Recently, the Korean Business Research Institute announced the July brand reputation rankings for Korean actors.
The rankings are determined through an analysis of data on media coverage, participation, interaction, and community indexes of 100 actors appearing in TV series, movies, or OTT (online platforms) released from June 22 to July 22.
The number 1 name is actor Choo Young Woo, with a brand reputation index of 7,694,868 points.
Choo Young Woo is currently playing the main role in the TV series Head Over Heels (Vietnamese title: Womens Coronation). His leading position in the rankings was surprising, as the actor surpassed the famous stars of the series Squid Game 3 to win first place.
Following Choo Young Woo are the two main actors of Squid Game 3, Lee Jung Jae is in the Top 2 with 7,050,788 points, and Lee Byung Hun is in the Top 3 with 6,578,206 points.
This is not the first time Choo Young Woo has ranked No. 1 in the list of hottest Korean actors of the month.
He was Top 1 in February 2025 when the films The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call and The Tale of Lady Ok in which he starred simultaneously aired.
At that time, Choo Young Woo's reputation index was very impressive, reaching 13,855,005 points.
But this time, Choo Young Woo's surpassing of famous seniors while Squid Game 3 is causing a global storm is an unbelievable achievement.
In terms of ratings, the currently airing drama Head Over Heels by Choo Young Woo has a low rating, with an average of just over 4% over 10 episodes, the episode with the highest rating is 4.8%.
However, according to the media, Choo Young Woo has become a face that has been noticed thanks to his accumulation of fame through a series of successful works since the beginning of the year.
Right before Head Over Heels aired, Choo Young Woo made an impression with his villainous role in Netflixs crime action film Mercy for None, released on June 6.
Choo Young Woo is emerging as a new generation star capable of portraying a variety of characters and film genres.
His talent was recognized by experts, with the award for "Best New Actor" at two major awards ceremonies, Baeksang ( film "The Legend of Lady Ok") and Blue Dragon Television ( film "Trauma Care Center")
Choo Young Woo's career path was not easy from the beginning, but he had a quick breakthrough after only a few years.
Choo Young Woo was born in 1999, debuted in 2021 with the main role in the online drama "You Make Me Dance" and a supporting role in the drama "Police University".
In the early years, Choo Young Woo had no outstanding works. However, in the first half of 2025 alone, the actor's 4 roles were noticed.
In particular, the role of a young doctor alongside the main character Baek Kang Hyuk (Joo Ji Hoon) in Netflix's "Trauma Care Center" created a breakthrough in Young Woo's career.
Currently, although the rating of Head Over Heels has not exploded as expected, Choo Young Woo is still the actor who is being hotly discussed as the film enters its final stage.
Choo Young Woo shocked the audience when he took on a new role, with a personality contrary to the original male lead character in the work. Playing 2 roles in Head Over Heels once again proved the actors flexible acting ability.
