Lee Min-ho

Some Lesser Known Facts About Lee Min-ho

• Lee Min-ho is a famous South Korean actor, model, singer, creative director, and entrepreneur. Min-ho became a household name with his role as ‘Gu Jun-pyo’ in the superhit South Korean television series Boys Over Flowers (2009). Some other superhit Kdramas in which he has worked are City Hunter (2011), The Heirs (2013), The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016), and The King: Eternal Monarch (2020).

• He was born and brought up in Seoul, South Korea.

  

• When he was a child, he dreamt of becoming a football player. He even attended South Korean manager and former professional player Cha Bum-kun’s soccer classes, where only a few get a chance to learn. When he was in grade five of elementary school, he had to quit the sport due to an injury.

  

• According to Lee, he was not good at studying in school. He only passed exams with average marks if he decided to study. He was more popular in school due to his good looks.

  

• In high school, he began taking an interest in acting, and in the second year of high school, he set out with his acting lessons.  

• Since childhood, he is friends with the South Korean actor and singer Jung Il-woo. Il-woo and Lee lived in the same neighborhood and even went to school at a very close distance to each other.

  

• Min-ho began getting casting offers in his school days. Later, he started modeling for a magazine, where, while shooting he met the president of his former agency by mistake. He got an offer from the agency and signed up with it. After he enrolled at Konkuk University, he ardently began auditioning for acting roles in films and television series.

• After his debut in a minor role in ‘Sharp’ (2003), Min-ho was seen again in other minor roles as ‘MC Mong’ in Nonstop 5 (2005) and ‘Waiter’ in Recipe of Love (2005), both Kdramas aired on MBC.

• In 2006, he was seen in his first major supporting role as ‘Park Su-hyun’ in the youth drama ‘Secret Campus,’ which aired on EBS. In the series, Park is about a contemplative high school student who takes care of people behind their back. However, he is about to be expelled from his school’s soccer team due to certain circumstances.

  

• In 2006, Lee Min-ho met a car accident with three of his friends when he was traveling with his friends to Gangwon Province; one of them was the famous South Korean actor Jung Il-woo. On the way, a car fleeing from the opposite lane that was fleeing from a hit-and-run site hit their car, destroying their car’s hood and engine. Out of the four, two of his friends sitting in front instantly died, while he and Il-woo, sitting at the back, survived with major injuries. Min-ho sustained broken ribs, thigh, and ankle and also a tear in this knee cartilage. During the operation, a 46-centimeter metal pin was placed in his thigh, which left one of his legs longer than the other. He was bedridden for several months, and in the first month, he was in a coma.

• Before his accident, he was signed up for two TV series High Kick! (2006) and Two Outs in the Ninth Inning (2007), which he had to leave.

• In 2007, Lee bagged his first lead role in the SBS high school drama ‘Mackerel Run.’ He played ‘Cha Gong-chan,’ a student of an affluent high school famous for his soccer skills. He left soccer due to some reason and becomes an outcast in the school. When he meets Min Yoon-seo (played by the South Korean actress Moon Chae-won), a female student in his high school, he falls in love with her and becomes zealous about the sport again. The drama only received a nationwide average rating of 3 to 4%.

  

• In the same year, Min-ho starred in the KBS2 Kdrama ‘I Am Sam’ in which he played the supporting role of ‘Heo Mo-se’ (Principal’s son). The series earned an average viewership of around 6.5%.

• In 2008, he was seen in the MBC drama ‘Get Up’ in which he was seen playing the lead role of ‘Min Wook-ki.’ The series that aired on MBC was centered around the issues faced by high school students like school violence and racism. He garnered positive reviews from the audience for his role in the series.

• In 2008, he was seen in the supporting role of ‘Oh Sang-hoon’ in the South Korean comedy-drama film ‘Our School’s E.T.,’ which was directed by Park Kwang-chun and written by Choi Jin-won. In the film, Chun Sung-Geun (played by South Korean actor Kim Su-ro), an underperforming high school gym teacher who is expecting to be fired, decides to learn and get a permit to teach English. He decided that when the school administration decided to replace all the gym classes with English classes.

  

• In 2009, Min-ho made a breakthrough with his role as ‘Gu Jun-pyo’ in the KBS2 series ‘Boys Over Flowers.’ The 25-episode series is based on the Japanese manga series of the same name. It was written by Yoon Ji-ryun and directed by Jeon Ki-sang. Gu Jun-pyo, the heir to the conglomerate Shinhwa group and student, operates a group of wealthy students called F4, which rules over Shinhwa High; the four-member group included Gu Jun-pyo, Yoon Ji-hu (played by South Korean singer and actor Kim Hyun-joong), So Yi-jung (played by South Korean actor Kim Bum), and Song Woo-bin (played by South Korean actor and singer Kim Joon). When a working-class girl named Geum Jan-di (played by the South Korean actress Koo Hye-sun) enters Shinhwa High, she started getting involved in the affairs of F4 and Shinhwa Group. The series focuses on the five characters as they overcome problems with their family, education, and love life. A commercial success, the series earned an average viewership of 25-28.5%. The series launched the career of all its lead actors, especially Lee Min-ho, and brought countrywide fame to all its cast. Other countries where the series became famous was Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, India, Nepal, Taiwan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, and many more.

  

• Lee Min-ho was appointed as an honorary ambassador for the UNICEF Love Net (fighting malaria) campaign in 2009 and King Sejong Institute Foundation (KSIF).

• In the same year, he was chosen as a brand ambassador of Cadillac CTS, and the following year, he was selected as the brand ambassador for Konkuk University.

  

• In 2009, he made an appearance in the South Korean singer Sandara Park’s music video for ‘Kiss.’

• On June 21, 2009, his official fan club ‘MINOZ’ came into being. The club is operated officially in South Korea and Japan, and there are fan communities of Lee in 145 countries globally.

• The following year, he was seen in the lead role of ‘Jeon Jin-ho’ in the MBC drama ‘Personal Taste.’ In the series, Jin-ho is an architect who rents a part of the modernized hanok Sanggojae, owned by Park Kae-in (played by South Korean actress Son Ye-jin), disguised as a homosexual to win a project bid relating to the hanok. As the two are living together, they slowly fall in love, with Kae-in being unaware that Jin-ho is straight. The series was a hit with average nationwide ratings of 11-14%. Overseas rights of the Kdrama were sold to ABS-CBN in the Philippines, KNTV in Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Trans 7 in Indonesia, 8TV, NTV7 in Malaysia, and Channel 7 in Thailand.’

  

• In 2010, he starred in the SBS drama ‘City Hunter’ in the lead role of ‘Lee Yoon-sung,’ a teenager who comes to South Korea disguised as a Korean-American to find and punish his father’s five killers by working at a South Korea’s presidential palace. At the palace, he meets Kim Na-na (played by South Korean actress Park Min-young), a presidential bodyguard, with whom he falls in love. Directed by Jin Hyuk, the series was a commercial success with a nationwide rating of 16%. The series’ advertisement slots were sold out at a high price of ₩420 million ($420,000) per episode, and by the end episode, the series made revenue of a total of ₩10.45 billion ($10.45 million).

  

• In 2011, he met with another car that was hit by a truck while he was shooting for ‘City Hunter.’ During the shooting, his car was hit by a truck. Fortunately, he escaped with only minor injuries.

• In January 2012, his performance in City Hunter earned his the title of ‘Honourable Prosecutor.’ Seoul Prosecutor’s Office in a ceremony gave him the title.

• In 2011-12, Lee Min-ho starred in the promotional series for Toyota Camry titled ‘The One and Only’ in which he portrayed Joon Kwon. In the series, Kwon gains consciousness after a coma without knowledge of who he is. As he starts his 2012 Toyota Camry, some part of his memory returned to his. Using the car’s Entune system, he began traveling to find his lost memories.

  

• In 2012, Min-ho starred in the SBS television series ‘Faith’ in which he plated ‘Choi Young,’ a general in the Goryeo Dynasty who comes to modern-day South Korea and kidnaps a plastic surgeon named Yoo Eun-soo (played by the South Korean actress Kim Hee-sun) to save the queen’s life. Soon, Young and Eun-soo fall for each other. With an average nationwide rating of 10-11%, the series was a flop, but Lee received praises from critics and the audience for his performance in the series.

  

• Min-ho starred in yet another promotional series in 2012. This time for Innisfree titled ‘First Love’ in which he was seen as Innisfree’s CEO.

• In 2013, he was seen in the SBS Kdrama ‘The Heirs,’ which was written by Kim Eun Seok and directed by Kang Shin-hyo and Boo Sung-chul. The series is about a high school student and heir to Jeguk Group (large conglomerate), Kim Tan, who was exiled to the US by his half-brother to take over the Jeguk. In the US, Tan meets Cha Eun-sang (played by the South Korean actress Park Shin-hye). Even though he was engaged to Yoo Rachel (played by South Korean actress Kim Ji-won), heiress to a conglomerate, he starts to fall for Eun-sang. Tan struggles as he had to choose between his love and family business. With an average nationwide rating of 16.7%, the series was a superhit and even compelled creative heads in China for a remake. In 2014, a series titled ‘Billion Dollar Heir’ starring Chinese actors Yu Xiao Tong, Kan Qing Zi, and Korean singer-actor Choi Si-won adapted from ‘The Heirs’ was released.

  

• Min-ho even sang an OST from the Kdrama ‘The Heirs’ titled ‘Painful Love.’

• He was appointed as a PR ambassador for Patagonia Reforestation Project in 2013.

• In January 2014, at the CCTV Lunar New Year Gala in China, Lee performed a song with Taiwanese singer Harlem Yu and became the first South Korean to perform at the event.

• In April 2013, his wax figure at Madame Tussauds Shanghai was exhibited for the first time, and in January 2014, his wax statue at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong was unveiled.

  

• In 2014, Lee Min-ho’s released his second EP, ‘Song For You’ (Korean), which was charted at number 3 and had six tracks.

• The same year, Lee starred in Line’s 3-episode promotional mini-drama ‘Line Romance’ in which he played the role of ‘Min-ho’ (a music producer). The iQiyi series chronicles how Min-ho and Ling Ling, a female Chinese tourist who fell in love with Min-ho, connect through the Line app, despite the language barrier between the two.

  

• In 2014, Lee Min-ho started PROMIZ, a fundraising website where anyone can donate to social and humanitarian causes. In 2014, PROMIZ made a collection of US$50,000 to construct wells in Malawi in collaboration with the non-profit organization Charity: Water.

  

• In 2015, Lee Min-ho was seen in his first lead role in the South Korean action film ‘Gangnam Blues’ written and directed by Yoo Ha. In the film, he plays ‘Kim Jong-dae’ who is friends with Baek Yong-ki (played by South Korean actor Kim Rae-won). The two used to collect water bottles, but later they joined rival gangster clans. They are both in a war respective to their clans over political interests for a development project in Gangnam, Seoul. The film was superhit with a collection of US$20 million and received praises from the audience and critics.

  

• In 2015, Min-ho released another non-album single titled ‘Thank You.’

• In 2015, Lee was seen in promotional series for Innisfree titled ‘Summer Love’ which aired on YouTube. In the series, he played Min-ho who is best friends with Yoon Ah. As they talk about the new Innisfree product, they slowly began developing feelings for each other.

  

• In 2015, he served as a public ambassador for the Korean Tourism Campaign, also known as The Face of Korean Tourism.

• In 2015, Lee Min-ho donated 100 million Won to UNICEF to help the victims of earthquakes in Nepal.

• In 2016, he appeared in the SBS drama ‘The Legend of the Blue Sea,’ written by Park Ji-eun and directed by Jin Hyuk and Park Seon-Ho. It tells the story of the love and rebirth of the mermaid Shim Cheong (played by South Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun) and human Heo Joon-jae (played by Lee Min-ho) in connection to the parallel past of their Joseon-era incarnations, Se-hwa (mermaid) and Kim Dam-ryeong (town head), respectively. The series was super hit with an average nationwide viewership rating of 16.4%. The viewership went up as high as 20.7% for some episodes. In the time slot the series was aired, among all, it was ranked first. It garnered huge attention and praise from around the world, including South East Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

  

• In the 2016 promotion series for Lotte Duty Free ‘7 First Kisses,’ Lee Min-ho appeared in the last episode as ‘Lee Min-ho’: the travel writer. In the YouTube series, a Lotte Duty Free female employee searching for her Mr. Right comes across Goddess of Date, who grants her to choose between seven handsome men; Lee being one of them.

  

• In 2016, he was the host of KCON LA X M Countdown.

• In 2016, PROMIZ made donations to campaigns such as Good Neighbours, Transparent Umbrella Project, World Water Day, and Making Warm Winter for Both Bodies and Hearts. The proceeds from the merchandise of PROMIZ are used to carry out charity projects in collaboration with other charities.

• The same year, PROMIZ won Korea Good Brand Awards for its contribution to causes.

  

• For his contribution to society, Lee Min-ho was awarded The Happiness Sharing Award by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea in 2016.

  

• In 2017, his second single album, ‘Always’ (2017) was released, which peaked at number 5. His Japanese singles include Thank You and The Day, which peaked at 11 and 15, respectively.

• In 2017, Lee was seen as a narrator in the South Korean documentary ‘DMZ, The Wild.’ The series explores Lee Min-ho going out in the wild at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a stretch of land that separates North and South Korea and has prohibited human access since 1953. As Min-ho wanders in the Southside of DMZ, he raises awareness about the endangered animal species in the zone. While shooting for the documentary, Min-ho went camping out in cold temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celcius while he waited for hours for animals to appear.

  

• He was an ambassador of Visit Korea Year and PR ambassador for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games and Paralympic Winter Games from 2015 to 2018.

• Lee Min-ho, unlike other South Korean citizens, was exempted from mandatory military service. Citing his 2006 car accident, the Military Manpower Administration announced that Min-ho was exempted from the service but he would do community service. On May 12, 2017, Min-ho started his community service as a public service officer at the Suseo Social Welfare Centre in the Gangnam District Office. On March 13, 2018, he was sent to the Korea Army Training Center in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, to start his four-week basic military training. On April 25, 2019, he was discharged from his services.

  

• While he was still performing mandatory military service in 2018, the news began circulating about a scam company (posed as Lee Min-ho’s agency) claiming to organize a meet-and-greet with Min-ho in exchange for monetary gain. They even claimed that they could let their fans meet Min-ho’s parents and walk with Min-ho by depositing a certain amount. This led Min-ho’s company to announce that they would be taking strict action against the company for using Min-ho’s name.

• As a celebration of the 10th anniversary of his debut, his fans organized several charity events, which included donating proceeds from selling bottle caps to recycling companies to the cancer-stricken children (done by his Mexican fans) and planting 510 trees in Inner Mongolia (done by his Chinese fans). His Taiwanese and Hong Kong fans even donated to organizations like World Vision and UNICEF.

• In 2020, he was seen in the SBS television drama ‘The King: Eternal Monarch,’ which was written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Baek Sang-hoon, Jung Ji-hyun, and Yoo Je-won. In the series, he plays Lee Gon, the modern-day emperor of the Kingdom of Korea (KOK), who travels to the alternate reality Republic of Korea (ROK) in search of Jeong Tae-eul (played by Kim Go-eun), a detective who he believes saved his life at the day of his father’s assassination. He travels with the help of half-of manpasikjeok (a flute); the other half is used by his uncle (the assassin of his father), who is swapping people from ROK to KOK to raise an army to overthrow Gon. The series viewership was 11.4% in the first episode, 11.6% in the second, and went between 6-8% in the later episodes. Its low rating is believed to be a result of the rising of streaming platforms in South Korea. In countries like South Korea, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, the series was one of the most popular Kdramas of 2020; it was also one of the top two Kdramas in 2020 in the US. Despite being a hit, the series was struck with controversies relating to its historical inaccuracies. It also received advisory warnings for scenes challenging gender equality from the Korea Communications Standards Commission.

  

• In October 2020, Lee Min-ho launched his YouTube channel named Leeminho Film, where he works as a creative director and executive producer. As of April 2022, he has more than 867K people subscribed to his channel.

• Lee has made appearances in advertisements for Lotte, Pizza Hut, Samsung, Hyundai, Levi Strauss Korea, LG, Toyota, bbq, Naver, Ferrero, and Domino’s Pizza.

  

• Lee Min-ho and his agency decided to give him a stage name after the shooting for ‘Secret Campus’ had concluded. They believed his real name was too ordinary. After several discussions, they decided to go with Lee Min (removing ‘ho’ from his name). The name was inspired by South Korean actor Jung Woo-sung’s character’s name (Min) from the South Korean film ‘Beat’ (1997). Lee confessed that he liked the name among other alternatives. He worked under the name for two years, but after his 2006 accident, being bedridden for months, he finally searched his name. The search results only show ‘overseas immigration’ (the latter word in Korean has the same pronunciation as his stage name). It was then decided that he’d go back to work as Lee Min-ho. ^[17]Asia Gyeong-je

• According to Min-ho, his ideal type is someone with a great understanding of herself, who shares equal values with him, and who respects people and superiors around her.

• According to Lee Min-ho, he had a crush on the South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo.

  

• Lee has a low alcohol tolerance. In an interview, he said that he can only take a maximum of four glasses of Soju and was trying to increase it to six. Instead of drinking alcohol when he is partying with his friends, he likes to either eat or go karaoke-ing with them. ^[18]Daily Sports

• He is a cynophilist and has a pet dog named Choco.

  

Lee Min-ho in a scene from Get Up (2008)