# Ryu Jun-yeol

Ryu Jun-yeol (Korean: 류준열; born September 25, 1986) is a South Korean actor, activist, and photographer. Ryu began his acting career in independent films and gained attention for his role in the feature film Socialphobia (2015). He rose to international prominence through his breakthrough role in the critically acclaimed television series Reply 1988 (2015–2016), the highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history at the time, which led to him winning the Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actor.
Since then, Ryu has starred in the high-profile films The King (2017), A Taxi Driver (2017), Little Forest (2018), Believer (2018), Money (2019), The Battle: Roar to Victory (2019), and The Night Owl (2022). He is also known for his work in the two-part action blockbuster films Alienoid (2022) and Alienoid: Return to the Future (2024).
Ryu has received numerous accolades throughout his career for Baeksang Arts Awards, Blue Dragon Film Awards, Buil Film Awards, Chunsa Film Art Awards, London East Asian Film Festival and New York Asian Film Festival. He has been on the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list for three consecutive years: 14th in 2017, 36th in 2018, and 11th in 2019. In addition to his film work, Ryu actively engages in social environmental activism and photography.

## Early life and education

Ryu was born on September 25, 1986, in Suwon, South Korea. He is the eldest and has a sister who is two years his junior. He graduated from University of Suwon majoring in film on a scholarship. While studying at the university, Ryu took many part-time jobs, working as an after-school teacher for elementary students, a pizza delivery person, a day labourer, and more. Ryu was conscripted before debuting as an actor. He registered as a public officer in 2007 and completed his duties in 2009.

## Career
### 2012–2014: Beginnings

In 2012, Ryu started acting in short films and independent film productions, before being cast in a bit part in the 2013 feature film INGtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls.

### 2015–2017: Reply 1988 and breakthrough

Ryu first drew attention for his breakout performance in his debut feature film, Socialphobia in 2015, which earned him Rising star award at KAFA Film Festival and other nominations from Chunsa Film Art Awards. Later that year, Ryu gained widespread public recognition through starring in the popular teen series Reply 1988, alongside Lee Hye-ri, Park Bo-gum, Go Kyung-pyo, and Lee Dong-hwi. His portrayal of one of the leads, Kim Jung-hwan, won him many accolades, including the Best New Actor in TV award at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards in 2016.
In 2016, Ryu starred in the coming-of-age film One Way Trip and crime thriller No Tomorrow. The same year, he played his first leading role in romantic-comedy Lucky Romance alongside Hwang Jung-eum.
In 2017, Ryu featured in political crime drama film The King alongside Jo In-sung and Jung Woo-sung, which became the 7th highest-grossing South Korean film of the year and for which he won the Best New Actor in Film award at the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards. The same year, he featured in biopic film A Taxi Driver with veteran actors Song Kang-ho and Yoo Hae-jin, which became the highest grossing Korean film of the year and the twelfth highest-grossing South Korean film in history. Ryu also appeared in legal thriller film Heart Blackened alongside Choi Min-sik and Park Shin-hye.

### 2018–present: Prominence in film and high-profile leading roles

In 2018, Ryu starred in the critically acclaimed drama film Little Forest with Kim Tae-ri, and headlined the crime action film Believer with Cho Jin-woong . Believer was a box-office hit, becoming the first Korean film to surpass five million admissions in 2018. It was the fourth highest-grossing film of the year in South Korea.
In 2019, Ryu starred in the action thriller film Hit-and-Run Squad with Gong Hyo-jin directed by Han Jun-hee, lead the crime film Money alongside Yoo Ji-tae and historical action film The Battle: Roar to Victory directed by Won Shin-yun. All three films performed well at the box-office, with The Battle: Roar to Victory and Money eventually becoming the 5th and 9th highest grossing Korean films of the year respectively. Ryu's continuous big screen success earned him a spot in Forbes Korea Power Celebrity for two consecutive years, 36th in 2018 and 11th in 2019.
In 2021, Ryu starred in JTBC's "Tenth Anniversary Special Project", a Hur Jin-ho melodrama television series Lost with Jeon Do-yeon, marking his small screen comeback after five years.
In 2022, Ryu headlined Choi Dong-hoon's sci-fi action fantasy film, Alienoid, reuniting with Kim Tae-ri. The film premiered in July 2022. Despite the film not being a commercial success, Ryu's performance was praised by critics. In November, Ryu starred in the historical-thriller film The Night Owl, reuniting with Yoo Hae-jin.
In 2024, Ryu starred in psychological thriller Netflix series The 8 Show along with actress Chun Woo-hee and actor Park Jeong-min, reuniting second work with the director Han Jae-rim.
Ryu is set to appear as a lead in mystery thriller film Revelations along with actress Shin Hyun-been and will be directed from Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho.

## Other activities
### Philanthropy

Ryu is an environmental activist. While filming Youth Over Flowers: Africa in 2016, Ryu developed an interest in environmentalism and began to campaign for environmental protection. In December 2018, Ryu was reported to have donated ₩10 million to Greenpeace, a non-governmental environmental organisation. He has been making regular donations since 2016 for various campaigns, such as Save the Arctic. In 2020, Ryu made yet another donation to Greenpeace in response to Australian wildfires, and campaigned for animal protection and urgent action to tackle climate change on his Instagram account.
In 2021, Ryu participated in a video conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, speaking about environmental protection and bringing attention to the Greenpeace campaign to reduce plastic packaging. The two had previously visited the DMZ Peace Trail in 2019 to mark the first anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration.

### Photography

Ryu took a brief hiatus from acting and moved to the United States of America, living in Los Angeles for several months from mid-2019 to early 2020, going by his English name Anthony. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles for a study abroad programme. Apart from his studies, he did photography work and learned vlogging in his spare time. He established a mini vlog-series on YouTube, titled Ryu Jun Yeol's: Reportage (Korean: '류준열의 르포르타쥬'), which covered his life in Los Angeles. In November 2020, Ryu held his first photo exhibition in Seoul, titled "Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood", which showcased the photos he took while living abroad.

## Personal life

Starting in late 2016, Ryu was in a relationship with singer and actress Lee Hye-ri, whom he met while filming Reply 1988 where he played the second lead who fell in love with his childhood best friend. On November 13, 2023, the couple announced their break-up after 7 years of dating.
Ryu is an avid football fan. He is best friends with Tottenham Hotspur player Son Heung-min, and has participated in promotional activities for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which was held in South Korea. Ahead of the tournament, Ryu played against Argentine football players Diego Maradona and Pablo Aimar in a five-a-side match held before the official U-20 World Cup draw in Suwon.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | INGtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls | Gym man | Bit part |
| 2015 | Socialphobia | Yang-ge | |
| 2016 | Sori: Voice from the Heart | Seedless strawberry | |
| 2016 | No Tomorrow | Ji-hoon | |
| 2016 | One Way Trip | Ji-gong | |
| 2016 | Canola | Cheol-heon | |
| 2016 | The Boys Who Cried Wolf | Dong-chul | |
| 2017 | The King | Choi Doo-il | |
| 2017 | A Taxi Driver | Goo Jae-sik | |
| 2017 | Heart Blackened | Kim Dong-myeong | |
| 2018 | Little Forest | Jae-ha | |
| 2018 | Believer | Seo Young-rak | |
| 2019 | Hit-and-Run Squad | Seo Min-jae | |
| 2019 | Money | Jo Il-hyun | |
| 2019 | The Battle: Roar to Victory | Lee Jang-ha | |
| 2022 | Alienoid | Mureuk | |
| 2022 | The Night Owl | Kyung-soo | |
| 2024 | Alienoid: Return to the Future | Mureuk | |
| 2025 | Revelations | Seong Min-chan | |

#### Short film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2012 | Nowhere | A boyfriend |
| 2014 | Midnight Sun | Yong-hoon |
| 2014 | One-minded | Club Dude |
| 2014 | People in a Hurry | Jae-hyun |
| 2014 | Economic Love | Ji-hoon |
| 2014 | Son Na-rae Rescue Operation | Hyun-woo |
| 2015 | Draw | Sang-hoon |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2015 | The Producers | Joo Jong-hyun | Cameo (Ep. 1–2) |
| 2015–16 | Reply 1988 | Kim Jung-hwan | |
| 2016 | Lucky Romance | Jae Su-ho | |
| 2021 | Lost | Lee Kang-jae | |
| 2024 | The 8 Show | Bae Jin-Soo | |

### Television shows

| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
| 2016 | Youth Over Flowers: Africa | Cast member | |
| 2019 | Traveler | Cast member | |

### Hosting

| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
| 2022 | 27th Busan International Film Festival Opening Ceremony | with Jeon Yeo-been | |
| 2024 | 9th Asia Artist Awards | with Sung Han-bin and Jang Won-young | |

### Music video appearances

| Year | Song title | Artist | Ref. |
| 2014 | "Still I'm by Your Side" | Clazziquai Project | |
| 2015 | "A Little Girl" (소녀) | Oh Hyuk | |

## Discography
### Singles

| Title | Year | Album |
| "You" (어떻게) | 2017 | Mixxxture Project, Vol. 2 |

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2016 | Best Rookie Award, Actor | Reply 1988 | Won |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2017 | Best Star Award – Actor | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2018 | Artist of the Year | Ryu Jun-yeol | Won |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2018 | Popularity Award | Ryu Jun-yeol | Won |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2024 | Best Artist Award – Television/Film | Ryu Jun-yeol | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2016 | Best New Actor – Television | Reply 1988 | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2017 | Best New Actor – Film | The King | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2023 | Best Actor – Film | The Night Owl | Won |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2017 | Best New Actor | A Taxi Driver | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2023 | Best Actor | The Night Owl | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2024 | Best Actor | The 8 Show | Nominated |
| Buil Film Awards | 2017 | Best Supporting Actor | The King | Nominated |
| Buil Film Awards | 2023 | Best Actor | The Night Owl | Nominated |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2016 | Best New Actor | Socialphobia | Nominated |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | A Taxi Driver | Nominated |
| Director's Cut Awards | 2023 | Best Actor in film | The Night Owl | Nominated |
| Fashionista Awards | 2016 | Best Fashionista – TV Division | Ryu Jun-yeol | Won |
| Fashionista Awards | 2017 | Best Fashionista – SNS Division | Ryu Jun-yeol | Nominated |
| Golden Cinema Film Festival | 2019 | Cinematographers' Choice Popularity Award | Believer | Won |
| Golden Cinema Film Festival | 2023 | Best Actor | The Night Owl | Won |
| Grand Bell Awards | 2023 | Best Actor | The Night Owl | Nominated |
| InStyle Star Icon | 2016 | New Generation Actor Award | Socialphobia, Reply 1988 | Nominated |
| KAFA FILMS | 2015 | Rising Star | Socialphobia | Won |
| Korean Cable TV Awards | 2016 | Rising Star | Reply 1988 | Won |
| Korea First Brand Awards | 2016 | Special Award for Figure | Ryu Jun-yeol | Won |
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | 2023 | Best Actor | The Night Owl | Won |
| Korea World Youth Film Festival | 2018 | Popular Actor Award | Little Forest | Won |
| Korea Youth Film Festival | 2019 | Best Actor Award | Money, The Battle: Roar to Victory | Won |
| London East Asia Film Festival | 2019 | Rising Star Award | Money | Won |
| Max Movie Awards | 2016 | Best New Actor | Socialphobia | Won |
| Max Movie Awards | 2016 | Rising Star | Socialphobia | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2016 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Lucky Romance | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2016 | Best New Actor | Lucky Romance | Won |
| New York Asian Film Festival | 2019 | Star Asia Rising Star Award | Money | Won |
| The Seoul Awards | 2017 | Best New Actor (Film) | The King | Won |
| tvN10 Awards | 2016 | Made in tvN, Actor in Drama | Reply 1988 | Nominated |
| tvN10 Awards | 2016 | Rising Star Award, Actor | Reply 1988 | Won |
| Wildflower Film Awards | 2016 | Best New Actor / Actress | Socialphobia | Nominated |

### State honors

Name of country, year given, and name of honor :
| Country | Organization | Year | Honor / Award | Ref. |
| South Korea | Korea Minister of Health and Welfare | 2017 | Suicide Prevention Contribution Award | |
| South Korea | Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards | 2019 | Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's Commendation | |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement |
| Forbes | 2017 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 14th |
| Forbes | 2018 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 36th |
| Forbes | 2019 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 11th |