“When the phone rings” is a Korean drama that has been receiving a lot of attention since it first aired. The drama revolves around the arranged marriage of Baek Sa Eon (Yoo Yeon Seok) and Hong Hee Joo (Chae Soo Bin), combining romantic elements with thrilling, suspenseful elements.
In particular, Yoo Yeon Seok's role caused a stir with his attractive and charming male lead image. Baek Sa Eon is the youngest spokesman in the history of the presidential office. He is described as a perfect man, from his family background, social status, appearance and outstanding talent.
In real life, actor Yoo Yeon Seok's family background is also not ordinary.
Yoo Yeon Seok's real name is Ahn Yeon Seok, born in 1984. He is the youngest child in an elite family, with his father being an engineering professor at Kyungsang National University, his mother being a painter and his brother being a math teacher.
In 2001, Yoo Yeon Seok followed his brother to Seoul and studied at Gyeonggi High School in Gangnam District 8 (a wealthy area in Seoul). He then entered Sejong University, majoring in Film Arts.
Yoo Yeon Seok's family supported his passion for acting. He once shared: "Maybe because I was the youngest, younger than my brother, I was able to do what I wanted. That doesn't mean I was a bad student. When I was in Jinju, I was in the honors class, so I often studied more after school."
In 2003, Yoo Yeon Seok debuted in the film industry when he appeared as the young Lee Woo Jin in the hit film “Oldboy” directed by Park Chan Wook.
After completing his military service, he returned to acting and began using a new stage name, Yoo Yeon Seok. But Yoo Yeon Seok's path to pursuing an acting career was not smooth from the start.
After struggling for 10 years, Yoo Yeon Seok became famous in 2013 thanks to his role as Chilbong in the TV series “Reply 1994”. This was an important turning point in his acting career.
From here, Yoo Yeon Seok began to make his mark with many other films such as "Mr. Sunshine", "Romantic Doctor", "Teacher Kim", "Hospital Playlist"...
Yoo Yeon Seok is also active as the drummer for Mido and Parasol (a band formed by the actors in the drama Hospital Playlist) and frequently appears on television entertainment programs.
Notably, Yoo Yeon Seok was rumored to be dating actress Kim Ji Won.
In 2015, Korean media reported that the two actors dated after working together in the 2012 film “Horror Stories.” The couple introduced each other to their families and decided to have a serious relationship.
Woman Sense reported that Yoo Yeon Seok’s mother told an acquaintance, “My son’s girlfriend is Kim Ji Won.” However, the two actors’ management company, King Kong Entertainment, denied the dating rumors at the time. The company said that they were just close seniors and juniors.
However, in March 2016, the two were caught dating again. Sports Chosun reported that the two went to eat at a lamb skewer restaurant in Cheongdam, Gangnam.
The couple was later rumored to have broken up when Kim Ji Won began working with new co-stars. But to date, there has been no further information on whether Kim Ji Won and Yoo Yeon Seok have actually broken up.
