Cha Eun-woo

Lee Dong-min, professionally known as Cha Eun-woo, is a South Korean actor and singer born on March 30, 1997. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Astro and debuted as a solo musical artist in 2024 with the extended play Entity. He is widely recognized for his television roles in projects such as Gangnam Beauty, Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung, and True Beauty, which contributed to his international prominence within the Korean Wave.

Born in Gunpo, South Korea, Lee initially considered careers as a doctor, prosecutor, or police officer during his youth. He has a younger brother. After attending Nungnae Elementary School, Suri Middle School, and Suri High School, he completed his studies at Hanlim Multi Art School in broadcasting and entertainment. He was admitted to Sungkyunkwan University through early admission, eventually graduating with a degree in performing arts from the theater department.

Lee was discovered by a talent scout during a school festival and joined Fantagio in his first year of high school. He trained in both acting and idol performance, appearing in a news broadcast about the training system in 2014. That same year, he made his acting debut using his birth name with a minor role in the film My Brilliant Life. His stage name, Cha Eun-woo, was assigned by his agency using characters meaning "silver" and "excellence." He starred in the web drama To Be Continued in 2015 before officially debuting with Astro on February 23, 2016, through their first extended play, Spring Up.

Following his debut with Astro, Cha expanded into hosting and variety programming, presenting Show! Music Core and MBC Gayo Daejejeon. His television acting career gained momentum with supporting and web drama roles before securing his first leading role on television in the 2018 series Gangnam Beauty. He subsequently starred in the historical drama Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung in 2019 and the coming-of-age series True Beauty in 2020. Over these years, he also joined variety casts such as Master in the House, appeared in the urban action film Decibel, and took on roles in the series Island and A Good Day to Be a Dog.

In 2024, Cha released his debut solo extended play, Entity, featuring the single "Stay," and launched an international fan concert tour titled "Just One 10 Minutes 'Mystery Elevator'". His subsequent musical projects included collaborative releases, a tribute project, and a second extended play titled Else in late 2025. He expanded his screen repertoire with roles in the drama series Wonderful World, his leading film debut in The First Ride, a virtual reality concert project, and the Netflix series The Wonderfools in 2026.

Throughout his career, Cha has featured as a commercial model and ambassador for numerous domestic and global brands across cosmetics, fashion, food, and electronics. His professional achievements have earned him placements on notable lists, including Forbes Korea Power Celebrity, Forbes 30 Under 30, and Gallup Korea's actor rankings, alongside industry recognition such as the VMAs Global Icon Award at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards Japan.