Lee Min-ho is a popular South Korean actor, model, singer, creative director, and entrepreneur. He is most famous for his roles in the South Korean television series Boys Over Flowers (2009), City Hunter (2011), The Heirs (2013), The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016), and The King: Eternal Monarch (2020).
Wiki/Biography
Lee Min-ho was born Monday, June 22, 1987 (age 35 years; as of 2022), in Heukseok-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea. He is a Cancerian.
Lee Min-ho as a child
Lee Min-ho did his elementary schooling at Seoul Namseong Elementary School, Seoul. As a child, Lee Min-ho wished to become a football player and attended South Korean manager and former professional player Cha Bum-kun’s soccer classes, where only a few individuals get selected. However, he had to leave football due to an injury he suffered in the fifth grade of elementary school.
Lee Min-ho (shy child wearing no.19 jersey) with the other soccer players of Cha Bum-kun’s soccer classes
He then attended Banpo Middle School and Danggok High School; both schools are in Seoul, South Korea. According to Lee, he was not good at studying in school and passed with average marks only if he studied. However, he was more prevalent in school for his good appearance.
Lee Min-ho in his high school days
He started taking an interest in acting in his high school and began taking acting lessons in the second year of high school. He pursued a bachelor’s in Film & Arts at Konkuk University in Seoul. He then pursued a master’s degree in Film & Art at Kookmin University, Seoul.
Physical Appearance
Height: 6′ 1½” (187 cm)
Weight: 73 kg
Eye Color: Black
Hair Color: Black
Descent
Lee Min-ho is the 42nd descendant of the Lee clan from Gyeongju, which was founded by Yi Al-pyeong (李謁平) who was one of the six village headmen selecting Park Hyeokgeose as the first King of Silla.
Family
There is no information about his parents.
Lee Min-ho with his mother
Lee has a sister, Lee Yong-jung, the CEO of his current agency MYM Entertainment.
Lee Min-ho with his sister
Relationships
In his school days, he had a girlfriend.
Lee Min-ho (standing second to left) with his high school girlfriend (next to him in checkered blazer) and friends
In 2011, South Korean actress Park Min-young and Min-ho dating rumors began circulating. The actors’ agencies confirmed the rumors. After the announcement of their relationship, Park and Lee dated for around eight months before separating due to their busy schedules.
Lee Min-ho with Park Min-young
In 2013, after the release of the Kdrama ‘Heirs,’ Lee Min-ho and South Korean actress Park Shin-hye’s on-screen chemistry sparked rumors of the duo dating. The rumors were never confirmed by both the actors’ agencies.
Lee Min-ho with Park Shin-hye
In March 2015, the dating rumors of Lee Min-ho and South Korean actress-singer Bae Suzy started. Dispatch released many reports of Lee Min-ho and Suzy going out. Following the reveal by Dispatch, their agencies confirmed that Suzy and Minho had been dating each other for a month. In September 2015, the agencies denied the breakup rumors of the actors. In November 2017, the actors announced their separation.
Bae Suzy
In 2015, there were even rumors of him dating the South Korean actress and singer and member of the girl group AOA Seolhyun, who had starred with him in the South Korean film Gangnam Blues.
Lee Min-ho with Seolhyun
In 2016, Lee Min-ho was rumored to be dating the American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift. Lee Min-ho’s agency later denied the rumors.
Taylor Swift
In 2020, Kim Go-eun and Lee Min-ho appeared in the Kdrama ‘The King: Eternal Monarch,’ after which they began posting pictures with each other on Instagram. This led to their dating rumors.
Lee Min-ho with Kim Go-eun
In August 2021, he was believed to be dating the South Korean actress and singer Yeonwoo (also a member of the South Korean girl group Momoland formerly). Actors’ agencies denied the rumors.
Yeonwoo (former Momoland member)
Career
Agency: MYM Entertainment
Early Career
In his school days, he received several casting offers from agencies. Later, Lee started working as a model for a magazine, where he met the president of his agency by mistake and decided to become an actor. After enrolling at Konkuk University, he earnestly auditioned for acting roles in films and television.
Television Series
Lee Min-ho made his television debut with the drama ‘Sharp’ in which he played ‘Lee Jin-ho,’ an art academy student. The KBS2 series was centered around a female high school student, her student life, and her love life.
Lee Min-ho in a scene from Sharp (2003)
Min-ho was then seen in minor roles of ‘MC Mong’ and ‘Waiter’ in the MBC Kdramas Nonstop 5 (2005) and Recipe of Love (2005) respectively. His first major supporting role was in the EBS youth drama ‘Secret Campus’ (2006) in which he played ‘Park Su-hyun,’ a contemplative boy who takes care of his friends behind their back. Su-hyun, due to certain circumstances, is going to be expelled from his school’s soccer team.
Lee Min-ho in a scene from Secret Campus (2006)
In 2006, Lee Min-ho encountered a serious car accident in which he suffered severe injuries, making him take a break from his career for almost a year. During this time, he was signed off of the Kdramas High Kick! (2006) and Two Outs in the Ninth Inning (2007) in which he was going to appear. In 2007, he was seen in his first lead role as ‘Cha Gong-chan’ in the high school drama ‘Mackerel Run.’ The series that aired on SBS was centered around the love and school life of Gong-chan and Min Yoon-seo (played by the South Korean actress Moon Chae-won), who both study at an affluent high school. Gong-chan, known for his soccer skills, became an outcast in the school after leaving soccer. After Yoon-sae’s entry into the school, he becomes enthusiastic about the game again. The series received a low viewership rating of 3 to 4%.
Lee Min-ho as Cha Gong-chan in Mackerel Run (2007)
The same year, he played the supporting role of ‘Heo Mo-se’ (Principal’s son) in the series ‘I Am Sam.’ The series aired on KBS2 and received an average viewership of around 6.5%. The following year, he was seen in the lead role of ‘Min Wook-ki’ in the Kdrama ‘Get Up.’ The series that aired on MBC was centered around the issues faced by high school students like youth, school violence, and racism. He received positive reviews for his role in the series.
Lee Min-ho as Min Wook-ki in Get Up (2008)
Some of his most famous roles in South Korean television dramas are:
- Gu Jun-pyo in Boys Over Flowers (2009)
Boys Over Flowers (2009)
In 2009, Lee Min-ho appeared in his breakthrough role as ‘Gu jun-pyo’ in the KBS2 25-episode series ‘Boys Over Flowers.’ The series is based on the Japanese manga series of the same name, was written by Yoon Ji-ryun, and was directed by Jeon Ki-sang. In the series, Gu Jun-pyo is an heir to the conglomerate Shinhwa Group and a high school student, who has three friends- 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); the four together make the group of wealthy student dominating Shinhwa High School named F4. In the drama, a working-class girl named Geum Jan-di (played by the South Korean actress Koo Hye-sun) gets entangled with F4, as she faces struggles over family, education, and love life with Jun-pyo.
Lee Min-ho in Boys Over Flowers (2009)
The series was a huge commercial success and received an average viewership of 25-28.5%. The popularity of the series made its cast well-known around the country and also launched the career of Lee Min-ho. The series was a superhit in countries like Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, India, Nepal, Taiwan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, and many more.
- Jeon Jin-ho in Personal Taste (2010)
Personal Taste (2010)
Next, he appeared in the lead role of ‘Jeon Jin-ho’ (an architect) in ‘Personal Taste,’ which chronicles the love story of Jin-ho and Park Kae-in (played by South Korean actress Son Ye-jin). In the series, Jin-ho rents a part of modernized hanok Sanggojae (owned by Kae-in) pretending to a homosexual to win a project bid relating to Sanggojae. In the process, Kae-in falls for Jin-ho unaware he is straight. The hit series received the average nationwide ratings of 11-14%. The rights of the series were sold overseas to the 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.
- Lee Yoon-sung in City Hunter (2011)
City Hunter (2011)
He then appeared in the SBS drama ‘City Hunter’ as ‘Lee Yoon-sung,’ a teenager who comes to South Korea under the identity as Korean-American to avenge his father’s five killers by becoming an employee at South Korea’s presidential palace. At the palace, he meets and falls in love with Kim Na-na (played by South Korean actress Park Min-young), a presidential bodyguard. The series that was directed by Jin Hyuk was a commercial success and received a nationwide rating of 16%. The advertisement slots of the series were sold out at a high price of ₩420 million ($420,000) per episode, and the series had made a collection of a total of ₩10.45 billion ($10.45 million) by the end episode. In January 2012, for his performance in the series, Seoul Prosecutor’s Office in a ceremony gave him the title of ‘Honourable Prosecutor.’
Lee min-ho in City Hunter (2011)
- General Choi Young in Faith (2012)
Faith (2012)
Lee Min-ho was then seen in ‘Faith’ in the lead role of ‘General Choi Young,’ a general who kidnaps a modern-day plastic surgeon, Yoo Eun-soo (played by the South Korean actress Kim Hee-sun), and brings her to the Goryeo period to save the queen’s life. Soon, Choi Young and En-soo fall in love with each other. The series that was broadcast on SBS earned an average nationwide rating of 10-11%, but Lee’s role in the series was appreciated by critics and the audience.
- Kim Tan in The Heirs (2013)
The Heirs (2013)
In 2013, he made an appearance in the superhit Kdrama ‘The Heirs.’ The show was broadcast on SBS, written by Kim Eun Seok, and directed by Kang Shin-hyo and Boo Sung-chul. In the series, heir to the large conglomerate Jeguk Group Kim Tan was exiled to the US by his half-brother in an attempt to take over the family business. In the US, Tan and Cha Eun-sang (played by the South Korean actress Park Shin-hye) meet, and he falls in love with Eun-san, even though he was engaged to Yoo Rachel (played by South Korean actress Kim Ji-won), also an heiress to her family business.
Lee Min-ho in The Heirs (2013)
The series follows Tan as he struggles to choose between his family business and love. The series, with an average nationwide rating of 16.7%, was a huge hit. The series’ popularity compelled its remake in China in 2014 with the title ‘Billion Dollar Heir’ starring Chinese actors Yu Xiao Tong, Kan Qing Zi, and Korean singer-actor Choi Si-won.
- Heo Jun-Jae/Kim Dam-ryeong in The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
The SBS drama ‘The Legend of the Blue Sea’ was written by Park Ji-eun and directed by Jin Hyuk and Park Seon-Ho. In the series, in the 21st century, human and witty con artist Heo Joon-jae (in the 21st century) falls in love with mermaid Shim Cheong (played by the South Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun). However, their love story is mirroring the unrequited love with their Joseon-era incarnations, Kim Dam-ryeong (town head) and Se-hwa (mermaid), respectively. At present, Heo Joon-jae is desperate to keep his love by his side and avoid the tragic end of their relationship in the Joseon Era.
Lee Min-ho in The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
The superhit series started with an average nationwide viewership rating of 16.4% and reached as high as 20.7% for some episodes. Among all the series broadcasted in the time slot same as the series, it ranked first and was appreciated around the world, including South East Asia, the Americas, and Europe.
- Emperor Lee Gon in The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
After Lee’s discharge from mandatory military service, Lee made a comeback to television with the Kdrama ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’ as ‘Emperor Lee Gon.’ Written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Baek Sang-hoon, Jung Ji-hyun, and Yoo Je-won, the series is centered around the concept of an alternate reality. Lee Gon, the modern-day emperor of the Kingdom of Korea (KOK) travels to the parallel words the Republic of Korea (ROK) with the help of a manpasikjeok (a flute). In ROK, he meets Jung Tae-eul (played by the South Korean actress Kim Go-eun), a detective who he recalls from the night of his father’s assassination. Lee Gon fights with his uncle (the assassin of his father), who is swapping people from ROK to KOK to build his army to overthrow Gon, to restore the balance in both worlds.
Lee Min-ho in The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
The series was a great success, despite its controversies regarding historical inaccuracies; the series even received advisory warnings for scenes challenging gender equality from the Korea Communications Standards Commission. In 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. The viewership rating of the first episode was 11.4%, which went up to 11.6% in the second episode; however, it juggled between 6-8% in the later episodes. It was believed that the low rating of the series was due to the rise of streaming platforms in South Korea.
- Koh Hansu in Pachinko (2022)
After two years, Lee Min-ho appeared as ‘Kon Hansu’ in the American-South Korean series ‘Pachinko,’ based on a novel of the same name (by Korean American author Min Jin Lee). The series was created and written by Soo Hugh and directed by Kogonada and Justin Chon and aired on Apple TV+. The languages of the series were Japanese, Korean, and English, and it focuses on a Korean immigrant family who left their homeland to survive and thrive. Koh Hansu, a Zainichi Korean merchant and fish broker living in Osaka, Japan, is a member of Yakuza, the largest transnational organized crime syndicate in Japan; he visits Busan, South Korea, regularly.
Films
In 2008, Lee Min-ho made his film debut with the South Korean film ‘Public Enemy Returns,’ and he played the supporting role of ‘Jung Ha-yeon’ in the film. Written by Jang Jin and directed by Kang Woo-suk, the film chronicles the tale of a cop named Kang Chul-joong (played by South Korean actor Sol Kyung-gu) who is about to retire and is handed one last case related to a few murders. The film was a commercial success and became the 4th most-watched film of 2008 in South Korea.
Lee Min-ho in a scene from Public Enemy Returns (2008)
In 2008, he appeared in the supporting role of ‘Oh Sang-hoon’ in the comedy-drama ‘Our School’s E.T.,’ which was directed by Park Kwang-chun and written by Choi Jin-won. The story is about an underperforming gym teacher named Chun Sung-Geun (played by South Korean actor Kim Su-ro) who is likely to be fired. When the school administration decides to remove all the gym classes to English classes, the teacher decides to learn English and get a permit to it in an attempt to secure his job; even though he has zero knowledge of the subject.
Lee Min-ho in Our School’s E.T. (2008)
In 2015, Lee Min-ho appeared in the action film ‘Gangnam Blues’ written and directed by Yoo Ha as ‘Kim Jong-dae.’ In the film Jong-dae and Baek Yong-ki (played by South Korean actor Kim Rae-won) are childhood friends who used to collect water bottles and later joined different gangster clans; they are entangled in a war concerning political interests over a development project in Gangnam, Seoul. With a collection of US$20 million, the film was a blockbuster and was lauded by the audience and critics.
Gangnam Blues (2015)
In 2016, he was seen as ‘Yi San’ in the Chinese-South Korean-Hong Kong film ‘Bounty Hunters’ directed by Shin Terra. The film focuses on five bounty hunters who pursue fugitives in China, Hong Kong, Korea, and Thailand to extort money from them. The film made a collection of US$31.1 million.
Bounty Hunters (2016)
Singing
Lee Min-ho made his singing debut with the single ‘Extreme’ in 2009; he sang the song along with South Korean-American singer Jessi.
In 2015, he sang another non-album single titled ‘Thank You.’
He also sang OSTs in Kdramas: ‘My Everything’ from Boys Over Flowers (2009) and Painful Love from The Heirs (2013). In May 2013, Lee Min-ho’s first EP, ‘My Everything,’ debuted with the lead single ‘Love Motion.’ The EP contained seven tracks and was charted at number 5 on the Korean charts.
The same month, Lee Min-ho released the Japanese version of his EP, which charted at 11 on Japanese charts. In 2014, Min-ho’s second EP, ‘Song For You,’ was released in Korean. The EP charted at number 3 and had six tracks. The following year, his first single album, ‘The Day,’ was released; it peaked at number 6 on Korean charts.
His second single album, ‘Always’ (2017), peaked at number 5. Some of his Japanese singles include Thank You and The Day, which peaked at 11 and 15, respectively.
Promotional Series
Between 2011 and 2012, Lee Min-ho was seen in the series titled ‘The One and Only’ for Toyota Camry in which he played Joon Kwon. Joon Kwon wakes up from a coma with no idea of who he is, and the only clue to his identity is his 2012 Toyota Camry. When he enters his car, he recovers some part of his memory; he sets on a journey to recover his memories using the car’s Entune System.
Lee Min-ho in The One and Only (2011-2012)
Next, he appeared in the 2012 series ‘First Love’ for Innisfree in which he played Innisfree’s CEO. In 2014, he played the role of ‘Min-ho’ (a music producer) in the 3-episode mini-drama ‘Line Romance’ for Line. the series was broadcasted in iQuiyi. The series’ story follows Ling Ling, a female Chinese tourist, who falls in love with Min-ho. As the language becomes a barrier between the two, they communicate using the Line app.
In 2015, he started in the YouTube series ‘Summer Love’ for Innisfree, and he played Min Ho. In the series, the best friends, Min Ho and Yoon Ah, talk about a new Innisfree product while they are falling for each other.
In the 2016 series ‘7 First Kisses’ (for Lotte Duty Free), he plays a ‘Lee Min-ho,’ travel writer who goes on the last date with the Lotte Duty Free store female employee. Being single for years, she was granted a wish to choose a partner among seven handsome men by the goddess of date; Lee Min-ho was one of them.
7 First Kisses (2016)
Ambassadorship
In 2009, he was the brand ambassador of Cadillac CTS, and in 2019 he was the brand ambassador of Konkuk University.
Lee Min-ho being named the ambassador for Konkuk University
He was an honorary ambassador for the UNICEF Love Net (fighting malaria) campaign in 2009 and King Sejong Institute Foundation (KSIF) and ambassador of Visit Korea Year from 2015 to 2018. He served as a PR ambassador for Patagonia Reforestation Project in 2013 and Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games and Paralympic Winter Games from 2015 to 2018. In 2015, he was appointed as the public ambassador for the Korean Tourism Campaign, also known as The Face of Korean Tourism.
Other Works
In 2009, he was featured in the South Korean singer Sandara Park’s music video of ‘Kiss.’
In 2016, he was emcee at the KCON LA X M Countdown. In 2017, he narrated the South Korean documentary ‘DMZ, The Wild,’ which was made to raise awareness regarding endangered wildlife species at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a stretch of land that separates North and South Korea and has prohibited human access since 1953. In the documentary, Min-ho wandered in the Southside of DMZ, camping out in cold temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celcius while waiting for animals to appear for hours.
DMZ, The Wild (2017)
In October 2020, Lee started his YouTube channel that he named Leeminho Film; on his channel, he works as a creative director and executive producer. He has 867K people subscribed to his channel as of March 2022. Min-ho has appeared in advertisements for Lotte, Pizza Hut, Samsung, Hyundai, Levi Strauss Korea, LG, Toyota, bbq, Naver, Ferrero, and Domino’s Pizza.
Lee Min-ho in an advertisement for Hyundai
Philanthropy
PROMIZ
In 2014, Lee Min-ho launched a fundraising website named PROMIZ to raise concerns and donations for social and humanitarian causes.
PROMIZ logo
The site is known to have collected 50,000 for constructing wells in Malawi along with NPO Charity water in 2014. In 2016, it collected funds for Good Neighbours, Transparent Umbrella Project, World Water Day, and Making Warm Winter for Both Bodies and Hearts campaigns. The site also sells merchandise, and the proceeds from it go to the charities partnered with the website to execute any charity project. In 2016, the charity received Korea Good Brand Awards for its contribution to causes.
Lee Min-ho in his Instagram account talking about Promiz receiving Korea Good Brand Award
Personal & Fan Charities
In 2015, Lee Min-ho made donations of 100 million Won to UNICEF to aid the victims of earthquakes in Nepal. In 2016, Lee Min-ho was awarded The Happiness Sharing Award for his contribution to society by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea.
Lee Min-ho receiving the Happiness Sharing Award from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea
His fans did several charity events as a part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of his debut; the charity events included planting 510 trees in Inner Mongolia (done by his Chinese fans), donating proceeds from selling bottle caps to recycling companies to the cancer-stricken children from (done by his Mexican fans), and donating to organizations like World Vision and UNICEF (done by his Taiwanese and Hong Kong fans).
Awards, Honors & Achievements
KBS Drama Awards
- 2009: Best New Actor for ‘Boys Over Flowers’
- 2009: Best Couple Award (with Ku Hye-sun) for ‘Boys Over Flowers’
Lee Min-ho during his award acceptance ceremony at KBS Drama Awards
Baeksang Arts Awards
- 2009: Best New Actor – Television for ‘Boys Over Flowers’
- 2015: Most Popular Actor – Film for ‘Gangnam Blues’
- 2015: iQiyi Star Award
Lee Min-ho giving his award acceptance speech at Baeksang Arts Awards
Weibo Movie Award
- 2016: Weibo Movie Award for Most Anticipated Action Comedy Actor for ‘Bounty Hunters’
- 2016: Asian Movie Pioneer for ‘Bounty Hunters’
Lee Min-ho with his Weibo Movie Award
Korea Drama Awards
- 2011: Top Excellence Award, Actor for ‘City Hunter’
- 2011: Hallyu Star Award for ‘City Hunter’
SBS Drama Awards
- 2011: Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special for ‘City Hunter’
- 2011: Popularity Award, Actor for ‘City Hunter’
- 2011: Top 10 Stars for ‘City Hunter’
- 2012: Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries for ‘Faith’
- 2012: Top 10 Stars for ‘Faith’
- 2012: Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special for ‘The Heirs’
- 2013: Popularity Award, Actor for ‘The Heirs’
- 2013: Top 10 Stars for ‘The Heirs’
- 2013: Best Couple Award with Park Shin-hye for ‘The Heirs’
- 2013: Best Dressed for ‘The Heirs’
- 2016: Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Fantasy Drama for ‘The Legend of the Blue Sea’
- 2016: Best Couple (with Jun Ji-hyun) for ‘The Legend of the Blue Sea’
- 2016: Top 10 Stars Award for ‘The Legend of the Blue Sea’
- 2020: Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Fantasy/Romance Drama for ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’
Lee Min-ho giving his award acceptance speech at SBS Drama Awards
Seoul International Drama Awards
- 2015: 10th Anniversary Hallyu Achievement Award
- 2015: Mango TV Popularity Award
Lee Min-ho with his Seoul International Drama Award
Drama Fever Awards
- 2013: Best Actor for ‘Faith’
- 2013: Best Kiss Award ( with Kim Hee-sun ) for ‘Faith’
- 2014: Best Actor for ‘The Heirs’
- 2014: Best Drama Award for ‘The Heirs’
- 2014: Best Bromance Award (Friendship) ( with Kim Woo-bin ) for ‘The Heirs’
Soompi Awards
- 2017: Male Actor of the Year for ‘Legend of the Blue Sea’ in 2017
- 2017: Spot-on Best Couple (with Jun Ji-hyun) for ‘Legend of the Blue Sea’
Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40
Other Awards & Honors
- 2009: MTN Broadcast Advertisement Festival for Most Popular Advertisement Model
- 2010: MBC Drama Awards – Excellence Award, Actor for ‘Personal Taste’
Lee Min-ho giving his award acceptance speech at MBC Drama Awards
- 2013: China Xingxiang Awards – Asia’s Most Popular Award for ‘The Heirs’
- 2013: Sohu Media Award for Most Popular International Actor
- 2013: China Fashion Awards for Most Popular Asian Actor for ‘The Heirs’
Lee Min-ho posing with his award at China Fashion Awards ceremony
- 2014: Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards – Prime Minister’s Commendation
- 2015: Korea Brand of the Year – Daesang (Hallyu Star)
- 2014 & 2015: Voted Asian Male God on a Chinese Entertainment magazine poll
- 2015: Blue Dragon Film Awards – Popularity Award for ‘Gangnam Blues’
Lee Min-ho during his award acceptance speech at Blue Dragon Film Awards
- 2015: Grand Bell Awards for Best New Actor for ‘Gangnam Blues’
Lee Min-ho giving his award acceptance speech at Grand Bell Awards
- 2015: Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival – Producer’s Choice Award
- 2015: Baidu Feidian Awards for ‘Best Asian Actor’ for the Kdrama ‘The Heirs’
- 2015: Korea Brand Stars – Daesang (Grand Prize)
- 2015: Korea SNS Industry Grand Award
- 2015: Korean Tourism Awards for The STAR of Korean Tourism
- 2016: LeTV Awards for Most Popular Asian Idol Award
- 2017: Selected as Most Favoured Korean Actor US fans of the Korean Wave
Signature/Autograph
Signature of Lee Min-ho
Car Accidents
In 2006, when Lee Min-ho was going on his way to Gangwon Province with his three friends, including South Korean actor Jung Il-woo, his car was hit by a car crossing from the opposite lane. In the crash, his car’s hood and the engine were destroyed. The car that hit them was fleeing from a hit-and-run site. His two friends sitting in the front died instantly, while he and Il-woo, sitting at the back, survived the accident with severe injuries. Min-ho’s injuries included broken ribs, thigh, and ankle and a tear in his knee cartilage. He was in a coma for a month, and after gaining consciousness, he stayed bedridden for several months. As a part of the treatment, a 46-centimeter metal pin was placed in his thigh, leaving one of his legs longer than the other. He got into another accident while filming for ‘City Hunter’ in 2011. During the shooting, his car was hit by a truck. Fortunately, he only suffered minor injuries.
Mandatory Military Service
Lee Min-ho, like every South Korean citizen, was to be enlisted in the military. However, his 2006 car accident left him unable to serve in the military, and he was exempted from it. The Military Manpower Administration instead decided to let Min-ho do community service and gave a public explanation of his military exemption. On May 12, 2017, Lee Min-ho started his mandatory military service at the Suseo Social Welfare Centre in the Gangnam District Office as a public service officer. On March 15, 2018, he started his basic military training at the Korea Army Training Center in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, where he trained for four weeks. Min-ho was discharged from his mandatory military service on April 25, 2019.
Lee Min-ho during his mandatory military service
Controversies
- In 2020, Lee Min-ho was accused of evading taxes. In November 2020, when there were reports of a well-known actor evading a tax amount of around 1 billion won ($1.2 million) and getting investigated by the National Tax Service. The report stated the actor had set up a company in his family name, reduced his income, increased his agency’s earnings by paying fewer taxes, and lowered the company’s taxes by importing vehicles as corporate expenses using credit cards. Thus, exploiting the tax rates difference between corporations and high-earning individuals. Even though the actor’s name was not made public, people started speculating Lee Min-ho and Ha Jung-woo as the culprits, as both the actors were high-earning individuals managed by a company in their family names. Min-ho company, regarding the rumors, said that they always paid taxes and were falsely targeted.
- In 2021, Lee Min-ho and Yeonwoo were rumored to be in a relationship with each other, as reported by Dispatch. Their agencies denied rumors. Lee Min-ho’s agency clarified that they were only acquaintances and not on a date, but they were together with other friends. After the announcement, Lee Min-ho faced backlash for violating the social distancing rules in the country, which banned gatherings of more than two people after 6 pm. Later, Min-ho’s agency released another statement, saying that the gathering was held on July 1, and at that time restrictions were only laid on gatherings of five or more than five; the new restrictions on gatherings of more than two people were brought into effect on July 12.
Properties
- Mark Hills, Heukseok-dong, Seoul: He owns a luxury apartment at Mark Hills, also knowns as Star’s Residency. Mark Hills is home to South Korean celebrities like Hyun Bin, Jang Dong-gun, and Ko So-young, F(x)’s Krystal, Girls’ Generation’s Jessica Jung, and Big Bang’s Daesung.
Mark Hills, Heukseok-dong, where Lee Min-ho resides
- Seongbuk-dong, Seoul: He owns two houses in Seongbuk-dong; the two houses have areas of about 740 meters² and 391,84 meters². He purchased one of the houses priced at 5.35 billion won in September 2018.
Lee Min-ho’s houses in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul
- Nonhyeon Lapolium, Nonhyeon, Gangnam-gu, Seoul: Also called Star Villa, Nonhyeon Lapolium is home to several South Korean celebrities. Min-ho owns a luxury apartment in Nonhyeon Lapolium. In 2015, he bought an additional penthouse in Nonhyeon Lapolium priced at 5 billion won. He has chartered one of the two apartments to a South Korean celeb.
Car Collection
- Genesis G90
Lee Min-ho getting in his Genesis G90
- Mercedes-Benz CLS
Lee Min-ho with his Mercedes-Benz CLS
Salary
Being one of the highest-paid actors in South Korea, Lee Min-ho charges US$ 80,000 per episode for a series (as of 2021).
Favorites
- Actor(s): Edward Norton, Leonardo Di Caprio, Kim Su-Ro
- Film: A Beautiful Mind (2001)
- Book: The Gift by Spencer Johnson
- Football Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
- Color(s): Navy, Black, White, Gray
Facts/Trivia
- Lee Min-ho’s blood group is A.
- Lee Min-ho is also known as ‘Hallyu Prince.’ In the nickname, Hallyu means Korean Wave, which means the increase in popularity of South Korean culture, mostly driven by Kpop and Kdramas, since the 1990s worldwide.
- After Min-ho shooting for ‘Secret Campus’ had wrapped up, he and his agency decided that he needed a stage name as they believed his real name was too ordinary. After thorough discussions, Lee decided on his name as Lee Min; he removed ‘ho’ from his name. The inspiration behind this name was South Korean actor Jung Woo-sung’s character’s name (Min) from the South Korean film ‘Beat’ (1997). According to Lee, his Lee Min sounded cool among all the other options. He worked as Lee Min for two years. After being bedridden for a long period due to the injuries from his 2006 car accident, he appeared in Mackerel Run. However, when he searched himself on the internet as ‘Lee Min,’ he could only find ‘overseas immigration’ (the latter word in Korean has the same pronunciation as his stage name). He then decided to work under his original name.
- On June 21, 2009, Min-ho’s official fan club was launched; it was named ‘MINOZ.’ The fans club is operated in South Korea and Japan. There are Lee Min-ho’s fan communities in 145 countries worldwide.
- He has his wax figures in two of the Madame Tussauds museums. One of his wax statues was unveiled at the Tussauds museum in April 2013 and the other at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong in January 2014.
Lee Min-ho with his wax figure at Madame Tussauds Shanghai
- In January 2014, he sang a song with Taiwanese singer Harlem Yu at the CCTV Lunar New Year Gala in China; he was the first South Korean to perform at the event.
- In 2018, while he was performing his mandatory military service, a scam company posed as Lee Min-ho’s agency and convinced his fans to spend money in exchange for a meet-and-greet with the actor. The scammer claimed that by depositing a certain amount, they would be allowed to see Lee and walk with him at the military base. They even claimed that they can meet Min-ho’s parents. After Min-ho’s agency came to know of this, they decided to take strict action against the company for using Min-ho’s name.
- In October 2020, Lee Min-ho was named the King of Social Media in South Korea after he surpassed 20 million followers on Instagram, becoming the first South Korean celebrity to do so.
- Since childhood, Lee Min-ho and South Korean actor and singer Jung Il-woo were friends. The two lived in the same neighborhood, and their schools were close to each other too.
Lee Min-ho’s childhood friend Jung Il-woo
- In his spare time, Lee Min-ho mostly takes a rest; Or else, he plays computer and mobile games. Min-ho also takes an interest in skiing.
- In an interview, Min-ho talked about his ideal type and said that he would like a woman with a great understanding of herself, who shares equal values with him, and who gives respect to people and superiors around her.
- In an interview, he once said that he had a crush on Song Hye-kyo, a South Korean actress.
Song Hye-kyo
- While talking about his drinking habit in an interview, Lee said that he has low alcohol tolerance. He said he can only tolerate four glasses of Soju and was trying to increase the amount to six. When he is partying with his friends, instead of drinking, he likes to either eat or go karaoke-ing with them.
- An avid dog lover, Lee Min-ho has a pet dog named Choco.
Lee Min-ho talking about his pet Choco in an Instagram post
