Hwang In-youp

Hwang In-youp is a South Korean actor and model known for his performances across television, web series, and film. He gained prominent recognition for his roles in productions such as 18 Again, True Beauty, The Sound of Magic, Why Her, Family by Choice, and Dream to You. Before establishing his acting career, he initially entered the entertainment industry through modeling.

Born on January 19, 1991, in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, Hwang is the oldest son in his family. His younger brother, who is three years his junior, is a producer and singer-songwriter known as Inof. Hwang lived in Davao City, Philippines, during his high school and college years, where he used the English name Ryan Leon. He graduated from the Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai International School and later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in fashion design from the Philippine Women's University, formerly known as Philippine Women's College. Before beginning his modeling career, Hwang completed his mandatory military service. He is also trained in several martial arts, holding a third-dan black belt in Taekwondo, alongside training in Hapkido and Kendo.

Hwang began working as a runway model in 2017, with reports noting he was once under the model management company YG KPlus. He made his acting debut in 2018 by starring in the Naver TV web series Why, after which he signed with the agency KeyEast, a subsidiary of SM Entertainment. In 2019, he appeared as Seo Kyo-won in the web series Freshman and made his television debut in a supporting role in the KBS2 historical drama series The Tale of Nokdu.

In 2020, Hwang received wider recognition for his role as Goo Ja-sung in the JTBC fantasy series 18 Again, a remake of the 2009 American film 17 Again. Later that year, he portrayed secondary lead character Han Seo-jun in the tvN romantic-comedy series True Beauty, based on the webtoon of the same name, and contributed the song "It Starts Today" to its soundtrack. He also appeared alongside Lee Ji-ah in the independent short film Swimming Bird, which won an award at the 1st GwangMyeong Film Festival.

In 2021, Hwang was cast in the Netflix fantasy musical series The Sound of Magic, released globally in May 2022, contributing the track "I Mean It" to its soundtrack. In April 2021, KeyEast announced he had signed a contract with Japan's Stream Media Corporation. He subsequently starred in the SBS mystery legal drama Why Her, which premiered in June 2022 and marked his first lead role on a terrestrial television station.

In 2023, Hwang was cast as Kim San-ha in Family by Choice, a Korean remake of the Chinese drama Go Ahead, which aired in 2024 on JTBC and streaming platforms. On January 2, 2024, he signed an exclusive contract with KN Studio. In August 2024, JTBC confirmed his special appearance as Heo In-gang in the drama Dear X. On November 24, 2025, Japanese agency J Harmony announced that it had taken over the operation of his official Japanese X account.