Yoo Ah In is the First Korean Male Star to Land a Solo Vogue Korea Cover

While the conversation on the top Korean male actors in their twenties understandably starts with Kim Soo Hyun onward thanks to his successes in both dramas and movies, slowly but surely Yoo Ah In is getting up there thanks to a string of hit movies like Veteran and an award winning drama last year with Secret Love Affair. Yoo Ah In just pulled off a first ever feat this week by being the first Korean male entertainer to solo grace the cover of Vogue Korea.

Previous male star cover spread were all dual affairs – top stars like Lee Byung Hun posed with Josh Hartnett while Hyun Bin did a spread with Tang Wei, while idol superstar G-Dragon got the cover alongside a top model. I’m also thrilled for Yoo Ah In’s Vogue Korea cover since he’s a self-professed fashionista, even if I find his sartorial style mostly weird. At least he’s being himself, which translates to being a memorable and unique star whether he’s acting or posing.


Comments

Yoo Ah In is the First Korean Male Star to Land a Solo Vogue Korea Cover — 59 Comments

  1. Even though i like yoo ah in me no likey this pictorial..its vogue for crying out loud. I only like the 4 th pic where u can see the tiger tattoo..

  2. Yoo Ah In made some very smart career choices and I’m very happy for him. He has been extremely lucky to act alongside the best of the best in the film industry. “Veteran” with the amazing and talented Hwang Jung-Min who is having not one but 2 hit movies this year. “Sado” with the phenomenal Song Kang Ho in the same year. I hope he’ll continue to do that when he gets back from military duty.

  3. I think he did great this year but wouldn’t say up their with Kim Soo Hyun its to far fatched to gain the global brand of KSH not even veteran actors who has broken box-office records will devolpe a global brand like that overnight. except perhaps LMH who already has a slighty bigger brand then ksh.

    KSH have gained the trust locally and overseas of moviegoers and dramalovers so there is incredible amount of attention on whatever he dose and his Brand is no joke he goes beyond the borders. The only realistic way to gain that kind of brand is from an unknown young actor in his 19,20 or 21s who has little to no media exposure but he needs to be lucky and run into good projects..

    • Veteran movie actors do make their mark in their field with their talents and that’s why they last.They are respected by critics at home and abroad. Actors like Song Kang Ho, Choi Min Sik, Ha Jung Woo, Hwang Jung-Min etc will remain on top of their field until they retire.

      KSH and LMH will eventually be replaced by some younger attractive new star. As for now, everyone is banking on them while they are in the height of their popularity.

      • I think your confusing them with Idols who fade around the 27-28 and replaced but and actors career is different. Once an actor gains global brand or large brand and comes under the interest of the masses he will carry that torch for a long long time.. example Jackie Chan, Jet Li or Yun chow-fat there global brands never died since they fired to super stardom.

        or the 3 Khans of Bollywood.. Lets be honest here the Veteran actors of K-ent dosen’t have that global brand but respected for there skills and as elite actors but the world has there eyes on KSH and LMH even people living in rural areas of lets just say far away countries who are movie fans have there eyes on what they are coming up with next..

        I actully believe there is more to come from them and their best years is ahead of them.. they will elevate things and show more of themselves

      • I would also like to add that they have both moved into Action movie genre to reach out to more movie-goers because the action genre creates legends such as Jackie or Yun chow-fat.. while LMH actully moved into the same company that made Yun Chow-fat star.. KSH has epic action-film coming up by its own rights. they are moving wisely with there careers and building more of there brand

      • I’m not talking about idols InAirs. I specifically mentioned KSH and LMH.
        You are talking about 2 young “popular” actors who are in the height of their popularity. I’m talking about respected and talented veteran actors who are making their mark in the film industry for generations to come. They don’t need to be global brands. They are well known and respected at home and abroad as Korea’s top actors.

      • I just want to add that when it comes to raw talents they owned it and when it comes to box-office hits they owned it too. Hopefully our current young talents are taking notes.

      • @Kiara: I know you didn’t say Idols but it sure sounded like that when you said fading and replaced. actors career way more different and lasting. we shouldn’t forget the fact that they are actors.

        aside from that YAI has been impressive and hoping more success comes his way with his new drama.. Fighting YAI

      • @InAirs

        LOL. Your claim that “the world has their eyes on KSH and LMH even people living in rural areas” just crack me up. I live in NYC for almost two decades and none of my “American” coworkers or friends watch Korean dramas, films or listen to Kpop. The only one they (barely) know is psy–they don’t even know his name. They just identify him as “the Korean dude with funny horse dance”. I am into Korean entertainment world simply because I am an Asian American and my parents watch Korean TV shows to entertain themselves. There is less a language/cultural barrier for them. The truth of the fact is, the majority of Americans are simply not interested in other cultures. WE already have a thriving and mature industry entertainment industry. For instance, during lunch break, we would talk about Games of Thrones, Orange is the New Black, or the upcoming new X-files. If some of my coworkers who are cosmopolitans by nature–since I am in creative industries, don’t know who Lee Byung Hyun is after watching GI Joe and Terminator, then forget about the “rural” areas in the States where Asians are still called “the orientals.”

        Bruce Lee, Jackie Chen and Jet Li remain the only Asian stars who have successfully made it into the mainstream American culture. Margaret Cho and Sandra Oh are great because they have created an Korean-American presence. But then again, they are considered Asian-Americans. They are not “imported” from abroad.

        Let’s just be realistic. There is no question that KSH is a Hallyu superstar and he is huge in China. However, to claim that “the world has their eyes on him” is grandiose, unless China is considered the entire “world.” Even in Japan, Hallyu is not as big as, say, 10 years ago. KSH’s popularity in Japan can never be compared to his peers like Jang Geun Suk when “You’re Beautiful” became a mega hit.

        I like both KSH and YAI, but they have very different paths though. I got to know him through his earlier indie film, Boys of Tomorrow. He’s recognized by Chungmuro as a promising rookie actor back then. In his recent interview, when reporters were raving about his box office performance, he actually referred back to his first film and talked about how important it was for him despite there were less than 10000 admissions. People outside Korea only got to know him through SSKS, but I personally prefer his film projects more than dramas. Boys of Tomorrow, Shim’s Family, Wandeuki are all fairly good receiving positive reviews from critics. KSH’s Secretly, Greatly was doing well box-office wise, but film experts didn’t give favorable reviews. He has such a limited screen time in Thieves, and the person who really shines in Thieves is Kim Hye Soo.

        KSH’s good in drama though,but my favorite performance by him remain to be Dream High(Giant and Will it Snow for Christmas). After DH, his dramas are more of hype and less of substance. He is a good actor, and there is no question about it. I just don’t think that “You from Another Star” is as solid as “Miss Korea” which was airing at the same time.

      • @Emily…

        America is not the only country in the world as well.. the world is bigger and what I said was moviegoers and dramalovers didn’t say the entire world because I only meant them..

        I’m a western european who is interested in Movies and Tv-shows stuff like that so I have good insights.. I don’t know why people drop around the word not good materiel or bad acting etc etc.. what is good is subjective just like beauty is subjective, so lets avoid the discussions about what is good and what is bad because I’m sure we would differ because its just the nature of humans to differ in taste.

        what I’m saying is that these are the global brands of today and they seem to be young.. reputation gives more reputation as far you name can go and all early indictions are showing that these global brands will make it far in there respective acting careers. I used brand? making your name into a brand? so people can recognize that brand as reliable, is the first fundation. I don’t see anyone building except these I mentioned.

        I know myself as non-asian and DF is also I living proof that non-asian around the world take interest in hallyu contents. I think Kdramas are more popular then some might think and not hugely popular again but popular enough internationally.

    • Yoo Ah In is the first Korean actor under 30s who drew in over 17 milion people to the cinemas within 2 months in a row in the same one year. This is no small feat. He is also the first actor who has 2 movies at the Top Box Office at the same year. Veteran has become the 3rd most-watched film of all time with 13.21 million only in 2 months, outpacing Assasination and The Thieves in 7 days. And Sado/The Throne has garnered 4 million just 2 weeks after opening, and Korea’a admission for 2016 Oscar. Both films are still showing in all Korean cinemas at the moment and still going strong. Based on the industy experts he is the #1 most powerful movie actor in 2015. He is dubbed by the local media as “The Trend” and “YAI Golden Era” and by critics as “the actor’s actor”. PS: The Throne is a historical movie.

      • @Francesca:

        Box office numbers, ratings or popularity do not mean everything. A good project is what matters. Both Veterans and Sado have received high marks from the expert at movie.naver as well as among the film critics outside Korea. Ten years later, what remains is only the work by itself. It’s also highly problematic to focus on individual celebrities rather than on the integrity of the project.

        I fear that this tendency to prioritize money over real creativity will eventually kill Korean entertainment industry and there are already signs.

        I am also happy that YAI always tries to challenge himself by acting with experienced seniors like Kim Yun Seok, Hwang Jung Min and Song Kang Ho. Even in Shim’s Family when he’s rather young, you can see his potential when he shares scenes with Kim Hye Soo.

        I look forward to his return after MS. That will be a new beginning anyway. Good luck to YAI!

      • I love YAI but take him out of “Veteran” and “The Throne” and it will still be a huge hit with Hwang Jung Min and Song Kang Ho. YAI is very lucky to be working with them. He is not at the level to carry big movies on his own yet. His acting is not even close to Hwang Jung Min and Song Kang Ho. It will take him years to get there if he gets there.

        I hope he comes back from the military and continue this path. He is learning from the best of the best and nothing but good things will come from it.

      • ”Box office numbers, ratings or popularity do not mean everything. A good project is what matters”

        Can I ask you this if these things dosen’t then what is good? how do you define good?

        Here is my definition of what is good since people differ in opinion and taste:

        The product that is most buyed and loved after use is normally superior to the product that didn’t sell much and mixed opinions loved and hated or didn’t sell and hates after used.. Now use your logic here?

        saying some few minority appreciated this is like secretly being dictator

      • @Emily?

        let me go in deep with this?

        What is the definition of good? lets use a product as example?

        1. Sell outs
        2. Medium sells
        3. poor sells
        4. zero Sells

        after use of the product

        1. happy
        2. OK
        3. Bad
        4. very bad

        So the question is what is this product for? if it can’t please the buyers?

  4. Yoo Ah In is the first Korean actor under 30s who drew in over 17 milion people to the cinemas within 2 months in a row in the same one year. This is no small feat. Veteran has become the 3rd most-watched film of all time with 13.21 million only in 2 months, outpacing Assasination and The Thieves in 7 days. And Sado/The Throne has garnered 4 million just 2 weeks after opening. Both films are still showing in all Korean cinemas at the moment. And based on the industy experts he is the #1 most powerful movie actor in 2015. He is dubbed by the local media as “The Trend” and “YAI Golden Era. Comparing YAI and KSH to belittle YAI is a laughing stock.

  5. I’ve watched yoo ah in first in secret love affair but just could not continue because of the too dark ambience story wise..but then I watched him in jang ok jung live in love…and though the drama was most conventional..YAI had a strong performance…he has this unique style of acting..which just makes it feel like he’s too engrossed into the character,as seen playing role of the son with a mother having Alzheimer in tough as iron or the too meek pianist at Secret love affair.I do not belong to Korea,so I hope people think more than saying his popularity is still not wide-spread.

    • Totally agree! First saw him on SSK. However, when I saw him in Secret Love Affair with Kim Hee Ae (talking about chemistry it was thrilling to watch) I totally fell for him. The way he conveys his emotion and the facial expression, is just awesome to see.

  6. Yoo Ah In is a great young actor!

    @ Inairs A legend doesn’t need to go for action movie genre to reach out to more movie-goers. Case in point: LMH’s and T.O.P’s action movies didn’t get that big in terms of the number of admissions. Action is not the only genre that creates legends. A legend is one who acts sincerity without thinking about image.

      • Lee Byung Hyun’s movie Masquerade with more than 10 million admissions is a 19-rated movie too.

      • when was masquerad 19+ get real gosh ppl in here will say anything.. the highest selling 19+ ever is actully T.O.Ps Tazza 2 with 4mio ad thats the record for 19+..

        some movies become 19+ after cinema but these who are 19+ before hitting threatres count as actual 19+.. Gangnam blues Tazza 2 etc etc

    • Agreed. YAI recently mentioned in an interview that KSH is the one 20s actor he admires most and would like to work with him in the future. How awesome would that be to have them both in a movie.

    • That’s true. YAI,KSH and LMH are going to be around for a very long time. They are still young.

      Chungmuro is a different kind of playground. It’s hard to compete with the older and more established veteran actors who built their career doing films. They are totally dominating the film industry. Film makers needs to book someone like Ha Jung Woo a year ahead. He is venturing into directing so that’s even harder to have him commit to a movie. It’s the same way with CMS,SKH and HJM.

      I’m betting on Song Joong-Ki and Yeo Jin-Goo making it in the film industry but I doubt they’ll stick with films only.

  7. love this guy! really can’t get enough of him. he’s fashionable, hot, an awesome actor and his range in acting is pretty impressive. i am actually looking forward to a korean drama in years because of YAI. (six flying dragons)

  8. For me, Yoo Ah In is the best actor under 30s, popular, good looking and definitely great acting skill! Not overrated and underrated,hopefully he will keep shining.

    I wont compare Kim So Hyun with him, i am not a big fan of KSH, but both are talented. YAI maybe better with dark role but KSH for me, i enjoy him doing rom-com. I cant picture him doing any action or dark role.

    I also think Yoo Ah In and Joo Won may have similar acting range, they rocking darken role.

  9. Among actors in 20 who did movies this year, yoo Ah in is the only actor pass 5million admission which is the target mark for any book office movie. Even the famous one like lee min ho, kim woo bin and shall i include park shin hye not able to reach what he get. I wonder where their more than 10 million fans on sns go? Do the fans not supporting their bias? Yoo ah in is without a doubt the most successful and his winning the number one powerful moviegoer this year is the most deserved

    • shin hye has never lead a movie tho except evil twins which she did 8-9 years ago. the leads of royal tailor are go soo and han suk yoo while she and yoo yeon seok are the supporting actors. cut her some slack will ya? she said it herself she’s not on the level to lead a movie yet as she doesnt possess the ‘it’ factors to attract the movie-goers yet. she knows where she stand and her limit. the girl is always humble. it’s just the overact fans who make her look bad in the eyes of non-fans.
      their more than 10 million fans on sns contribute to the sselling right of the movie to overseas theaters especially asian countries because of their superstar status

    • seriously tho? when did Gangnam blues considered not success?? it was 19+ with strong sexual content and did 2.3ad that is success.. but on the other hand Kwb has no defence in this case

  10. To all the unimportant debates here: Don’t rain on someone else’s parade. Yoo Ah In is the number one Chungmuro actor at the moment. PS: @ockolala you forgot to mention that he is on THREE covers for VOGUE October issue. That’s the first time ever Vogue did that.

  11. @Kiara: I have watched Veteran and Yoo Ah In stands out in this movie. He is not overshadowed by Hwang Jung Min, in fact he became the strong element to this movie. I have watched Secret Love Affair, and he’s at the same par with Kim Hee Ae. I have yet to watch Sado, but judging from the critics, most of them praised him a lot. Most of the time when young actors acting together with senior actors they became the “second lead” and their imperfection stick out. But YAI does the other way around. He makes the character as his own and stands out. I’m looking forward to his next works where he acts as a senior acting with his juniors. Let’s see.

    • @Canxie
      I haven’t watched Veteran yet but waiting impatiently for it to show up at my local theatre so I can’t comment on the movie.
      I think Ryoo probably hired YAI because he fits his character after all he wrote the script and directed it. Ryoo is best at making action comedy film me thinks. Now that I’m a bit familiar with Korean culture I’m kind of getting some of the jokes lol.
      Hwang has nothing to prove. He played a cop before in Ryoo’s movie “Unjust” and he could do this in his sleep.

      Hwang and Oh Dal Su works fantastic together. This could be YAI in the future.

      I’ve said this before, that YAI acting alongside Hwa Jung Min and Song Kang Ho is a smart career choice. He has never been challenged by a top actor before and this will make him a better actor because it will bring out the best in him. I’m happy to hear that he did well. I’ve read Variety’s review and hopefully more positive reviews to come on RT.

      I love movies! I wish people would watch more movies so we can have more conversation like this.

      • @Kiara

        In Wandeuki (aka Punch), YAI’s costar is Kim Yun Seok. KYS is one of the top stars in Chungmuro. Hwang’s getting bigger after the hit “International market.” But KYS is definitely on par with Hwang. KYS’s performance in both “Chase” and “Yellow Sea” are highly praised even though the spotlight is on Ha Jung Woo. So it’s not true that he is “never” challenged by a top actor.

      • @fandomscape

        You are absolutely right. I didn’t mentioned “Punch” because I haven’t watched it yet. I know Kim Yun Seok is an amazing actor but I haven’t followed his work like I do with the other 4.
        I watched the first “Tazza” just because Jo Seung Woo was in it. I know KYS is the better actor by a mile but I was fan-girling over Jo at the time lol.
        I’ve seen him in the over-hyped “Thieves” and I have to say that he was the best thing about that movie. I only checked it out because I thought it would be Korea’s Ocean 11.
        I’ve seen him in “Yellow Sea” and “The Chaser” because Ha Jung Woo was in it.

        One of these days I’ll go back and watch some of his old movies if I can find them.

  12. It’s funny that even if the article is about Yoo Ah In’s achievement, avid fans of Lee Min Ho and Kim Soo Hyun would still find a space to butt in and mention how popular their idols are globally. Hahahaha

    By the way, I am seriously enjoying the juicy comments section. Folks here are sure passionate to express their thoughts! Here’s to fiesty, meaty, witty exchange of POVs!

    • This is so unwarranted I don’t see any LMH fans here except KSH fan using it for argument or whatever just stop.. btw who is YAI i don’t even know who that is honestly speaking

      • LOL! Go check his name on Naver you’ll find him in top Naver search these days. These international netizens who are so ignorant better learn more about what’s the real trend in Korea right now.

    • Chungmuro = Korean movie. Chungmuro actor = Korean movie actor. Koreans make a different name for drama actor and movie actor.

  13. He is going to enlist after his saeguk, I hope for a better career,
    I think I never actually watch his drama (I watch clips of SKK but not his part), I like him a lot in veteran (the only one of his work that I watch ) and I admit that he is everywhere and people liked him,it makes me excited for his new saeguk drama,

  14. @Emily I have watched Shims Family and Boys Of Tomorrow, both are his indie movies. It’s undeniable that they are a very good piece of works. But as an indie, a movie has limited access to gain more audience. But somehow something is lacking when a good movie gets lack of appreciations from the viewers except the movie critics. On the other hand, YAI new movies Veteran and Sado/The Throne are commercial success and critically acclaimed films. They gain both public and experts’ sympathy. I think a perfect movie is supposed to be like this.

  15. Korea calls him “Ain Shi Dae” or YAI Generation/Golden Age, like that of Girls Generation’s name 소녀시대; So Nyeo Shi Dae. That’s how big he is now in Korea. So to you who think he won’t go far than this, stfu and see how far he’ll go higher and higher.

  16. KSH has enjoyed his golden age since 2012 with his hit dramas and movies; SJK with Nice guy and The werewolf boy in late 2012, Joo won with “drama king rating” title though failing in movies. YAI nowhere could be seen back then until he now meets his current hit movies, so it is now quite easy to understand why Korea media consider this time YAI’s golden age, because during more than 12 years of acting career before Veteran, he never had his name or project really big hits. For any young actors who plays main lead in a movie that achieves more than 10 million tickets for the very first time in their life, that will be a miracle that makes their name in the spotlight. No one would say veterans like Song kang ho, choi min sik …were enjoying their golden age if they had hits again, lol.
    To be honest, I wonder if YAI is really talented or he just has better luck. In my personal opinion, YAI has a look that really suits roles of bad boy/ villain. Therefore, he would easily success with Veteran’s role. Meanwhile, I am not quite positive about his acting in The Throne. I don’t like his overacting in sageuk, ie. JOJ. The Throne somehow hasn’t done really well at box office compared to other previous hits. It doesn’t have strong competitors but just has got averagely more than 100K tickets per day even at weekends, compared to Veteran with about 400K, but likely to grab 7-8mil tickets at the end anyway. Not much positive about Six dragons…Lets see how it goes tonite.

    • The Throne hits 5.5 million admissions. It is at the top the box office until now. LOL! And his previous drama Secret Love Affair is the big hit. The ratings were as high as Misaeng, and it won Baeksang. He won several awards for Best Actor for his past movies too. Please, do some research before talking. He’s got some wide screen works better than any young actors his age. PS: He just won Asia Star Awards last weekend in Busan International Film Festival. And all the awards he got didn’t come from people’s vote.

    • You must be new to Korean movie. YAI movie “Wandeugi” (Punch) was the top box office with 5.4 million admissions. His other movies such as Boys of Tomorrow and Antique were box office too. And he has won several best actor awards from his movies. His dramas might not be spectacular in ratings, but SKKS and Secret Love Affair were critically-acclaimed drama. SLA especially earned highest rating for cable during its broadcast. He doesn’t pick popular/trendy dramas like KSH and LMH because he doesn’t want to. I remember he refused casting for BOF.

    • LMAO your logic. YAI being director’s choice to be cast along great actors such as Hwang Jung Min and Song Kang Ho means he is a talented actor. No one wants to take a risk casting untalented actor to play opposite these two!

  17. @dramafan: of course, it wasn’t from LMH fans, because LMH has never ever been in the “best actors under 30s” list so far, lol. His new title chungmuro actor earned by GB is nothing but just another mediaplay. Even Park yoo chun who conquered heaps of awards last year for his movie couldn’t help fly his career to a new hype.

  18. KSH is “Hallyu Star”. Typical hallyu stars are too care about image. They can be easily replaced just like idols once their image stained if they are not careful. That’s why they keep picking “popular” and safe typical projects. An actor’s actor is one who dare to challenge himself with various roles without thinking the impact to his image.

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