Ryu Jun-yeol

Ryu Jun-yeol is a South Korean actor who first attained widespread public recognition for his role in the television series Reply 1988, which earned him a Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actor in TV. He has built a career across domestic television, streaming platforms, and feature films. His work has led to inclusion in the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list across multiple years, ranking 14th in 2017, 36th in 2018, and 11th in 2019.

Born on September 25, 1986, in Suwon, South Korea, Ryu is the eldest child in his family and has a younger sister. He attended the University of Suwon on a scholarship, graduating with a degree in film. While completing his university education, he worked several part-time jobs, including delivering pizza, working as a day laborer, and teaching elementary students after school. Prior to his professional acting debut, he served as a public officer to fulfill his military duties from 2007 to 2009.

Ryu began his acting career in 2012 by performing in short and independent movies, eventually landing a minor role in the 2013 feature INGtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls. His major breakthrough came in 2015 with his performance in his debut feature film, Socialphobia, which earned him a Rising Star Award at the KAFA Film Festival and nominations at the Chunsa Film Art Awards. Later that year, his role in the family drama series Reply 1988 brought him broad national recognition.

Following his initial success, Ryu appeared in several feature film projects. In 2016, he starred in One Way Trip, No Tomorrow, and played his first main lead in the romantic comedy series Lucky Romance. In 2017, he won the Best New Actor in Film honor at the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards for his performance in the political drama The King. That same year, he featured in the high-grossing biographical drama A Taxi Driver as well as the legal thriller Heart Blackened.

Ryu continued starring in successful films in 2018 with the drama Little Forest and the crime action film Believer. In 2019, he led the cast of three major feature films: Hit-and-Run Squad, Money, and the historical action film The Battle: Roar to Victory. After a five-year absence from television, he returned to the small screen in 2021 with the series Lost. He subsequently headlined the sci-fi film Alienoid in 2022, the historical thriller The Night Owl, and the 2024 streaming thriller series The 8 Show, alongside upcoming projects such as Revelations and Mousetrap.

Beyond acting, Ryu is an active environmental campaigner who began making regular contributions to Greenpeace in 2016. His outreach includes public campaigns for climate action, animal protection, and the reduction of plastic packaging. In late 2019 and early 2020, he spent several months in Los Angeles studying abroad, creating a YouTube vlog series, and practicing photography, which led to his first photo exhibition in Seoul in November 2020. He is also a football enthusiast who participated in promotional events for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.