Lee Soo-hyuk

1. Life and career

Born Lee Hyuk-soo,^[1] he debuted as a model in designer Jung Wook-jun's Lone Costume fashion show in 2006. He walked runways for domestic fashion brands including General Idea and Song Zio, and did cover shoots for several fashion magazines such as GQ, Bazaar, and Elle.^[2]

After appearing in music videos of girl groups Gavy NJ and 2NE1 in 2009 and 2010, Lee expanded his career into acting. Using the stage name Lee Soo-hyuk,^[3] his credits include the television series White Christmas (2011),^[4] What's Up (2011),^[5] Vampire Idol (2011–2012)^[6] and Shark (2013).^[7] He also appeared in the films The Boy from Ipanema (2010), Runway Cop (2012),^[8] and Horror Stories 2 (2013).^[9][10]

In 2013, Lee went to Europe for Paris Fashion Week and London Fashion Week, where he walked fashion runway shows for Balenciaga, J.W. Anderson, and Balmain.^[11] He was named one of the "13 Top Breakout New Male Faces of F/W2013" by the online fashion magazine Style Minutes, being the only Asian model to make the cut among other newbies from Holland, Canada, Brazil, Australia, England, Hungary, Germany, and Lithuania.^[12]

In 2014, Lee appeared as a guest judge during season 4 of Korea's Next Top Model, and was invited by Tyra Banks to participate in the season 21 finale of America's Next Top Model. He left his agency, SidusHQ, that same year and signed with Star J Entertainment,^[13] subsequently starring in the tvN romantic comedy series' High School King of Savvy—as the second male lead—and Righteous Love.^[14][15][16] In 2015, Lee was cast in the period vampire romance Scholar Who Walks the Night, based on the webtoon of the same title.^[17][18] This was followed by secondary roles in OCN's espionage drama Local Hero,^[19] and the MBC romantic comedies Lucky Romance and Sweet Stranger and Me, in 2016.^[20][21]

Lee joined YG Entertainment in 2017.^[22][23] He was cast in Yoo Ha's crime thriller film Pipeline in 2019.^[24] Subsequent projects included lead roles in the mystery romance drama Born Again^[25] and the mini web series Handmade Love, both in 2020; the tvN fantasy-romance drama Doom At Your Service in 2021;^[26] and the MBC fantasy drama Tomorrow in 2022.^[27]

In July 2025, after the expiration of his exclusive contract with YG Entertainment, Lee signed a new contract with Saram Entertainment, which houses prominent actors like Gong Myung and Choi Soo-young. Saram Entertainment stated they would fully support Lee's activities on the global stage, capitalizing on his unique image as an actor and top model.^[28] Furthermore, Lee began challenging himself as an MC for the first time since his debut by hosting the K-pop idol audition program, Project 7, starting in October 2024. The program featured other prominent K-pop figures and Lee was named the host, leading the voyage of the audition with an unconventional freshness.^[29]

2. Endorsements

Selected Endorsements (2018–present)

Year	Brand/Product	Role	Notes	Ref.
2018–2019	Adidas	Model / Collaborator	Featured in various fashion campaigns.	[30]
2020	Bulgari	Model	Featured in lifestyle and accessory campaigns.	[31]
2020	Nivea Men	Brand Model	Selected as the new model for skincare products.	[32]
2021	Fahrenheit	Exclusive Face	Represented the men's fashion brand.	[33]

Lee is often booked for fashion editorials in magazines such as GQ, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, W, and Esquire. In 2020, he did fashion editorials for Dior Homme, Balenciaga, and other labels.

3. Personal life

3.1. Military service

On August 10, 2017, Lee began his mandatory military service. After the basic military training, he continued his service as a public service officer for two years.^[34][35]

4. Filmography

Key

†	Denotes films that have not yet been released

4.1. Film

Year	Title		Role	Ref.
	English	Korean
2006	My Boss, My Teacher	투사부일체	Student	[36]
2010	The Boy from Ipanema	이파네마 소년	Boy	[37]
2012	Runway Cop	차형사	Kim Sun-ho	[38]
2013	Horror Stories 2	무서운 이야기 2	Sung-kyun	[39]
2021	Pipeline	파이프라인	Gun-woo	[40]
2025	Sister	시스터	Tae-soo	[41]

4.2. Television series

Year	Title		Role	Notes	Ref.
	English	Korean
2011	White Christmas	화이트 크리스마스	Yoon-soo		[42]
	Deep Rooted Tree	뿌리 깊은 나무	Yoon Pyeong
	What's Up	왓츠업	Lee Soo-bin		[43]
	Vampire Idol	뱀파이어 아이돌	Mukadil Kejua / Soo-hyuk		[44]
2013	Don't Look Back: The Legend of Orpheus	상어	Kim Soo-hyun		[43]
2014	High School King of Savvy	고교처세왕	Yoo Jin-woo
	Righteous Love	일리있는 사랑	Kim Joon
2015	The Scholar Who Walks the Night	밤을 걷는 선비	Gwi
2016	Local Hero	동네의 영웅	Choi Chan-gyu
	Lucky Romance	운빨로맨스	Choi Gun-wook		[23]
	Sweet Stranger and Me	우리집에 사는 남자	Kwon Duk-bong
2017	Gomen, Aishiteru	ごめん、愛してる	Baek Rang	Cameo (Episode 1)	[42]
2020	Born Again	본 어게인	Cha Hyung-bin / Kim Soo-hyuk		[45]
2021	Hello, Me!	안녕? 나야!	Police Officer	Cameo (Episode 1)	[46]
	Doom at Your Service	어느 날 우리 집 현관으로 멸망이 들어왔다	Cha Joo-ik		[26]
2022	Tomorrow	내일	Park Joong-gil		[27]
2024	Queen Woo	우씨왕후	Go Bal-gi		[47]
2025	S Line	S라인	Han Ji-wook		[48]
2026	Boyfriend on Demand	월간남친	Choi Si-woo	Cameo	[49]

4.3. Web series

Year	Title		Role	Notes	Ref.
	English	Korean
2020–2021	Handmade Love	핸드메이드 러브	Woven		[50]
2022	Welcome to Hunam-dong Bookstore	어서 오세요, 휴남동 서점입니다	Hyun Seung-woo	Audio drama	[51]

4.4. Television shows

Year	Title		Role	Notes	Ref.
	English	Korean
2008	Seven Models - Special Edition	세븐모델즈 - Special Edition	Cast member	Documentary series	[52]
2013	Style Log 2013	스타일로그 2013	Host	with Hong Jong-hyun	[53]
2020	Like Likes Like	끼리끼리	Regular cast	17 episodes	[54]
2021	Countryside Western Cuisine	시고르 경양식		Server	[55]
2023	Cohabiting, Not Married	결혼 말고 동거	Host		[56]
2024	Project 7	프로젝트 7	Host		[57]

4.5. Music video appearances

Year	Title	Artist	Length	Ref.
2009	"Monorail of Night" (밤의 모노레일)	XXX	4:21
	"A Love Story" (연애소설)	Gavy NJ	5:33	[58]
2010	"It Hurts" (아파)	2NE1	4:15	[59]
2012	"Whoz That Girl"	EXID	4:07	[60]
2013	"Falling in Love"	2NE1	3:47	[61]

5. Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee(s) of the award, and the result of the nomination

Award ceremony	Year	Category	Nominee(s) / work(s)	Result	Ref.
Elle Style Awards	2024	Best Style Icon (Male)	Lee Soo-hyuk	Won	[62]
Korea Best Dresser Swan Awards	2008	Best Dressed (Model)		Won	[63]
	2014	Best Dressed (Actor)		Won	[64]
Korea Fashion Photographers Association	2007	Best New Model		Won	[65]
MBC Drama Awards	2015	Best New Actor	Scholar Who Walks The Night	Won	[66]
Weibo Gala 2025	2025	Most Popular Korean Artist	Lee Soo-hyuk	Won	[67]
14th Marie Claire Asia Star Awards	2025	Beyond Cinema Award		Won	[68]

5.1. Other accolades

5.1.1. Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement

Publisher	Year	Listicle	Placement	Ref.
Style Minutes	2013	13 Top Breakout New Male Faces	Placed	[69][70]