Yeo Jin-goo Facts for Kids

In this Korean name, the family name is Yeo.

Quick facts for kids Yeo Jin-goo
Yeo in July 2024
Born	(1997-08-13) August 13, 1997 (age 27) Seoul, South Korea
Other names	Yeo Jin-gu
Education	Chung Ang University (Department of Theater)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2005–present
Agent	J-Full Entertainment

Korean name
Hangul	여진구
Hanja	呂珍九
Revised Romanization	Yeo Jingu
McCune–Reischauer	Yŏ Chin'gu

Signature

Yeo Jin-goo (Hangul: 여진구; Hanja: 呂珍九) is a famous South Korean actor. He was born on August 13, 1997. Yeo Jin-goo started acting when he was very young, at just eight years old. His first movie was Sad Movie in 2005.

People sometimes called him "Nation's Little Brother." This was because he often played the younger versions of the main characters in popular films and TV shows. Some of these include A Frozen Flower (2008), Moon Embracing the Sun (2012), and Missing You (2012). He became well-known for his role in the action movie Hwayi: A Monster Boy (2013). For this movie, he won a special award for Best New Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.

Since then, Yeo Jin-goo has played many main roles. He starred in movies like Shoot Me in the Heart (2015) and The Long Way Home (2015). He has also been in popular TV series such as The Crowned Clown (2019), Hotel del Luna (2019), and Beyond Evil (2021).

Yeo Jin-goo's Early Life and School
Yeo Jin-goo's Acting Journey
Awards and Recognitions
Images for kids
See also

Yeo Jin-goo's Early Life and School

Yeo Jin-goo was born on August 13, 1997. He has a younger brother and is the older of two children. When he was a kid, Yeo Jin-goo really wanted to be on TV. He asked his parents if he could try acting. His parents supported him, so he took acting classes. He then made his first movie appearance in Sad Movie (2005).

He finished high school at Namgang High School in 2016. This was an all-boys school. Now, he is studying at Chung-Ang University. He is learning about theater there.

Yeo Jin-goo's Acting Journey

Starting as a Young Actor (2005-2011)

Yeo Jin-goo started his acting career in 2005 when he was eight years old. He got his first role in the movie Sad Movie. He was chosen out of 150 kids, even though he had never acted before. In 2006, he was in his first TV drama called I Want to Love. He played a sick child in this show. After that, he acted in his first historical drama, Yeon Gaesomun.

In 2008, he played the younger versions of main characters in two TV series: Iljimae and Tazza. He won his first acting award for Best Child Actor for these roles. This award was from the SBS Drama Awards.

In 2010, he played the younger version of a main character in the drama Giant. Yeo Jin-goo said this was when he really started to take acting seriously. He felt like he truly understood his character for the first time.

In 2011, he played the younger version of the main character in the historical drama Warrior Baek Dong-soo. He also had a small part in the drama Deep Rooted Tree. The main actor of that show, Jang Hyuk, asked for Yeo Jin-goo to be in it. Jang Hyuk liked Yeo Jin-goo's acting when they worked together on Tazza.

Becoming More Popular (2012)

In 2012, Yeo Jin-goo became very popular. He starred in the fantasy historical drama Moon Embracing the Sun. He played a young crown prince. This drama was a huge hit and was watched by many people. After that, he was in the drama Missing You, which was also very well-liked. He won the Best Young Actor award for both dramas at the 2012 MBC Drama Awards.

Taking on Main Roles (2013-Present)

Yeo Jin-goo in 2014

In 2013, Yeo Jin-goo starred in the action movie Hwayi: A Monster Boy. He played the main character, Hwayi. Critics praised his acting, and he won several Best New Actor awards. These included awards from the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards. He was only sixteen, making him the youngest male actor to win Best New Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards. In the same year, he also appeared in the TV comedy Potato Star 2013QR3. He played a character who wanted to create mobile apps.

In 2015, he was in the movie Shoot Me in the Heart. This movie was based on a popular book. He also got his first main role in a TV series. It was a teen vampire show called Orange Marmalade. He won the Best New Actor Award at the 2015 KBS Drama Awards for this role. That same year, he was in a Korean War movie, The Long Way Home. The famous actor Sul Kyung-gu insisted that Yeo Jin-goo be cast in the movie. He only agreed to join if Yeo Jin-goo was also in it.

In 2016, Yeo Jin-goo played King Yeongjo in the SBS drama The Royal Gambler. He won an Excellence Award for his acting at the 2016 SBS Drama Awards.

In 2017, Yeo Jin-goo starred in the science fiction drama Circle on tvN. He also appeared in the historical movie Warriors of the Dawn. Both of these came out in May. He also had a special appearance in the movie 1987: When the Day Comes. This movie was about a real-life event called the June Democratic Uprising. In July, he starred in the SBS romance drama Reunited Worlds.

In 2018, Yeo Jin-goo was cast in the romantic comedy My Absolute Boyfriend. This show was based on a Japanese comic book. It aired on SBS the next year.

IU and Yeo Jin Goo, main actors for Hotel del Luna

In 2019, he starred in The Crowned Clown on tvN. This show was a new version of a 2012 Korean movie. He played two roles: a clown named Ha-seon and King Yi Heon. He was nominated for Best Actor for this role. In the same year, he was in the fantasy drama Hotel del Luna with IU. This drama was very successful and had the highest ratings for its time slot.

In 2020, Yeo Jin-goo made a special voice appearance in the drama Start Up. He was the voice of an AI speaker named Jang Young Shil. He also had a small live-action role in the last episode as a start-up business owner.

In 2021, Yeo Jin-goo starred in the psychological thriller drama Beyond Evil with Shin Ha-kyun. This show started in February on JTBC. Yeo Jin-goo and Shin Ha-kyun had worked together before in the 2006 movie No Mercy for the Rude. In that movie, Yeo Jin-goo played the younger version of Shin Ha-kyun's character. In June 2021, Yeo Jin-goo became the host for Girls Planet 999, a show that aired on Mnet in August.

In 2022, Yeo Jin-goo starred in the tvN fantasy drama Link: Eat, Love, Kill. He played a chef at a fancy restaurant. Later that year, he returned to the big screen after five years. He starred in Ditto, which was a new version of a 2000 movie.

In May 2023, Yeo Jin-goo joined a new company called J-Full Entertainment.

In 2024, Yeo Jin-goo played a terrorist and plane hijacker in the disaster movie Hijack 1971. This was his first time playing a villain in his 19-year career. The movie was based on a real plane hijacking in 1971. This happened when North Korea and South Korea had a lot of tension. Yeo Jin-goo said it was a challenge to play a bad guy for the first time. He wasn't sure if he could do it well. But he said his co-stars, Ha Jung-woo and Sung Dong-il, helped him a lot.

Awards and Recognitions

Yeo Jin-goo has won many awards throughout his acting career. Here are some of the main ones:

2008 SBS Drama Awards: Best Young Actor (for Iljimae, Tazza, Gourmet)
2012 MBC Drama Awards: Best Young Actor (for Moon Embracing the Sun, Missing You)
2013 Blue Dragon Film Awards: Best New Actor (for Hwayi: A Monster Boy)
2013 Korean Association of Film Critics Awards: Best New Actor (for Hwayi: A Monster Boy)
2015 KBS Drama Awards: Best New Actor (for Orange Marmalade)
2016 SBS Drama Awards: Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama (for The Royal Gambler)