In 2025, Lee Dong Wook's name continuously covered the screen. However, his career is considered to be in an alarming period, when the two new works, Divorce Insurance and The Great Goodman (currently on air), both recorded low viewership ratings.
With the film Divorce Insurance, the plot of the film was criticized for being simple, lacking depth, awkward, and fake, while the role of Noh Ki Jun of the Korean actor stopped at a safe level, not having many breakthroughs.
With The Greatman, the character Park Seok Chul - the gentle but poetic young man of Lee Dong Wook initially scored points. However, in the last 4 episodes, the "concluding" content about fighting in the underworld, love triangles caused the work's rating to drop sharply, down to 1.9%.
Lee Dong Wook's performance in the project, although a highlight, was not enough to hold the audience in front of the screen. In addition, his interaction with co-star Lee Sung Kyung stopped at a cute level, not exploding as expected. This is considered a regrettable thing for a romantic work, when the couple is one of the factors that attract viewers, increasing the discussion of the work.
Up to now, The Great Great pilot still has 8 episodes aired, however, with old, disjointed content, not bringing suspense and appeal, along with the current dismal results, it is unlikely that the film will have a reversal performance, especially when works aired at the same time frame such as The wonder team, Dream of a lawyer are receiving many positive responses because of their attractive, new story.
In fact, over the years, Lee Dong Wook has continuously shown his efforts when challenging many characters with different fates and colors. The actor also spent time practicing action scenes to suit the role.
Although he has "sold out" the fantasy genre (although these works brought him success) to shift to romantic love films, Lee Dong Wook's change has not recorded positive results. This largely comes from the actor's choice of scripts, when both the films "Divorce Insurance" and "The Great Good guys" have major "olations" in content.
Currently, Lee Dong Wook is waiting for the movie " Assetter Shop 2" to air.
Previously, part 1 of the film created a fever thanks to its realistic, intensely interwoven storytelling, revolving around the story of Jin Man (Lee Dong Wook) - a former soldier for hire, the owner of a gun shop, living with his niece Ji An (Kim Hye Joon).
On screen, the actor is praised for his convincing acting, from his voice to his appearance, eyesight, and expressions, all clearly expressing the character's personality. His involvement in action and tense combat also helps the film increase its appeal.
According to the producer, Assetter 2 will be released in 2026. The work is expected to help Lee Dong Wook revive his career after a period of worrying.
