# Lee Dong-hwi (이동휘)
**Lee Dong-hwi** (이동휘) is a South Korean actor known for comic supporting roles in television and film, most prominently as Ryu Dong-ryong in the tvN drama *Reply 1988* (2015) and as a detective in the film *Extreme Job* (2019), which drew more than 10 million viewers[1](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/life-all/2023020419191402171). He has since expanded into variety programs, music projects, stage acting, and film production.[1](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/life-all/2023020419191402171) • [2](https://v.daum.net/v/20260325000357410)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Debut | 2012 film *남쪽으로 튀어* (South Bound), as an extra credited as "Cafe Member 1"[3](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/culture/7103967) |
| Training | Graduated from the theater department of Seoul Institute of the Arts (서울예대), where he spent seven years[4](https://www.starnewskorea.com/movie/2015/08/18/2015081808433307294) |
| Breakthrough | Ryu Dong-ryong in tvN's *Reply 1988* (2015)[1](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/life-all/2023020419191402171) |
| Box-office role | Detective in *Extreme Job* (극한직업, 2019), a film that attracted 10 million viewers[1](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/life-all/2023020419191402171) |
| Villain turn | IT-industry CEO Jang Dong-cheol in *The Roundup 4* (범죄도시4)[5](https://www.sisajournal.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=289204) |
| Music and variety | Member of the project group MSG Wannabe on MBC's *놀면 뭐 하니* (2021)[1](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/life-all/2023020419191402171) |
| Production | Credited as a producer as well as star of the 2026 comedy *메소드연기* (Method Acting)[2](https://v.daum.net/v/20260325000357410) |
## Training and early career
Lee originally wanted to be a cartoonist and entered a theater and film department partly at his parents' urging; he has said that his parents repeatedly asked him to give up acting during the years before he found steady work[4](https://www.starnewskorea.com/movie/2015/08/18/2015081808433307294). He spent seven years at [Seoul Institute of the Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/seoul-institute-of-the-arts), watching films extensively and, by his own account, building the grounding that later supported his acting[4](https://www.starnewskorea.com/movie/2015/08/18/2015081808433307294).
His screen debut came in 2012 with a bit part in *남쪽으로 튀어*[3](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/culture/7103967). Over the following years he appeared in films including *감시자들* (The Spies) and *뷰티인사이드* (The Beauty Inside), and in the KBS 2TV drama *조선총잡이* (The Joseon Shooter)[3](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/culture/7103967) • [4](https://www.starnewskorea.com/movie/2015/08/18/2015081808433307294). In *The Beauty Inside* (2015) he played Sang-baek, the one person who always recognizes the protagonist despite his constantly changing face, a role he described as voicing the audience's own reactions[4](https://www.starnewskorea.com/movie/2015/08/18/2015081808433307294). He also appeared in *타짜-신의 손* ([Tazza: The High Rollers](https://www.edgepedia.org/tazza-the-high-rollers) 2) and *베테랑* (Veteran)[4](https://www.starnewskorea.com/movie/2015/08/18/2015081808433307294).
## Breakthrough with Reply 1988
The tvN drama *Reply 1988* (2015), set in the Seoul neighborhood of Ssangmun-dong in 1988, made Lee's name through the character Ryu Dong-ryong, one of the five friends at the story's center[1](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/life-all/2023020419191402171) • [6](https://web.donga.com/pdf/pdf_viewer.php?vcid=2016011510W1001). The comic interplay between Dong-ryong and Jung Bong (played by Ahn Jae-hong) proved popular enough that the two actors appeared together in a [Kia K5](https://www.edgepedia.org/kia-k5) promotional video that passed 5 million combined views within about two weeks of release in November 2015[3](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/culture/7103967). A contemporary report noted that Lee, despite a short broadcasting career, had built his skills across theater, film, and television[3](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/culture/7103967).
## Film and television career
Lee played a detective in *Extreme Job* (2019), a comedy about a struggling narcotics squad that became one of the highest-grossing Korean films with more than 10 million admissions[1](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/life-all/2023020419191402171). He has since worked across genres, including the Disney+ series *카지노* ([Big Bet](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-bet))[5](https://www.sisajournal.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=289204) and the MBC drama *수사반장 1958* ([Chief Detective 1958](https://www.edgepedia.org/chief-detective-1958))[5](https://www.sisajournal.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=289204).
In *The Roundup 4* (범죄도시4), he played Jang Dong-cheol, an IT-industry CEO on the villain's side, opposite [Ma Dong-seok](https://www.edgepedia.org/ma-dong-seok)'s detective Ma Seok-do and [Kim Mu-yeol](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-mu-yeol)'s mercenary-turned-criminal Baek Chang-gi[5](https://www.sisajournal.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=289204). In the romance film *어쩌면 우린 헤어졌는지 모른다* (Maybe [We Broke Up](https://www.edgepedia.org/we-broke-up), 2023), directed by Hyung Seul-woo in his feature debut, Lee played Jun-ho, a boyfriend who has spent years preparing for the civil service exam while living off his girlfriend A-young (Jung Eun-chae)[7](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2023-02-03/202302040100024450003395). He said he found the character hard to understand at first, since he himself is not the type to settle for doing the minimum, but that the uncertainty Jun-ho felt resembled his own experience of auditions before his debut[7](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2023-02-03/202302040100024450003395).
## Method Acting and production
The 2026 comedy *메소드연기* (Method Acting), directed by Lee Ki-hyuk, cast Lee Dong-hwi under his own name as an actor known for comedy who wants to be taken seriously for sincere acting and becomes over-immersed in his roles[8](https://www.chosun.com/entertainments/movie/2026/03/16/MU4TKNJVMM4WEMRZGAZGMYZUGU/) • [2](https://v.daum.net/v/20260325000357410). Lee described the film as a kind of self-confession drawing on more than ten years of acting experience, and he was credited as a producer as well as lead actor[2](https://v.daum.net/v/20260325000357410). For the film's promotion he appeared in public wearing the prosthetic ear of his character "Alkain" (알계인), including on variety shows, and thanked his agency's representative, the actor [Lee Je-hoon](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-je-hoon), for permitting the makeup-heavy publicity appearances[8](https://www.chosun.com/entertainments/movie/2026/03/16/MU4TKNJVMM4WEMRZGAZGMYZUGU/).
## Variety, music, and other activities
In 2021 Lee was selected as a member of the project group MSG Wannabe on MBC's variety show *놀면 뭐 하니*, taking on singing and drawing public attention[1](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/life-all/2023020419191402171). He has appeared regularly on MBC's *전지적 참견 시점* (I Live Alone), where episodes have shown his enthusiasm for Lego; he is a member of the Lego Builders Club ambassador program[9](https://v.daum.net/v/P0LAHX8BvW). In 2026 he co-hosted the MBC College Song Festival with producer Code Kunst[10](https://www.ko-agent.com/enter/person/12213.html), appeared with EXO's Kai at [Lego Ninjago](https://www.edgepedia.org/lego-ninjago) 15th-anniversary events in Seoul[10](https://www.ko-agent.com/enter/person/12213.html), and made a special appearance as a gym student in the film *부활남: 더 레드*[10](https://www.ko-agent.com/enter/person/12213.html). On stage, he performed in the Korean production of the play *타인의 삶* ([The Lives of Others](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-lives-of-others)), set in [East Berlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-berlin) before the fall of the Berlin Wall[10](https://www.ko-agent.com/enter/person/12213.html).
## Personal life
Lee began dating the model and actress [Jung Ho-yeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/hoyeon-jung), who is nine years his junior, in 2015; they publicly confirmed the relationship in 2016 and ended their nine-year relationship in November 2024[7](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2023-02-03/202302040100024450003395) • [11](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241126008700315). In a 2023 interview he said he was sometimes frustrated that coverage of his films focused on the relationship rather than the work itself[7](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2023-02-03/202302040100024450003395).
## References
1. [이이슬, "[인터뷰]이동휘 '데뷔 10년, 배우生 변곡점 맞았죠'", 아시아경제, 2023-02-05](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/life-all/2023020419191402171)
2. [이동휘를 연기하는 이동휘…“누구나 메소드 연기하며 산다”](https://v.daum.net/v/20260325000357410)
3. [김시균, "'응답하라'가 조연도 띄웠다…이동휘, 안재홍 자동차 CF도 출연", 매일경제, 2015-12-08](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/culture/7103967)
4. [김소연, "이동휘 '아직도 사람들이 못 알아봐..그래도 행복해요'", 스타뉴스, 2015-08-18](https://www.starnewskorea.com/movie/2015/08/18/2015081808433307294)
5. ["이동휘 '배우로서 혼란스러운 시기…챌린지 과정이라 생각'", 시사저널](https://www.sisajournal.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=289204)
6. [동아일보 기사 (2016-01-15), '응답하라 1988' 캐스팅 관련](https://web.donga.com/pdf/pdf_viewer.php?vcid=2016011510W1001)
7. [조지영, "[인터뷰④] 이동휘 '매 작품 영화 보다 정호연 공개 열애만 화제 돼 속상'", 스포츠조선, 2023-02-03](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2023-02-03/202302040100024450003395)
8. [안소윤, "[인터뷰②] '메소드연기' 이동휘 '소속사 대표 이제훈, 알계인 분장 활동 허락해 줘 감사'", 스포츠조선, 2026-03-16](https://www.chosun.com/entertainments/movie/2026/03/16/MU4TKNJVMM4WEMRZGAZGMYZUGU/)
9. [원성윤, "'전참시' 이동휘 '레고스 하이'…주말 밤 꽉 채운 과몰입러들", 스포츠서울 via Daum](https://v.daum.net/v/P0LAHX8BvW)
10. [이동휘 최신 뉴스 모음, ko-agent.com](https://www.ko-agent.com/enter/person/12213.html)
11. ['Squid Game' star Jung Ho-yeon parts ways with longtime boyfriend Lee Dong-hwi, Yonhap News Agency](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241126008700315)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of East and Southeast Asia › South Korean actors, 2000s onward › Surnames L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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