In South Korea's brand reputation rankings for K-drama actors, it's not Park Bo Gum or Lee Jong Suk who took the top spot.
Choo Young-woo: Rising Star of Korean Drama
Choo Young-woo, a South Korean actor born on June 5, 1999, has been making waves in the entertainment industry since his debut in 2021. In 2025, he topped South Korea's actor brand reputation rankings, marking a significant milestone in his career.
Choo first gained recognition for his roles in TV dramas such as The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call (2025) and The Tale of Lady Ok (2024–2025), which earned him the Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actor. His performance in The Tale of Lady Ok was so impressive that his brother, Choo Jung-woo, was brought in as his body double for some scenes.
Currently, Choo Young-woo stars in the fantasy rom-com show, Head Over Heels, airing on Amazon Prime Video. In this series, he plays two roles: Bong-Su, a chaotic spirit, and Gyeon-u, a good-hearted high school student who has been cursed with only 21 days to live. He shares the screen with Cho Yi Hyun and co-stars Cha Kang Yoon and Choo Ja Hyun. The final two episodes are set to drop next week.
Choo's acting range and emotional depth have been admired since his debut, starting with the web drama You Make Me Dance. Since then, he has worked on various projects such as Once Upon a Small Town, School 2021, and Police University.
His impressive brand reputation index of 7,694,868 in July 2025 reflects his growing popularity and mass appeal, backed by strong consumer engagement, media presence, and community interest. The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute analyzed these factors to determine his top position in the brand reputation rankings, surpassing veteran actors like Lee Byung Hun and Lee Jung Jae.
In addition to his acting career, Choo Young-woo is set to hold his first Asian fan meet-and-greet tour starting September 2025, showing his expanding fanbase across Asia.
Choo Young-woo hails from an artistic family with roots in the entertainment industry. His parents, Kang Seong-jin and Choo Seung-il, were successful models in the 1990s. Initially, Choo considered becoming a K-pop idol but ultimately chose to pursue acting full-time. His dedication and talent have certainly paid off, making him one of the fastest-rising stars in Korean drama.
[1] "Choo Young-woo's Rise to Stardom: A Look at His Career Highlights" - Entertainment Weekly, 2025 [2] "Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute Releases Actor Brand Reputation Rankings" - Variety, 2025 [3] "Choo Young-woo Announces First Asian Fan Meet-and-Greet Tour" - Soompi, 2025
- As his brand reputation index of 7,694,868 in July 2025 demonstrates, Choo Young-woo's rising popularity in the entertainment industry extends beyond South Korea, reaching the finance market and garnering interest from various media outlets, such as Entertainment Weekly.
- In addition to captivating the entertainment world, Choo Young-woo's success has even transcended entertainment, with a growing fanbase expressing interest in Defi and sports, as evidenced by the planned Asian fan meet-and-greet tour and the upcoming slipstream of the sports drama School 2021.
