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South Korean actor Byeon Woo-seok, who gained popularity for his role as Ryu Sun-jae in the time-slip drama Lovely Runner, has garnered attention for his charm and acting abilities. Before pursuing acting, the 32-year-old actor began his career as a model. He plays the 19-year-old Sun-jae, a high school kid, and also the older version of him as a K-pop idol.
He debuted in the acting world in 2016 and has been included in several films and television shows, such as Office Watch, Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency, Record of Youth, Moonshine, and Netflix film 20th Century Girl and drama Strong Girl Nam-soon. Notably, owing to his lead role in Lovely Runner—which was released on April 8, 2024, and stars Kim Hye-hoon—Byeon Woo-seok's career was propelled to new heights.
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Lovely Runner has garnered a massive fanbase across the world although it is not readily available for global fans to watch on Netflix, Prime Video, or Disney Plus. The Good Data Corporation's weekly chart, which was released on May 14, 2024, showed Lovely Runner at the top of the TV and TV-OTT popularity indices for the second week running.
Additionally, both the drama leads Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon have maintained their top ranks on the Good Data chart for most popular TV-OTT actors since May 8, 2024. Meanwhile, the immense popularity of the show has inspired fans to seek out every detail about him.
Five lesser-known facts about the Lovely Runner star, Byeon Woo-seok
1) Byeon Woo-seok already completed his mandatory military service
Unlike most actors, Woo-seok enlisted in the military before his debut. Reportedly, the Lovely Runner actor enlisted in the South Korean military in 2013 to fulfill his necessary conscription.
He subsequently disclosed in an interview that he chose to enlist in the military since he was young and didn't have much to do. He allegedly enlisted in the civil defense and was stationed at Jeungpyeong, Chungbuk, with the 37th Division. He said that his comparatively early military enrollment aided in his personal development.
2) His parents did not support his decision to pursue acting
Byeon Woo-seok's parents didn't support his decision to pursue acting. Although his parents initially supported his modeling career, he mentioned in an interview with The Korea Times that his parents weren't very pleased with him pursuing modeling.
The 32-year-old actor is now more ambitious since he has found true happiness as an actor. He's stated that he'd want to try his hand at other genres and want to portray characters in a fantasy drama or as a psychopath. His role as the menacing yet charismatic villain Ryu Shi-o in Strong Girl Nam-soon showcased his range as an actor.
3) His life resembles his character from Record of Youth
Similar to his onscreen character Hae-hyo from Record of Youth, Byeon Woo-Seok started his career as a model before landing his first acting role in the 2016 TV drama Dear My Friends. He went on to feature in more TV shows after that, including the romantic comedy Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency on tvN.
However, he had mentioned earlier that he related more with Hye-jun than Hae-hyo since Hye-jun worked several part-time jobs and auditioned for the series and modeling simultaneously while struggling. Meanwhile, Hae-hyo came from a wealthy family and was an established model. Although Byeon Woo-Seok did start his career as a model, the actor mentioned facing various obstacles.
4) He starred in the MV "Sweet (Brand New Mix)"
Byeon Woo-seok appeared in the music video for Sweet (Brand New Mix) by LENA PARK, which was released in October 2014. His role captured the tender moments shared by couples, which was consistent with the meaning of the song's lyrics and its music.
Additionally, he was in Song Request by Lee So-ra (feat. SUGA of BTS and Tablo). In the music video, the 32-year-old actor played a small part of a melancholic man, sitting beside a table inside a café and listening to songs being played on the radio.
5) He made special appearances in some hit K-dramas
Byeon Woo-seok had previously made several special appearances in hit K-dramas such as Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo starring Lee Sung-kyung and Nam Joo-hyuk in 2016. He played the part of Nam Joo-hyuk's college senior. Furthermore, in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, he portrayed Go Ha-Jin's (IU) ex-boyfriend, who cheated on her with her friend.
In 2019, he also had a brief cameo in the drama Welcome To Waikiki 2 starring Lee Yi-kyung, Kim Seon-ho, Shin Hyun-soo, Moon Ga-young, Ahn So-hee, and Kim Ye-won. Byeon Woo-seok played the senior high school student Yoon Seo-joon. He also portrayed Han Min-gyu in Search: WWW and had a few appearances in the show.
Byeon Woo-seok's ongoing drama Lovely Runner starring Kim Hye-yoon as his love interest is available on Viki for international streaming. Episodes 13 and 14 will be aired on tvN on May 20 and 21, 2024, respectively.
