Lol, I like Byun Woo Seok and I love him getting his breakout thanks to Lovely Runner, but this is the kind of hype article that feels way too early to be earned and may set him up with too high of expectations for his next project(s). A K-ent article today is calling Byun Woo Seok’s stratospheric speed and height of popularity rise akin to Kim Soo Hyun in 2014 and Kang Dong Won in 2004, and I can tell the writer is going for the every ten years or on every year ending in 4 type synergy. The article says Kang Dong Won broke out with Temptation of Wolves in 2004 with a nationwide Jung Tae Sung syndrome and Kim Soo Hyun broke out in 2014 from You From Another Star sparking a nationwide Do Manager (Do Min Joon) syndrome, and now in 2024 it’s Byun Woo Seok creating a Ryu Sung Jae syndrome. Forget that Kim Soo Hyun broke out two years prior to YFAS with The Moon Embracing the Sun first, I guess the urge to place Byun Soo Seok in the company of two of THE top actors in K-ent is strong.
Lol. His management company working hard I see.
I thought this news came from c dramaland lol
Definitely working hard on putting out draft
His fan meeting waiting line is in the 800,00 range. His agency doesn’t have to pretend his popularity he actually is that popular. The Ryu Sung Jae craze has Korea on a chokehold. They can’t get enough of him. Just go to any Korean forum and you’ll see how mad they are for him. His popularity on Weverse is equivalent to that of BTS and Blackpink. This is all happening in real time and the fans want more.
I think that’s exactly what knetz are pointing at. He is at an idol level of popularity rather than national phenomenon as the two mentioned. He needed that one popular drama/movie that caters to every age group to be considered one.
What a big joke!! This is Kim Seon Ho HCCC all over again…After a year..no one really care that much! overrated as hell..and the rating..what?? 5%? lol
@Dudu Have to disagree with you regarding Kim Seon Ho. Unlike BWS, Kim Seon Ho was actually popular even with older generation because of him being in a variety show. He wasn’t just some fad who’s only popular with teenagers and early 20s people. His popularity only decreased because of the scandal, but even then, he was literally the second most voted in the recent Baeksang Popularity award, literally second to freaking Kim Soo Hyun. That’s quite a huge feat considering he hasn’t had a drama in years. As for BWS, it still remains to be seen if he was going to be a mere fad or not. I agree with the other comment saying he needs a drama that’s a hit to all age groups before he can be comparable to Kim Soo Hyun
That is a stretch considering k entertainment was only recently very much in love with Kim Seon ho (before his scandal) and then Junho.But I hope BWS’s popularity lasts. In this day and age, it’s hard to be KSH or LMH level popular. You can’t ride on the popularity of one show for too long. There are also influencers who people feel more connected to, though not celebrities but still hold a lot of popularity. So popularity is fleeting these days for celebrities.
‘you can’t ride on the popularity of one show for too long’ – idk, there are actors who’ve essentially done just that, played basically the same character type once they get a hit drama.
but yeah, putting him in company with….Kang Dong Won? and Kim Soo Hyun? After his first drama as a lead? Definitely premature. No hate, I understand his company wants to strike while the iron is hot but he’s not there yet.
btw this is not a hate comment – I genuinely think Byun Wooseok’s a good actor (and to his credit, became that way by taking on a wide range of smaller and supporting roles) and I hope he’s able to cement his position beyond being the It boy of the moment and follow Lovely Runner with a project that does that. I don’t want his rise to be plateaued like Jang Dongyoon. Same for Kim Hyeyoon, I really hope she starts to get considered for the same calibre of projects as other stars in her age group.
kim seon ho and lee jun ho did broke out due to start-up and the red sleeve, but the byeon woo seok craze right now is on a whole different level.
there are multiple articles about him that are trending every day, he topped the non-drama list for buzz for his appearance on you quiz on the block, which no other actor has topped in gooddata’s ten year history, various advertisers and variety shows have been using wordplay to reference ‘carry seonjae on piggyback and run’. there is currently an ongoing meme on the korean interwebs that no matter where you are, you are likely to see women browsing byeon woo seok pictures on their phones. knetizens are saying we’re seeing the birth of a top star in real time. it is quite literally the ryu sun jae syndrome out there. very much a cultural phenomenon.
all that said, i do agree that comparing to kang dong won and kim soo hyun IS a bit of a stretch. only bc times have completely changed and people just don’t break out like they did back then. byeon woo seok’s current popularity is more comparable to how park bo gum broke out in 2016-2017. very funny bc they both played model turned actors on the cusp of popularity in record of youth. it’s up to him to make sure this mass public interest is sustained. his agency is making all the right moves, but everything depends on his next project. i’m rooting for byeon woo seok to keep rising higher bc he has the talent and work ethic for it.
Most kfans are comparing his rise not to KSH/KDW which is such an huge reach, but actually Kim Seonho was mentioned. Its very comparable really. Sudden unexpected burst of fame and then if he can build on it like Seonho did, he can build strong core fan base. Obv he also needs to not get into controversies but thats given haha. Junho is not the same. He was already an idol and proved himself a good actor for years as a lead.
i think the similarity ends with “sudden unexpected burst of fame” tbh. the level of virality between the two is not comparable. byeon woo seok/ryu sun jae is much more popular rn than kim seon ho or his character were at their peak.
@mimi nope hard disagree. Kim Seonho was huge during Start Up. I was in Korea during the second half of its airing and my whole family talked about him throughout my time there. I heard about him at restaurants, in the subway, on the roads. He was the last person who rose to fame so quickly and the perfect comparison. Most kfans feel that way if you check Korean communities. It is definitely the appropriate comparison.
@Mimi
Kim Seon Ho might not be someone I can palate and find his acting rather slimy, but you should know he was the top ranked actor in Gallup. Something quite rare so… oh yea he is most assuredly went viral in a huge way. Still dont get it, but the comparison is very valid and fair. Way more fair and plausible than KSH and KDW undoubtedly.
maybe yall’s memory is hazy, but the traffic that byeon woo seok is moving right now is much higher than kim seon ho did back then. bws topped the gooddata buzzworthy index every week since queen of tears wrapped up. ksh not only failed to top the list even once during start-up’s run, he was also always behind suzy and njh week after week. probably bc start-up itself was not very buzzy. if you compare their weverse community members count, you will see a similar discrepancy, with bws’s weverse community having almost twice as many members as ksh’s. bws also outranked both new jeans(!!) and lim young woong(!!!) in rankify during their comebacks.
i’m not in korea, so i can’t personally speak to how things are offline, but by all indications, bws is generating much higher interest online than ksh ever did. and obviously that translates to offline popularity too. i’m not discounting ksh’s popularity during start-up, i know he was huge. they do share that they skyrocketed from relative obscurity to widespread fame very quickly, but the level of virality is definitely different.
@angrybirds glad i’m not the only one who finds him unpalatable. as for your point, he topped the gallup poll in 2021 after the success of hometown cha cha cha. we’re talking about their initial rise to fame. i’m not contesting his popularity in any case, i’m just saying their initial rise is not on the same level.
@mimi once again, nope. Your recency bias is whats making you think everyone’s memory is hazy. Agree to disagree because I may not be currently in Korea, but I am Korean and follow the kdrama communities very closely for as long as I lived. Kim Seonho was comparable to BWS and his controversy does not change a fact. Another example was Jang Geunsuk for Youre Beautiful if we want to go with an idol drama comparison. But ofc you are free to believe what you want. Popularity never was and never will be a 1:1 statistical comparison otherwise we should be bringing ratings in the conversation. Popularity and syndrom is simply a feeling. You can feel like BWS is the biggest star alive and I can feel like he reminds me of Kim Seonhos rise 🤷🏻♀️
^^my last response to you as I am agreeing to disagree
ah! Kim seon ho. That’s who bws’s rise to game reminded me of. Yeah. He’s closer to kim seon ho’s trajectory than he is to kdw/ksh. I mean in these days of k-entertainment it’s not too shabby to have that kind of rise.
Lol well I loved him in LR but let’s not be delusional 😭. KSH had such a long stretch of extremely popular and successful projects, it’s quite unique in that matter – I don’t think any of his dramas flopped. I hope BWS’s management is smart enough to choose good projects and not just take anything thrown at them trying to blindly catch the next big hit. It would make me very happy to keep seeing him on my screen hehe. I also hope he works on his acting skills, because I didn’t really have any expectations from him when I started LR (based on his previous roles) and he surprised me greatly.
“I don’t think any of his dramas flopped” – One ordinary day was probably a flop, but regardless on that OOD showed his acting range on full, so I became his fan after. And whenever KSH’s fans want to talk about his acting skills, they talk about this drama (yeah, I just wanted to say something about OOD)
????
OOD is not a flop and since you used the word probably, you likely dont know so here are stats.
OOD was the first Coupang Play drama and right after release increased the subscription of CP by 250%. Monthly users increased by 900k. This is reported in several articles so feel free to check naver. It’s not mainstream but never seen anyone calling it a flop since it’s not. It is also impossible to compare the performance of it when released because it is the first CP drama ever so there is no comparison point. Anna released 6 months later. In fact CP has only 10 dramas released to date.
KSH did well in OOD as he always does but his best performance is MoonSun which got him a Baeksang.
@Mel
I seriously thought it was a flop, since the only news I saw about this drama is that OOD wasn’t on 1st place by views on CP during airing. My mistake.
KSH may not have had a flop drama, but he did very definitely have a flop movie which was produced by a member of his family, in which the late Sulli starred in. It wasn’t just a flop, it was widely panned by the media, I remember the level of vitriol leveled at him for starring in that lasted a few months. Now he’s Korea’s darling boy again, and all is forgotten. Lesson learned – choose projects wisely and get an efficient PR team.
I can’t understand that you mean. Everyone who knows about KSH career, knows about Real and his failure. And? You think actor can’t film in flop movie or drama, that people should remember it for decade and hating actor for this? This is not about good projects and efficient PR team, this is about adequacy. Any normal person will not refer to the actor’s failed film or drama for so many years. Even if the actor had filmed in it yesterday, this is not a reason to cancel him or hate him. Such people need to check their head.
Although I also compared him with Ksh in his early age, I think it’s too early to call BWS next KDW or KSH. He needs at least another drama to show himself.
Earlier I thought that Hwang In Youp can be next big actor, he was very popular after True beauty. Or Jung Ho Yeon from Squid game. But now I barely hear about them, and it’s a pity, since both of them can be very charismatic on screen.
Anyway, there are a lot of very good actors in Korea in their 20s and early 30s right now, although most of them playing second lead roles. But then I think about next big male actors, who got recognition enough to have high expectations about their casting news, only Lee Do Hyun and Choi Hyun Wook came to mind now. But hope situation will change.
@Olesya1 – yeah I agree, he needs a followup drama to do strong numbers i.e. ratings, to prove himself. Lovely Runner posted higher numbers than True Beauty and Start-Up like others have mentioned, but it’s still just one drama and buzz can fade. Stans thinking he’s going to be cast in the next Park Ji-eun drama or that he’s going to be cast opposite Kim Ji-won (fresh off Queen of Tears i.e. the biggest hit in tvN history) are definitely jumping the gun.
Can’t speak for Hwang Inyeop but Jung Hoyeon, after a very promising start in Squid Game, hasn’t had a single full-length role in an acting project released since 2021. She’s been cast in a Na Hong-jin film but and three years is a long time to go without a film or drama release for even an established A-lister, forget a rookie with only one role so far. At least she got a lot of awards from it so her next projects will draw some attention when they finally release.
Out of interest why can’t Kim ji won work with him? Ksh fresh off his popularity worked with shin minah.
@royalwe
Just curious, cause popular IT boys always get partnered with veteran fl’s though jiwon is young even younger than bws she’s a veteran compared with him. It would be interesting to see Kim ji won opposite a rising actor. I could see Kjw and bwk having better chemistry than her and ksh, idk just an inkling I have since they’re both so full of charm.
Good point Silja, Why can’t he be paired with Kim Ji Won lol he’s the most popular male lead right now and she’s supposedly popular now due to QOT, seems like a perfect match to me.
this trend of new It Boys being paired with veteran actresses is a relatively recent thing and doesn’t fit KJW’s track record ever since her breakout with Fight My Way (leading men at least on par with or higher than her for stardom level with the exception of SSK and that drama had an A list writer in Park Hae Young). KJW right now is now more high profile than she’s been in her entire career, Shin Minah wasn’t in that same position when she did HomeCha.
This is not a comment on what I think of the idea of a Kim Jiwon/Byun Wooseok pairing, I think they’d be charming but realistically I don’t think it’s going to happen at this point (and yeah ik how strange it is to call her a veteran compared to him considering she is younger) because she is picky about scripts and has turned down dramas with A list It boys before.
@royalwe
I see what u mean actually. With seonho’s project, even if shin minah is A list most people were anticipating him. I’d be interested to see now that Kim jiwon is so high profile, and will hopefully be the main bill who herleading man will be, at this point she doesn’t need a hallyu actor. Many are eagerly anticipated her next project. It’s also interesting that she’s never been a noona or opposite a leading guy younger or even same age as her. I saw a dumb tiktok comment that she’d look much older than BWS if she’s cast opposite him. I just think she’s so versatile with her styling that offscreen she gives a younger vibe compared to her more mature onscreen characters. Still can’t believe she pulled off playing a 30 something yr old in dots when she was early 20s.
@Silja yeah her next project will definitely be highly anticipated. Her choices aren’t always conventional, she takes risks with her roles/dramas so not exactly predictable, and after QoT she probably has plenty of offers.
I’m personally fine with her not getting cast opposite any younger male leads, so many of the actors in that 20s age group who do the dramas opposite veteran actresses are mediocre and just being carried by the skills of an older/more skilled female lead, if KJW has avoided that so far it’s fine. It’s true she hasn’t been cast with anyone close in age to her either other than Park Seojoon and Kim Soohyun and they’re both 4 years older than her, not a big difference.
Anyone who thinks she looks older than BWS probably didn’t watch him in anything other than the high school/college parts of Lovely Runner (he looks his age when he’s playing older Ryu Sunjae who’s supposed to be the same age as irl BWS) or her in anything other than Queen of Tears where she was purposely styled to look older.
@royalwe
Its hard to predict what she’ll do next, which makes following her next work more exciting. I know her fans want her to go beyond romance and do crime, but idk I feel like QOT was an angst fest. I want Kim ji won in a romcom, ffmw was her last real one and I miss seeing a bubbly/charming side of her plus her comedic timing is so good.As for ml, there’s some some aged actors that I want to see her with like yang se-jong. Agree with u on many 20 somethings other than lee Jaewook, choi hyunwook and lee do hyun they’re very meh.
@silja she’s expressed an interest in doing something in the thriller genre and before QoT aired she received an offer for a drama with Jeon Doyeon (though she turned it down and the part ultimately went to Kim Goeun, it was the same drama that originally cast Song Hyekyo and Han Sohee before they left the project).
in the middle of all this chat about a potential pairing of her and BWS, and knowing that she’s now getting offers for more female-centric dramas, I’m more interested in seeing her in a drama with Kim Hyeyoon, they have Elsa/Anna (Frozen) vibes and we don’t see enough buzzy kdramas led by two women, Little Women was the last one.
I think the article meant to compare the level of phenomenal and not necessesarily the actors. I love Byeon woo seok I really hope him to show a magnificient achievement in his next project to keep his star status. The world is faster today, there are more competition and people forget things easily.
I like BWS so hopefully he can maintain the momentum of this fame. I’d still like to see him get casted more as the male lead since he did work his way up.
Haha even kfans think thats pushing it way too far. Outside of girl fans, mostly everyone are saying that in the comments. To be a syndrome, you need to be loved by fans of all ages. Thats a true syndrome. And you also have to be an amazing actor which is not precisely the case.
And you are right Koala. The ‘4’ is just for poetry. Everyone knows KSH broke out much earlier than that. His succession of hits was truly insane and if I were to summarize, he went from winning KBS rookie in 2011 to Daesang in 2015. By 2014, he was already the biggest star in Korea in the 20s. And KDW also needs no introduction. BWS has a very very long way to go to reach either of these actors and this type of article is damaging. Even his fans agree with that.
This article is so ridiculous LOL.
I am a huge Lovely Runner fan after binging. SO GLAD I waited till it was done because i cannot wait weekly for it. I like Sol & adore Sun Jae who is definition of swoon. BWS did amaaazing. I’m in love and am obsessed with everything! Lee Si Eun the writer also wrote True Beauty so I was expecting it to be fun, but LR was miles better. It wasnt just a pretty boy, Sun Jae had soul. I love everything about him including the acting and depth.
But but but… this article is so ridiculous LOL. Byun Woo Seok’s rise is great and I’m so happy for him, but to compare him to Kang Dong Won(!!) and Kim Soo Hyun(!!!) is serious wtf-uckery. These two are amongst Korea’s biggest stars. KDW has been at the top for 20 years now and maintained his status even without starring in a drama which none of his peers have managed. As for KSH, he is literally The. TOP. Actor. If he retired in 2015, his filmography would still be unmatched until today. That was his level. And just a month ago led tvN’s biggest drama and the 3rd highest cable drama in history. The comparison is… so ridiculous.
I hope BWS can build on his success and pick a challenging character for his next drama. If it is live shoot, its better so there is no long pause which is always the case with pre produced dramas. I am looking forward to his career!
He needs at least another big drama to be considered on the KSH /KDW level. His break-out show’s TV ratings is also not that big of a deal compared to KSH’s TMETS or YFTS.
It’s going to take a lot more than just another big drama. Unless that big drama breaks 30% on cable and he wins Baeksang best actor for it. That’s literally what KSH did in his 20s with his second lead role.
No he doesn’t need a big 30% ratings drama to be a big star. LMH followed up the phenomenal success of BoF with Personal Taste which was a huge flop but it did nothing to hinder his popularity. Till date LMH is riding on the BoF and Heirs popularity. One big drama is enough to cement a celebrity. PBG hasn’t had a single hit since LITM but his superstardom remains undisputed.
This reporter has lost his marbles. Kang Dong-won and Kim Soo-hyun? His agency needs to tone it down because this is embarrassing and setting him up for failure.
Oh and this report thinks its ok to think of Lovely Runner in the same breath as You From Another Star and Temptation of Wolves? Is he fr? 😂
I thought for a second this is from cdramaland. This is mainstream tactics, trying to anchor yourself to big names, being called their younger version or successor. It’s bad strategy, you’ll just attract ite from the senior actor’s fans
Tell me about it. Stinks bad strategy from an ocean away. Its plain embarrassing.
I am not a fan of either Kang Dong-won or Kim Soo-hyun but I dont even think their fans will be upset. It is just so implausible to make anyone upset fr 😂
@Rosie
And there are also a lot of draft saying lovely runner beat qot in online popularity, seems like they’re bent on stepping on ksh
I loved him in Lovely Runner. I loved how he was quite the bumbling idiot around her yet still had that “cool guy” persona about him too. It’s kind of a shame since it doesn’t seem like Kim Hye Yoon isn’t getting the same outpouring of love despite holding her own and being the female lead.
It seems like S.Korea has an abundant amount of good, young talent yet it’s also like they don’t know what to do with them. It’s as if they aren’t getting good projects or the “right” ones where they can shine.
I just hope this won’t type-cast Byun Woo Seok since he’s actually quite talented.
I really love LR as well and adore both the leads but like most here, agree that this article is doing more damage than good.
The popularity of BWS being explosive is for real though. One portion is due to his role in LR but I believe it’s also because of his journey as a model and an actor. If you got to hear his story on You Quiz, you can’t help but root for him as a fellow human being. He is just that likeable as a person. For myself, who is in my 50s, he is like a son (if I had kids in my early 20s) that I want to see succeed and yet at the same time, feel concern that all this fame is gonna burn him like it did for others. Really hope that he will have good advisors around him, to guide him on his next steps so that he can cement his position as an actor that can be depended on to deliver.
😅
The reporter who wrote this must be a fangirl or really desperate for reads. Aint no way he/she is anyone reputable. The comparison is kinda amusing too if think about how Kim SooHyun churned out yet another humongous hit in 2024 anddd Kang DongWon too coming back after 84 years. So if Kang DongWon drama does not do well, expecting same reporter to write an article on how Byeon WooSeok beat the great Kang DongWon and Kim SooHyun should watch out pwahahhaa
p.s. I like Byeon WooSeok enough, but this is wildddd. Poor guy does not need to be compared to S-tier actors
I thought for a second this is from cdramaland. This is mainstream tactics, trying to anchor yourself to big names, being called their younger version or successor. It’s bad strategy, you’ll just attract ite from the senior actor’s fans
Lol, errrrr, yea. Quite the ballsy move from his agency trying to mediaplay using the top of the top actors. They’ve been doing a good job so far, but off the edge they go I guess lol.
If it’s his agency – stop it because this is a bad idea. If it’s really just an idiot reporter – screw off.
I really like BWS both onscreen and off. He seems like such a hardworking sweetheart and I’m rooting for him! But let’s not talk about KSH and KDW just yet lmao. Too soon is an understatement. For his next project, I hope he picks something that will likely get him a ratings hit and/or a niche drama that will get him critical acclaim from a wider age group and not just the teens and women in their 20’s. That would be a great start to further building his career. He has the acting talent but being able to pick good scripts is a bigger talent. Looking forward to what he does next!
@Butterfly same – if this is media play they need to tone it way, WAY down.
I’m also rooting for BWS to build on his success though, he’s not A list yet but has a striking chance at getting there if his next project does well (and thanks to LR he probably will get more options)
I think A-list might be a stretch after 1 successful next drama (unless that drama is male centric and does 15%+ or something). For example Kim Seon Ho was not an A-lister after Hometown Cha Cha Cha but one other successful drama would have probably gotten him there.
BWS shouldnt rush but also cant take too long. The trick is almost entirely in picking the right script and the timing of release. The entertainment industry is so fickle these days that its imperative to build on the bubble and make it solid without running into pin needles along the way. We’ve seen many of those recently.
He just spent 2 days interviewing with 130 media outlets in Korea alone. He hasn’t even started talking to foreign media agencies. His agency doesn’t even have to lift a finger. The media LOVES him and they have declared him the next big Hallyu Star. None of this is made up. It’s all very real and being reported by actual reporters who have been in the industry for years. His rise has taken even Korea by surprise they also don’t understand how it happened but now they are obsessed with him.
I mean, can I just agreed though because he is so lovable even in his prior role where he was the villain. But I wouldn’t put him in that level. The drama itself isn’t a big deal on TV. The buzz is definitely from online only but w/ such a weak platform.
Also seen fans complaining about how the leading lady is the one carry the drama because she’s acting her a** off but he is such a good actor too and does deserve this commotion. Sadly the actress hasn’t gotten as much love.
Nonetheless, I hope good project comes his way (hers too) because it all about longevity than this short lived hype.
No.
HAHAHAHHA yea no.
Decent actor breaking out in a not even 6% viral drama =/= Jung Tae Sung and Do Min Joon. These characters are legendary played by actors who are still {the T O P} actors decade(s) later. When or if he stars in a kdrama where the viewers aren’t limited to just squealing fangirls of a specific age demographic, maybe there would be a single backbone to this nonsense comparison.
I am afraid that many of you did not get the meaning of the article. It does not say that BWS is an actor on the same level as KSH or KGW, nor that Lovely Runner is on the same level as Wolves or My love from the stars. There I’d absolutely no reason to be upset about any of that, the reporter is not throwing shade at your faves (although they are probably very happy so many people misunderstood because this makes the article viral). What they ate saying is that the craze over Ryu Seon Jae at the moment in Korea is the first time people get so nuts over a character since 2014 and 2004 before that, for a relatively new actor that is. What they do get wrong is that KSH already had a big hit with Moon, but it is true that although that was a big hit, it didn’t generate the same craze as Stars. Also, it fits the reporter for the “once in a decade” narrative, thus making the article more viral-worthy, because of all the KSH fans that will bite and type away on how KSH already had a big hit before 2014. So basically this feels like a shrewd reporter who profits from a few fangirls’ (and fanboys’) biased reading of a cleverly exaggerated article.
As far as I am concerned, I say congrats to KDW and KSH for maintaining such a successful career over such a long time (KDW is particularly impressive since he has stayed away from dramas, KSH has also had a very wisely chosen career, kudos). Congrats also to BWS, hoping he will get to have a worthy career too (and stay away from scandals other than the anodine dating scandals). And kudos to the reporter for writing such a click-bait of an article!
thanks for being the only person with reading comprehension skills here. people are too busy taking this as a slight against their faves to understand what is actually being said.
For a new actor, maybe. Because I remember the Song Joong Ki fever back in 2016 and how Yoo Shi Jin put Korea and most part of ASia in a chokehold.
Josie – no one here is taking this as some slight… It is too stupid of a claim to be taken as an insult when the two men being compared are in an entirely different universe of success than BWS… I dont even see a single hate comment on him… Everyone is simply stating facts… the rise KSH and KDW was not via teenagers hyping up a drama that has 5% ratings in the last 2 episodes… RyuSeonJae is known by women in their teenage and 20s. LeeHwon (KSH’s true breakout) and Jung TaeSung was known by the entire nation from grandmothers to kiddos. |THAT| is the difference.
Feels like a lot of bitter Kim soo hyun fans here trying to say how BYS shouldn’t be compared to him because Ksh has a long track record etc. It’s just an article, fan girls. Chill. And media just wants to write something like that to grab eyeballs. They’re all unique in their own ways.
You’re the one that should chill. No one is even taking this article seriously.
I’m chill but you can see long detail comments above talking about Ksh’s career etc as if we people don’t know about it.
What did you expect from such a comparison? I don’t see anyone putting BWS down or lifting KSH up more than what he is. Everyone just stating facts.
There’s no reason to chill, because no one was annoyed or badmouthed BWS in some way. If you read comments you know, that everyone praised BWS and said only nice words about him, KSH fans as well.
Kang Dong-won in Temptation of Wolves was so iconic the umbrella scene still got parodied to this days that I’m offended on his behalf with this comparison.
Post on theqoo are reaching 1k comments with mixed reactions to these kind of articles. The reporter/company/anyone needs to stop setting my man up TT_TT.
I think I know which post. LOL. It’s a mix of fans asking to stop these kinds of articles because it will reflect negatively on him, praying for him to pick a good project next and between casuals talking about the LR ratings being low, the need for him to be known to a wider age demographics (since the post is talking about syndrome), and his green-ish acting.
Nah theyre forgetting park bogum maybe that’s more comparable. I’m still in awe of how young he looks omg if he said he’s a 98 liner it’d be believable.
This media play is reminiscent of Han sohee in 2021,and it worked and undoubtedly she has been one of the biggest IT girl SK has seen in a long time. I’m a soohyun fan but his stans need to relax like he’ll always be an S lister but this is BWS first leading role, they’re just bitter that their couple on qot got overshadowed lol the fact that they’re compared to binjin is laughable,its nowhere close to even his best chemistry.
You’re borderline annoying at this point. Lol.
I’m not even a KSH fan and I’m annoyed.
Its Doe… our very own resident KSH-KJW hater (read: other fan shipper). We cant expecting anything less than annoying lol
I’m a ksh fan, I don’t have to love all his projects, I’ve liked most other than QOT and that trashy movie real (which he probably did for loyalty).
I’m a huge soohyun fan, I’ve liked most of his work except QOT and that porno (which was due to his loyalty), somehow not liking all his work and chemistry makes me a hater.
Funny how fans of the other ship are the only ones bitter about KSH and KJW’s chemistry. It must get under their skin KSH is still not over Germany.
Soohyun always does a photo dump post drama, even a month after, if you were his fan you’d know that . Attributing his Germany pics to anything else would be delusional.
@doe, if you think shippers are delusional, his solo fans are delusional in some ways too. They probably don’t want him to date anyone and just date them. He’s also having fan meets coming up so he may just continue to post qot pics to keep the craze going a little longer. I know he does these usual photo dump post drama.
His comments are swarming with shippers but they are not dating and once he starts his next project, it will die down. Why hate on Kim ji won? They are not dating and may never work together again.
@Doe, no more delusional than you whose ship never even left the dock. Why he’s only posting about Germany in his photo dump is anyone’s guess.
@cindy, I wonder if Ksh gets paid by German tourism to post those pics lol.
I will miss the qot Era when it ends and when he stops posting related pics that’s when it ends. I’m not shipping anymore but I just like the drama and the ost. I have seen his other works in the last 10 years. But, something about qot that still makes me so emotionally attached.
By the way, why is Kim ji won even mentioned here in the first place when this article has nothing to do with her lol? That’s how we know the queen is popular now when we get trolls and haters.
@cindy, I wonder if he gets paid by German tourism to post. Lol
I will miss the qot era when he stops posting. I know he is doing his usual photo dump post drama but it’s still nice to see. I watched all his other dramas in the last 10 years but I still get so attached to qot. Not sure why. lol. I am not shipping anymore.
I loooovvveee all his fmv’s on tiktok. Addicting tbh. I feel like I’m back in my teens with the feels he’s giving.
Han sohee media play got mixed reaction, koala here was so bitter too, look at her now she’s proven she had the IT factor that was lacking from her peers for so long. Not to downplay her peers just not everyone needs to be an IT girl/boy. BWS definitely has the IT factor hence the hype,like seonho who had a hit after his breakout, BWS can have that too since he got a big fan base now. He’s been paired with much younger actresses so far, I think hell next be paired with an older experienced actress. Silja suggested KJW (according to one stan is far fetched lol) but tbh they’re better actresses with more acclaim.
I also specifically referred to stans thinking he could be cast in the next Park Ji-eun drama (at this point in his career? Have you guys seen the list of PJE’s male leads?) as jumping the gun but thanks.
PJE isn’t going to keep casting the same faces all the time. The new generation doesn’t have much to choose from and she also know she needs new faces. Same happened with Park Hye Run. She would only cast Lee Jung Seok in all her projects and now she’s casting newbies like Chae Jung Hyeop. Kim Eun Seok also chose Lee Do Hyun for her last drama and he didn’t have a single hit drama to his name before The Glory and Good Bad Mother. Kim Soo Hyun is hitting 40 in a few years she won’t cast him again and he won’t work with her again anymore. Byeon Woo Seok is the best option for popular male lead in the mid 30s range who have a fresh and likeable charm and image. His agency doing all this media play is exactly so that he can land the next Park Ji Eun or Kim Eun Seok drama. This is the foundation they are laying for the future by building this huge hype and noise around everything he does. Out of all the massive A list celebs who showed up at the Wonderland VIP premiere today only Byeon Woo Seok went viral on community forums. Only him.
@Qer – getting salty at me for stating facts, won’t change the facts which is that Kim Eun Sook and Park Ji Eun have a decade long standing pattern of only casting established A list stars as their drama male leads (and Lee Do Hyun got to be the exception because if you actually watched The Glory, he’s just a supporting character with a love line, the only real lead of that drama is Song Hye Kyo and the success of the drama was rightly attributed to her, not him). And slice it whatever way you want or bang on about virality, BWS is not in the league of Hyun Bin or Kim Soo Hyun after Lovely Runner.
and your ‘Park Hae Ryun only casts Lee Jong Seok but now cast a newbie so BWS will start scoring KES/PJE (totally different writers) drama leads’ doesn’t even make sense, because Park Hae Ryun has been casting newbie/rising male leads in her dramas since 2011? She just happened to like to repeat working with one of them. I mean, I’m pretty sure you know who the male leads of Dream High and I Hear Your Voice are. She’s actually one of the bigger name writers who casts newer actors who aren’t A list, if he’s in line for a lead role a big name screenwriter’s project after Lovely Runner she would be a much likelier candidate than either PJE or KES.
@Royal We
Bang on with literally every single sentence you wrote lol. Some fans losing a bit of realism and drinking the media played coolaid. PHR (and Hong Sisters to some extent) are the only writers I can think of that casts rising stars. So that example would have been perfect instead of aiming for PJE or KES. PJE’s last 5 male leads were KSH, KSH, LMH, GY and KSH. KES’s last male *leads* were/are SJK, GY, LBH, LMH and KWB. Each and everyone were established S-list or A-list actors long before working with her. Maybe as a 2nd lead tho…
I did have a chuckle at “KSH turning 40 soon and she wont cast him again and he wont work with her again” when he starred in 3 of the last 5 dramas she wrote and same goes for him.
What a joke, BWS too good for jiwon?! Yh just bore off
Ikr?? What a joke. What actresses has he worked with that are better than KJW and more acclaimed lmao? Not even trying to be rational in her hatred for KJW. Too bad it won’t resurrect her favorite’s dead career.
If this person’s a yeji fan then that’s even a bigger joke, surely they have more concerning matters, hope their fav gets a job quick to get over this obsession.
You just wrote above: “Why can’t he be paired with Kim Ji Won, seems like a perfect match to me”.
Already forgot your own words?
Also Kim Jiwon is only “supposedly” popular with a drama hitting 24%, getting swarmed at airports and her fanmeets exceeding 500K count while this dude and his pairing is truly popular with less than 6%…make it make sense! And also, please free KJW from the wrath of shippers. Amen!
Nope I was going off on their respective popularity right now, if he to pair with a more experienced actress there’s better ones.
@Layan
Well, ratings isn’t matter, Son Suk Ku wasn’t popular before MLN, but it doesn’t made him bad choice for drama.
I’m not talking about them as a possible k-drama couple, since, who knows, with right script that can work.
It’s just the Doe’s comments that amusing me, since if you see other posts you’ll notice, that she’s just KJW’s hater and a troll, trying to talk about her every time she get a chance, that she’s already confused in her own words, lol.
@Doe
So your “perfect match” already not perfect? Okay, lol.
@doe maybe you should campaign for yeji to be paired with BWS to hopefully revive her career.
I really like him but it’s premature to compare him with celebrities which have maintained popularity since 1 or 2 decades . I really hope that this sensational popularity will not be detrimental to him and that he will be able to manage the pressure . Popularity is more fleeting for celebrities nowadays ! I wish him the best .
I guess I’m the only one thinking of his rise being similar to Song Kang rather than the KDW/KSH. Let’s see how it will go.
Song Kang is a common opinion prob since BWS is a way better actor, but you are not the only one thinking his rise is |NOT| similar to KDW/KSH…. Not even a smidge… Everyone pretty much agreed to that including most of his stans
*not common
i don’t think song kang ever “broke out”. he was suddenly everywhere one day. it wasn’t the outcome of a specific work, it was bc investors put their trust in him, which to a degree has paid off.
Just no song kang’s popularity was forced Netflix really tried to push him yet who’s checking for him, how did his last drama do btw? His lucky to be hard carried by talented female leads.
wow a lot of naysayers who have not read the actual article, or even the summary that koala provided. this is clearly a click-baity, fluff piece to generate traffic as he’s a hot topic right now. no one is saying he’s equivalent to the kang dong won and kim soo hyun of today. they’re saying his rise in popularity is akin to how kang dong won and kim soo hyun first rose to fame. the reporter makes the mistake of using YFAS as kim soo hyun’s example, bc he was already a national household name by then. these big stars also “broke out” back at the start of their careers. they didn’t just blink and become A-listers. the roles they broke out through are iconic today after decades. ryu seon jae is shaping up to become a very memorable character, so who knows, maybe in a decade, he’ll be considered iconic too. or maybe not, we don’t know. the article is simply noting the massive surge in his popularity by using hyperbolic examples. pls rest assured, no one is saying byeon woo seok is the new kang dong won or kim soo hyun.
also, believe it or not, byeon woo seok is a huge phenomenon in sk right now. he’s breaking records of all kinds, some so rare that it’s the first time such records have even been measured. he’s basically breaking the scale itself. idk if he will be able to keep this up, but this is the current situation. his next work will be the most important project of his entire career, so i hope he picks wisely.
I just came to say I love bws, and I am so happy for him, and so scared for him, because like they say he who must wear the crown must bear the crown (or something like that, 😂. I have absolutely no strength to do a quick search), but that isn’t any reason to not aim for a crown. It’s been a quite a long time coming,and I hope it’s from glory to glory for him. I want to say having downs is inevitable but then I think of my baby boy LMH and kSH and I guess that they’ve been steadily increasing, I pray for the same for bws, but I can’t shake off the bit of fear I feel towards him, what if all or most of these fans lose their heads like they often do these days and turn their backs on him when one thing springs up, what if he makes a decision that they dont agree with and they go demanding him to do sth else or theyll withdraw their love and support like they did with that poor girl Karina. A part of me is just a bit scared sha for him, but in all things, with all of my heart i wish him well. And seriously the sky is large enough for a zillion stars.
I was wondering what happened here because I don’t think BWS is that popular yet, but then I realized the comparison is quite the hyperbole and will draw a lot of criticism on the writer. Whoever wrote this article is setting him up even if it’s meant to be a positive comparison. His rise has been meteoric, and he’s already gotten his saesengs, but I don’t think we should compare him to these two beloved stars. BWS is a decent actor, but I still think these KDW and KSH are of a different caliber even at their initial rise. I hope he’ll have their sense for picking scripts as well. BWS sounds like he wants to try different roles, including more grey characters, so I hope he chooses wisely. He obviously picked a good one for himself in LR when multiple others have rejected it (and I thank them for it). Good luck BWS!
This has been the only one single thread recently on this site that is amusingly comparable to Taiwan politics. LOL.
Off to more dramas in the Legislative Yuan! 😭🤣
Despite this, i feel bad for KHY because she didnt received the same popularity like him 😢
After fans protes at her agency, she said it not because her agency didnt give her job but she just didnt received love call.
Like why?? Even after EY, she also treat like this when her two other co-star received so much. Because she is woman??
It remind me with one of popular drama couple in my county. After the drama end the FL didnt received the same project/job like the ML. After the several years, she said, it was because the ML agency refuse to work with her when a brand want they work together again, they said they don’t care if it was other actress but not just her… Because of it her career just being softbanned 😒 no want want to work with her because they didnt want to lost opportunity to work with him.
same, I’m really happy for him but wish KHY got even some of that level of popularity and opportunities, this happening for the second time in her career feels really unfair.
(It’s not even like she lacks any of the qualities people expect out of a drama leading lady – she’s clearly talented, capable of carrying a drama as the central character, versatile in her acting abilities, and oh yeah – naturally pretty. It’s madness to me that she isn’t being covered in love calls rn but I hope the industry is paying more attention to her as a future leading lady, than what it looks like rn)
@Royal We, i agree with you but did you read a post about Lovely runner’s director saying that as KHY is a talented actress he told her to work more in her visuals ! I was speechless ! No matter how much an actress is talented and hardworking , it’s not enough she must have the looks too ! For me she is lovely and so pretty ! I was speechless ! BWS was good in this role but his looks helped him a lot to garner this craze ! And i dare to say that he isn’t at the same level as KHY in terms of acting as she is known to be talented and until LR i never read something like that about BWS!
@cahill – !!!!!! I have not read that post, but my first reaction is outrage – did he even look at her face??! she’s already pretty, and I mean that not in an ‘everyone has their own beauty’ pitying way but in the sense that she easily meets even the insanely high looks expectations of k-ent. I mean, she played a literal manhwa character in Extraordinary You and her visuals fit that role perfectly.
I hope that the part about ‘working on her visuals’ was some well-meant advice about improving her styling/fashion (because in the entertainment world, actresses being stylish actually can help their careers) and NOT a veiled code for ‘go get plastic surgery/fillers’. Her greatest charm is that her beauty is the natural kind, I really truly hope she doesn’t touch her face after receiving such advice.
@cahill
@Royal We
He didn’t mean it that way
“Actress Kim Hye Yoon already had a reputation for her quality acting skills. But when it came to the role of Im Sol, not only did her emotions fluctuate rapidly, but the role was not something that one could pull off purely with quality acting. As the female lead of a romantic comedy, the character had to have quality visuals. Because the viewers had to be convinced that Sun Jae fell in love with Sol at first sight. I wanted to bring out the peak of Kim Hye Yoon’s beauty. I frequently scolded her for that. To an actress whose strength is her acting skills, I requested that she work on her visuals.”
“Kim Hye Yoon heeded my word and began to focus on improving her visuals, like receiving ‘camera massages’. When we first started the project, she felt like a daughter, but by the end, she had a more womanly aura. I was proud of her efforts.”
@Ksena – ah, now I get it. If it’s in service of the project and doesn’t harm her, it’s fair advice and it made sense given the context (and it worked, she looks gorgeous and fits the ‘first love’ type to the hilt including the 15 year obsession the male lead has with her)
Meanwhile his costar in the drama said she not even getting a show invitation and she didn’t feel the drama’s popularity herself, is his agency that strong or this is media play