeon himself recalls the early days of his acting career, saying, "I got rejected over 100 times at auditions. I wondered if it was even possible to get rejected this much."

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Afterward, Byeon Woo-seok appeared in the 2017 web drama "The Boy Next Door" Season 3, the 2018 tvN drama "All About My Romance," and the "Drama Stage - History of Walking Upright." In 2019, he continued to appear in "Search: WWW" and began taking on lead roles starting with JTBC's "Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency." In "Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency," he played the role of Do-joon, a handsome matchmaker and nobleman with an impressive hanbok fit, perfectly capturing the character's complex inner world, which included a hidden painful past, winning over female viewers from the beginning.

From August to October 2020, he played Won Hae-hyo in the tvN Monday-Tuesday drama "Record of Youth," where he portrayed a character from a wealthy family aspiring to become an actor alongside Sa Hye-jun (played by Park Bo-gum). He received praise for depicting the growing pains of breaking free from his parents' shadow and establishing his own identity. As a model-turned-actor, he showed strong commitment to the project, and his high synchronization with the character helped establish him as a memorable actor to viewers.

In the latter half of 2021, he starred as Crown Prince Lee Pyo in KBS 2TV's Monday-Tuesday drama "The King’s Affection." In this role, he portrayed a prince with great martial arts skills, a handsome face, and a love for alcohol, often sneaking out to enjoy illegal liquor while hiding his identity. His performance earned him praise and the Male Rookie Award at the 2022 KBS Drama Awards.

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To me, Woon-ho seemed like a lonely boy. Living away from his family, he carries the pain and sadness of feeling abandoned. When he expressed his true feelings to someone and got rejected, he probably felt abandoned all over again. I watched the movie twice and could only see my own performance, which made me sigh. (laughs) On the third watch, I simply enjoyed the film, and by the fourth time, I found it incredibly sad. Following only my character's emotions, I later focused on Bo-ra and the other characters when I wasn't in the scene. I realized that Woon-ho was loved too, and a wave of different emotions hit me. There was a moment of euphoria where I felt Woon-ho's feelings as my own. When I shared this with my senior actors and friends, they said, 'There are times like that, enjoy it. Soon it'll get tough again.' (laughs) But for now, I feel happy when I can genuinely connect with my character. I want to experience this kind of happiness more through acting.

- 22.10 Cine21  interview -

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On October 21, 2022, he starred in the Netflix original movie "20th Century Girl" as Poong Woon-ho, the first love of the main character Na Bo-ra (played by Kim Yoo-jung). His refreshing charm as Woon-ho, who develops feelings for the cheerful and lively Bo-ra, was well received, with the film reaching the number 2 spot in the non-English global Top 10 on Netflix within three days of its release. It also ranked in the Top 10 lists of 33 countries, including South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Brazil, and Mexico.

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In March 2023, he appeared in the movie "Soulmate," delivering an impressive performance as Han Jin-woo, a character who adds tension to the relationship between Ha-eun and Mi-so. His portrayal of the fresh first love and various emotional layers was well-received, leading to an increase in IPTV and VOD purchases of the film. Distributor NEW is considering re-releasing the film in theaters starting May 31, 2024, as per requests from theaters.

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From October 7, 2023, he returned to drama with JTBC's "Strong Woman Kang Nam-soon" after a two-year hiatus, playing the villain Ryu Shi-oh.
He received praise for his portrayal of a psychopathic character involved in drug trafficking and murder, yet desiring genuine human connection.

Starting April 8, 2024, he starred in tvN's Monday-Tuesday drama "Lovely Runner," playing Ryu Sun-jae, the lead vocalist of the top band Eclipse and a top actor. He perfectly transitioned between the roles of a 30-something top star and a high school swimming prodigy, showcasing his versatility and earning him acclaim as an irreplaceable actor. The drama started with a 3.1% rating and ended with 5.8%, gaining immense popularity both online and offline. The global streaming service Rakuten Viki reported that "Lovely Runner" ranked number 1 in 133 countries, including the USA, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy, in its first week. It also topped Viu's weekly charts in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Hong Kong.

In particular, he sang the OST "Sonagi" as the vocalist of the band Eclipse in the drama. The song's popularity boosted it to 4th place on the Melon daily chart. Byeon Woo-seok's rising fame is evident from the 5th-week TV-OTT cast popularity survey results by Good Data Corporation, where he ranked first in both drama and non-drama categories, setting a record not seen in the past 10 years of Good Data's popularity surveys.

Starting in June, he will embark on his first Asian fan meeting tour since his debut, with events in Taipei, Bangkok, Seoul, and Hong Kong. The immense interest in him was proven when his fan meeting tickets, opened on May 28, saw 700,000 concurrent access attempts.

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Additional Notes

Body

• He stands about 189-190 cm tall, making him one of the taller models, with long legs and excellent proportions.
• Fellow model-turned-broadcaster Jung Hyuk mentioned on the October 5, 2022, broadcast of "Radio Star" that Byeon Woo-seok is one of the top three representatives of "gorgeous" men's walking.

Personality

• His MBTI has changed from ESFJ to ESTP, varying each time he takes the test. He consistently scores ES, but his FJ and TP traits seem to be split.
• He believes his image is not distinct, describing his face as having duality. He can appear gentle or tough, which he sees as an advantage as an actor. [GQ Korea, November 2019]

Preferences and Interests

• He prefers light, citrus-scented perfumes that evoke a summer feel. [BAZAAR Korea, February 2022]
• He enjoys the romance-comedy genre because he loves the emotion of love and finds the beautiful moments depicted in such works captivating. He believes acting becomes more enjoyable with time. [Interview]
• He also likes fantasy-infused works and thinks his casting in youthful or post-apocalyptic settings is due to his styling, which can appear pure or rustic. [Cosmopolitan, April 2023]
• He is a fan of the boy group RIIZE. At the 2023 MAMA red carpet interview, he expressed his admiration for the group and hoped to meet them. He recommended their debut song "Get A Guitar" as a good vibes track for MAMAxSpotify and finally met them at MAMA, sharing a selfie on Instagram with the caption "wish fulfilled."
• He finds simple joy in watching soccer late at night while eating sweet fruits. Although he used to refrain from buying fruits due to their cost, he now treats himself to delicious fruits, particularly watermelon. He is a long-time fan of soccer player Son Heung-min and watches Tottenham Hotspur FC games whenever he can. [GQ KOREA, February 2024]

Other Tidbits

• Starting from the bottom, his background and growth process are similar to Sa Hye-jun from "Record of Youth," which helped him understand the character better.
• He pours everything into love, similar to Noah from the movie "The Notebook."
• He has expressed a desire to play a character who dedicates everything to someone else.
• He attended a boys' middle and high school. On May 13, 2024, childhood and graduation photos from middle and high school were released, showing his dimples and smile unchanged. His elementary school graduation photo was revealed on May 18.
• His family home is in Paju, and due to the long commute, he moved out on his own around spring 2020. He sometimes misses the comfort and happiness of living with his family, mentioning that the best arrangement would be to live with them but have a personal space when needed. [W KOREA, August 2020]
• On the May 12, 2020, episode of "Running Man," he revealed his high school nickname was "Crouch," likely due to his height.
• After appearing in "Record of Youth," his Instagram followers and likes more than doubled. Following his role in the 2022 Netflix film "20th Century Girl," his followers nearly doubled again. His villain role in "Strong Woman Kang Nam-soon" in 2023 increased his followers by over 2 million, and his first leading role in "Lovely Runner" saw his followers grow from 4.8 million to 7 million within eight episodes. As of June 2, 2024, his followers have reached 9 million.
• His first love was a one-sided crush in middle school. During the promotion of "20th Century Girl," he said his view of love aligns with Woon-ho's approach of deeply liking someone and doing everything possible for them.
• Despite being born in October 1991, his appearance in a school uniform, even in recent works, surprises people due to his youthful look. He has played high school students in three consecutive projects: "20th Century Girl," "Soulmate," and "Lovely Runner"
• On May 10, 2024, he was rumored to be dating model Jeon Ji-soo, but he quickly denied it, stating they were just university friends. Jeon Ji-soo is reportedly dating a DJ.
• He frequently posts photos with fellow model Joo Woo-jae on Instagram, suggesting they maintain their friendship from their modeling days.
• A past photo of him with long hair resurfaced, gaining attention.

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