7 facts you didn't know about Perfect Crown’s Byeon Woo Seok

Meet South Korea’s most talked-about heartthrob of the moment, Byeon Woo-seok. Starring opposite IU in Disney+’s hit drama Perfect Crown, the high-profile pairing has captivated audiences worldwide, propelling the series to the top spot as the most-watched Korean title globally within just five days of release.

While the actor has previously appeared in popular K-dramas such as Record of Youth, Strong Girl Nam-soon, and Lovely Runner, his appeal shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, his latest role is winning over an even wider audience.

In Perfect Crown, Byeon Woo-seok plays a sharp, charismatic, and emotionally guarded royal who serves as regent to his young nephew. His path crosses with Seong Hui-ju (played by IU), the poised yet conflicted second daughter of Korea’s most powerful chaebol family. What begins as a strategic arrangement gradually unfolds into something deeper, as the two navigate expectations, societal pressures, and their growing feelings for one another.

The series leans into a slow-burn romance, with quiet, tender moments that make their evolving relationship all the more compelling. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Byeon Woo-seok brings both striking visuals and undeniable charm to the role.

With the season still ongoing, fans have taken to social media to express their love for the on-screen couple, especially whenever the duo shares behind-the-scenes glimpses of their time on set.

With his rising global popularity, it’s clear that Byeon Woo-seok’s breakout moment has arrived—and we can expect to see much more of him in upcoming projects. In the meantime, here are some facts you might not know about the charismatic actor that could make you fall for him even more.

He can sing

If we told you a K-Pop group has been taking over Korean music charts like MelOn and Bugs, and even entering Billboard’s Top 200 Global chart, you probably wouldn’t expect it to be a fictional K-Pop group. Yes, you read it right, the fictional K-Pop group Eclipse which “debuted” in the drama Lovely Runner is the one entering these charts.

Eclipse sang four songs as part of the original soundtrack for the drama, including the OST, ‘Sudden Shower’ (소나기). Of course, as the band’s lead vocalist, Ryu Sun Jae, or rather, Byeon Woo Seok, lent his voice to the songs and so the deep and soothing voice you hear is actually his! In fact, VARO Entertainment (Byeon Woo-seok’s agency) recently released a video of the actor singing ‘Sudden Shower’ live.

Eclipse’s songs are available on all music streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music so if you haven’t, you might want to give them a listen.

He debuted as a model before going into acting

In case you didn’t know, Byeon Woo-seok is actually a model-turned-actor. The soon-to-be 35-year-old made his modelling debut in 2014 and was signed under YG KPlus, a model and actor management company. He only made his acting debut in 2016 and was officially cast in a leading role in 2019 in the drama Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency.

He is close friends with well-known actress-singer Kim Hyeri, and actors Nam Joo Hyuk, Joo Woo Jae and Jang Ki Yong

Something which shocked many fans is the close friendship the actor has with actress-singer Kim Hyeri, who was his former co-star in the drama Moonshine. He recently went on her talk show, Hyell’s Club, where they shared their first impressions of each other, and talked candidly about their experiences. You can watch the full video here.

As a model under YG KPlus previously, it is no wonder that Byeon Woo-seok’s close circle of friends also includes fellow YG KPlus models (who have also ventured into the acting scene) Nam Joo Hyuk, Joo Woo Jae and Jang Ki Yong. He still maintains close friendships with them – he recently posted a photo of him and Joo Woo Jae watching and reacting to his drama Lovely Runner together on his Instagram.

He had cameos in several hit K-Dramas

If you are a K-Drama fanatic, you would’ve probably watched or at least heard about the 2016 hit dramas Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Little did you know that Byeon Woo Seok made special appearances in both of them! In Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Byeon Woo-seok played the ex-boyfriend of IU’s character.

In Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, he acted alongside his friend Nam Joo Hyuk, starring as Nam Joo Hyuk’s character’s college senior.

He already completed his military service back in 2013

The one thing that fans of K-pop idols and K-actors all dread: compulsory military service, which means having to see our favourite Korean celebrities go on a hiatus for almost two years. However, fans of Byeon Woo-seok, will never have to go through that gruelling wait. In an interview with ELLE Korea, the actor revealed that he had already completed his military service back in 2013 before his debut. This means that fans probably don’t have to wait long for him to star in his next project!

He has a very close-knit relationship with his parents

Unbeknownst to everyone, the charming actor actually has a soft side to him – one which loves to act cute or do aegyo, to his parents. In his recent appearance on You Quiz on the Block hosted by Korea’s national emcee Yoo Jae Suk and Cho Sae Ho, Byeon Woo-seok told the hosts that when he meets his parents, they often hug or give each other kisses on the cheeks. He even mentioned that he would like to receive kisses from his parents and be showered with affection from them for the rest of his life.

His motto is to ‘enjoy life to the fullest’

In an interview with The Korea Times, Byeon Woo-seok revealed that his motto is to ‘enjoy life to the fullest’. The actor places a priority on doing things which make him happy, and in doing so, it led him to pursue a career in acting. He realised he had a fiery passion for the job and has hoped to be more ambitious and try out a variety of roles in different genres.