Cover Byeon Woo-seok will visit Hong Kong for a fan meeting this weekend (Photo: Instagram / @byeonwooseok)
Byeon Woo-seok will visit Hong Kong for a fan meeting this weekend (Photo: Instagram / @byeonwooseok)
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South Korean actor and model Byeon Woo-seok will come to Hong Kong for a highly anticipated fan meet-and-greet this weekend
South Korean actor Byeon Woo-seok has been capturing K-drama fans’ hearts in recent years with his charismatic role as K-pop star Ryu Sun-jae on Lovely Runner (2024), a time-slip romance series on South Korean TV network TVN.
Based on South Korean writer Kim Bbang’s web novel Tomorrow’s Best (2019-2020), Lovely Runner tells the story of how schoolgirl Im Sol (played by Kim Hye-yoon) travels back in time to save her idol Ryu, who died in an accident. Byeon’s electrifying performance in the series has rocketed him to international fame, on the back of which he has organised his first Asia fan-meet tour.
The Hong Kong stop of this tour is on July 14 at AsiaWorld-Expo. Ahead of it, Tatler revisits Byeon’s remarkable journey from being a fashion model to a rising actor.
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1. Byeon’s early aspirations
Born on October 31, 1991, Byeon spent his childhood in Bucheon City and later moved to Seoul for elementary school. Influenced by his elder sister, who wanted to be a flight attendant, he dreamed of becoming a pilot, but he was encouraged by his friends and sister to try modelling due to his height. After graduating from high school, he signed with modelling agency K-Plus in 2010. He put his modelling career on pause from 2011 to 2013 for his mandatory military service.
2. Byeon as a fashion model
After returning from serving in the military, Byeon worked as a fashion model at Seoul Fashion Week. He had his international runway debut at the Milan Fashion Week for menswear in 2015, where he walked on seven fall-winter runway shows for luxury brands such as Brioni, John Varvatos and Corneliani.
3. Acting career accolades
He transitioned to acting in 2016 with the TV series Dear My Friends. Since then, he has appeared in many notable K-dramas, including Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016) and Record of Youth (2020)—playing the lead role in the latter.
Byeon’s breakthrough came in 2021 with Moonshine, a period series. His lively portrayal of Lee Pyo, a rebellious crown prince who frequently causes chaos in the palace, earned him the Best New Actor award at the 2022 KBS Drama Awards.
However, Byeon’s early days as an actor were not easy. He once revealed on a variety show that he failed his auditions more than 100 times.
4. Byeon can sing
In Lovely Runner, Byeon performed the theme song and ballad Sudden Shower himself in April 2024. Today, three months after its release, the song still ranks fourth on Melon Top 100, one of the biggest charts in Korea.
5. Byeon is a fashion darling
Above Byeon Woo-seok, Sana and Kentaro Sakaguchi attend the Prada SS25 Menswear Show (Photo: Getty Images)
Byeon Woo-seok, Sana and Kentaro Sakaguchi attend the Prada SS25 Menswear Show (Photo: Getty Images)
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Byeon has been invited to model for various leading fashion brands, including Calvin Klein, Bench and Gentle Monster. In June, he attended the Prada SS25 menswear show in Milan where he was spotted with other K-pop celebrities, such as NCT’s Jae-hyun and Twice member Sana.
