It’s Lee Dong-wook’s turn in the spotlight, just in time for his leading role in tvN’s new rom-com, Reach of Sincerity, which is just a few weeks into its run.
Born in 1981 in Seoul, South Korea, Lee Dong-wook debuted in an MBC drama special. That appearance started a chain reaction, and he was subsequently cast in School 2, and then School 3 (the early run of the series that would later continue as School 2013, 2015, and 2017). With some solid credits under his belt, Lee Dong-wook worked heavily in primetime and weekend dramas, finally winning his way into much-deserved leading man status.
Lee’s been steadily acting for the past twenty years and his career has been punctuated with some really big hits, like the now-classic Hong sisters rom-com My Girl, Scent of a Woman, and the 2016 smash hit The Lonely Shining Goblin. Here’s looking forward to many more great dramas in the future!
And now it’s time for some Lee Dong-wook drama highlights, followed by his full filmography.
My Girl (2005)
My Girl was one of the first K-dramas that I watched, so it will always have a special place in my heart. It’s also a huge early Hallyu hit that, in my opinion, struck all the right notes in what is now a pretty perfected (though some might say cookie cutter) genre. Lee Da-hae played the scrappy down-on-her-luck heroine, and Lee Dong-wook was the chaebol she got entangled with. But it wouldn’t be a quintessential K-drama without the second leads to exemplify the token smitten bad boy (played by Lee Jun-ki, with an epic wardrobe) and the ex-girlfriend (played by Park Shi-yeon) who’ll do anything to get back the man she “loves.” It might feel a little cliche to watch it now, but back in 2005 this was a fresh and genre-making drama. I still can’t forget the scene where Lee Da-hae falls headlong in the bathroom as she’s about to take a bath, and Lee Dong-wook rushes in to save her, armed with a huge fluffy quilt to make sure her modesty is maintained. Hilarious! These two were great together— it’s no wonder fan interest was so high when they reunited in Hotel King almost ten years later (disclaimer: it couldn’t touch My Girl).
Scent of a Woman (2011)
Don’t let this photo (or the awful title) fool you — this drama isn’t a walk in the rom-com park. Kim Sun-ah starred as the “spinster” heroine who rediscovers herself when she’s diagnosed with a terminal illness. It’s not the happiest of plots, but the story is actually quite a good one, balancing the sweet and the bittersweet. There’s something cathartic about seeing a heroine quit her crappy job, come into her own, live out her bucket list, oh, and fall in love with the swoony Lee Dong-wook somewhere in the process. Their chemistry, and especially the famous tango scenes from this drama, is strong enough to burn through your TV and/or computer screen. While a terminal illness plot line is usually enough to make me tune out, this is one of the few dramas that held me and told a story worth watching.
Reach of Sincerity (2019)
This photo says it all. Reach of Sincerity has received loads of attention as it reunites Lee Dong-wook with Yoo Inna, his previous costar and love interest from the phenomenally successful Goblin. Lee Dong-wook portrays a competent lawyer who seems a bit buttoned-up and aloof (and clearly, has no patience for his new “Hallyu goddess” secretary) — but we know better. It’s fun to watch a drama and predict how the personalities of the two completely opposing leads will affect the other, and all the chaos, hijinks, and swooning (I hope!) that will ensue. I will say, at the point of writing this, there haven’t been any clues as to why Lee Dong-wook’s character keeps calling Yoo Inna’s heroine by her real name rather than her professional name Yoon-seo. Maybe it’s a hint that he sees under the real person under the glam celeb trappings?
Lee Dong-wook’s full filmography: