Ryu Jun-yeol (; born September 25, 1986) is a South Korean actor,

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

, and photographer. Ryu began his acting career in

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

s and gained attention for his role in the feature film '' Socialphobia'' (2015). He rose to international prominence through his breakthrough role in the critically acclaimed television series ''

Reply 1988 ''Reply 1988'' () is a South Korean television series and the third installment of the ''Reply'' anthology series. It stars an ensemble cast led by Lee Hye-ri, Park Bo-gum, Ryu Jun-yeol, Go Kyung-pyo, and Lee Dong-hwi. It revolves around ...

'' (2015–2016), the highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history at the time, which led to him winning the Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actor. Since then, Ryu has starred in the high-profile films '' The King'' (2017), '' A Taxi Driver'' (2017), '' Little Forest'' (2018), ''Believer'' (2018), ''Money'' (2019), '' The Battle: Roar to Victory'' (2019), and '' The Night Owl'' (2022). He is also known for his work in the two-part action blockbuster films ''

Alienoid ''Alienoid'' () is a 2022 South Korean science fiction action film directed by Choi Dong-hoon, starring Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Woo-bin, and Kim Tae-ri. The film depicts an extraordinary story that unfolds as the gates of time open between late Goryeo ...

'' (2022) and '' Alienoid: Return to the Future'' (2024). Ryu has received numerous accolades throughout his career for

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the newspaper ''Hankook Ilbo'', ...

, Blue Dragon Film Awards, Buil Film Awards, Chunsa Film Art Awards, London East Asian Film Festival and

New York Asian Film Festival The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is a film festival held in New York City dedicated to the display of Asian film and culture. The New York Asian Film Festival generally features contemporary premieres and classic titles from Eastern Asia ...

. He has been on the ''Forbes'' Korea Power Celebrity 40 list for three consecutive years: 14th in 2017, 36th in 2018, and 11th in 2019. In addition to his film work, Ryu actively engages in social environmental activism and photography.

Early life and education

Ryu was born on September 25, 1986, in

Suwon Suwon (; ) is the largest city and capital of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea's most populous province. The city lies approximately south of the national capital, Seoul. With a population of 1.2 million, Suwon has more inhabitants than Ulsan, tho ...

, South Korea. He is the eldest and has a sister who is two years his junior. He graduated from University of Suwon majoring in film on a scholarship. While studying at the university, Ryu took many part-time jobs, working as an after-school teacher for elementary students, a pizza delivery person, a day labourer, and more. Ryu was

conscripted Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

before debuting as an actor. He registered as a public officer in 2007 and completed his duties in 2009.

Career

2012–2014: Beginnings

In 2012, Ryu started acting in short films and

productions, before being cast in a

bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British televisio ...

in the 2013 feature film ''INGtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls''.

2015–2017: ''Reply 1988'' and breakthrough

Ryu first drew attention for his breakout performance in his debut

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

, '' Socialphobia'' in 2015, which earned him Rising star award at KAFA Film Festival and other nominations from Chunsa Film Art Awards. Later that year, Ryu gained widespread public recognition through starring in the popular teen series ''

'', alongside Lee Hye-ri,

Park Bo-gum Park Bo-gum (; born June 16, 1993) is a South Korean actor, singer, and musician. A prominent Korean Wave figure, Park is the youngest artist to be named Gallup Korea's Actor of the Year, Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year and the firs ...

, Go Kyung-pyo, and

Lee Dong-hwi Lee Dong-hwi (born July 22, 1985) is a South Korean actor and singer. He gained recognition through his role in the critically acclaimed television series ''Reply 1988'' (2015–2016). Lee starred in the film ''Extreme Job'' (2019), List of h ...

. His portrayal of one of the leads, Kim Jung-hwan, won him many accolades, including the Best New Actor in TV award at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards in 2016. 160722 Ryu Jun-yeol

In 2016, Ryu starred in the

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

film '' One Way Trip'' and crime thriller '' No Tomorrow''. The same year, he played his first leading role in romantic-comedy '' Lucky Romance'' alongside Hwang Jung-eum. In 2017, Ryu featured in political crime drama film '' The King'' alongside Jo In-sung and Jung Woo-sung, which became the 7th highest-grossing South Korean film of the year and for which he won the Best New Actor in Film award at the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards. The same year, he featured in biopic film '' A Taxi Driver'' with veteran actors Song Kang-ho and Yoo Hae-jin, which became the highest grossing Korean film of the year and the twelfth highest-grossing South Korean film in history. Ryu also appeared in legal thriller film '' Heart Blackened'' alongside Choi Min-sik and Park Shin-hye.

2018–present: Prominence in film and high-profile leading roles

In 2018, Ryu starred in the critically acclaimed drama film '' Little Forest'' with Kim Tae-ri, and headlined the crime action film '' Believer'' with Cho Jin-woong . ''Believer'' was a box-office hit, becoming the first Korean film to surpass five million admissions in 2018. It was the fourth highest-grossing film of the year in South Korea. In 2019, Ryu starred in the action thriller film '' Hit-and-Run Squad'' with Gong Hyo-jin directed by Han Jun-hee, lead the crime film ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

'' alongside Yoo Ji-tae and historical action film '' The Battle: Roar to Victory'' directed by Won Shin-yun. All three films performed well at the box-office, with ''The Battle: Roar to Victory'' and ''Money'' eventually becoming the 5th and 9th highest grossing Korean films of the year respectively. Ryu's continuous big screen success earned him a spot in Forbes Korea Power Celebrity for two consecutive years, 36th in 2018 and 11th in 2019. In 2021, Ryu starred in

JTBC JTBC (shortened from Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company; ; stylized in all lowercase) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on December 1, ...

's "Tenth Anniversary Special Project", a

Hur Jin-ho Hur Jin-ho (; born August 8, 1963) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Hur graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in philosophy and went on to study filmmaking at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. His first steps as ...

melodrama television series '' Lost'' with Jeon Do-yeon, marking his small screen comeback after five years. In 2022, Ryu headlined

Choi Dong-hoon Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all first five of his films becoming commercial ...

sci-fi Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

action fantasy film, ''

,'' reuniting with Kim Tae-ri. The film premiered in July 2022. Despite the film not being a commercial success, Ryu's performance was praised by critics. In November, Ryu starred in the historical-thriller film '' The Night Owl'', reuniting with Yoo Hae-jin. In 2024, Ryu starred in

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a Film genre, genre combining the thriller (genre), thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting ...

Netflix series '' The 8 Show'' along with actress Chun Woo-hee and actor Park Jeong-min, reuniting second work with the director Han Jae-rim. In May 2025,

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

revealed that Ryu will be one of the main characters of their new drama ''The Rat'', co-starring with prominent Korean

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Sul Kyung-gu. Ryu is set to appear as a lead in mystery thriller film ''Revelations'' along with actress Shin Hyun-been and will be directed from

Train to Busan ''Train to Busan'' () is a 2016 South Korean action horror film directed by Yeon Sang-ho, written by Park Joo-suk, and starring Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee, and Kim Eui-sung. The film mostly t ...

director Yeon Sang-ho.

Other activities

Philanthropy

Ryu is an

environmental activist The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement) is a social movement that aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices in order to create sustainable living. In its recognition of humanity a ...

. While filming Youth Over Flowers: Africa in 2016, Ryu developed an interest in

environmentalism Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of green ideology and politics, ecolog ...

and began to campaign for

environmental protection Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...

. In December 2018, Ryu was reported to have donated to

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...

, a non-governmental environmental organisation. He has been making regular donations since 2016 for various campaigns, such as Save the Arctic. In 2020, Ryu made yet another donation to

in response to Australian wildfires, and campaigned for animal protection and urgent action to tackle

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

on his

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

account. In 2021, Ryu participated in a video conference with South Korean President

Moon Jae-in Moon Jae-in (, ; born January 24, 1953) is a South Korean politician and former lawyer who served as the 12th president of South Korea from 2017 to 2022. Before his presidency, he served as the senior secretary for civil affairs and the Chief ...

, speaking about environmental protection and bringing attention to the

campaign to reduce plastic packaging. The two had previously visited the DMZ Peace Trail in 2019 to mark the first anniversary of the

Panmunjom Declaration The Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula was adopted between the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, and the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, on 27 April 2018, during the 2018 int ...

Photography

Ryu took a brief hiatus from acting and moved to the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

, living in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

for several months from mid-2019 to early 2020, going by his English name Anthony. He attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

for a study abroad programme. Apart from his studies, he did photography work and learned

vlog A vlog (), also known as a video blog or video log, is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one ta ...

ging in his spare time. He established a mini vlog-series on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

, titled ''Ryu Jun-yeol's: Reportage'' (), which covered his life in Los Angeles. In November 2020, Ryu held his first photo

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...

in Seoul, titled "''Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood''", which showcased the photos he took while living abroad.

Personal life

Ryu was in a relationship with singer-actress and ''

'' co-star Lee Hye-ri from late 2016 to November 2023. He briefly dated actress Han So-hee in 2024. Ryu is an avid

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

fan. He is best friends with

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

player Son Heung-min, and has participated in promotional activities for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which was held in South Korea. Ahead of the tournament, Ryu played against Argentine football players

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...

and

Pablo Aimar Pablo César Aimar (born 3 November 1979) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer and current assistant coach of the Argentina national football team, Argentina national team. During his career, he played as an attack ...

in a five-a-side match held before the official U-20 World Cup draw in Suwon.

Filmography

Film

Short film

Television series

Television shows

Hosting

Music video appearances

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

State honors

Listicles

Notes

References

External links

Ryu Jun-yeol
at C-JeS Entertainment * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryu, Jun-yeol 1986 births Living people 21st-century South Korean male actors South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors Male actors from Suwon University of Suwon alumni Best New Actor Paeksang Arts Award (television) winners Best New Actor Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners