Meet Lee Jong Won, The Male Actor In IU’s “Strawberry Moon” — Here’s Why He Looks So Familiar

One of his first roles was gay.

Lee Jong Won recently starred in IU‘s music video for her comeback, “Strawberry Moon”. Although he might ring a bell in the minds of a few avid K-Drama fans, most would have no clue who he is. Read on to find out more about the darling and where you might have seen him before.

1. His most famous work to date

Given that he’s been slowly climbing up the ranks, his most famous work to date is naturally, his latest. He starred as the young medical staff, Kim Geon, in Hospital Playlist. Most significantly, his character admitted to having a crush on Gyeoul, not knowing she was taken.

| @wonjong_/Instagram

2. His first (major) piece of work

Surprisingly, his first major character was a gay one, Hwang Jung Deun, in XX. XX is a his first formal drama role. He played the literal gay best friend to EXID Hani‘s character. Jung Deun owns a perfumery where he manages to nab a cheating boyfriend for his best friend’s frenemy. Catch him below.

3. What he did before his first drama role

Prior to XX, he appeared in various webdramas to build up his resume. One of the more significant ones is Playlist Studio‘s Go, Back Diary. He plays a high school student that falls for the new transfer, only to have his girl best friend seethe in jealousy. Later, he continues the relationship into adulthood only to break up and regret it.

4. He’s only 27

Internationally, that is! Born in 1994, he’s a mere 27 years old in 2021. However, he made his debut in dramas only in 2020. If we’re talking about webdramas, he made a debut in 2018. More interestingly, he was born on December 31! What a way to end your year.

| @wonjong_/Instagram

5. He models for a makeup brand

He’s currently a model for LAKA, a pretty new brand in South Korea. It is absolutely perfect for him because the brand promotes “Gender Neutral Beauty” and does not conform to standards.

| @wonjong_/Instagram

6. He’s artsy

Or so it seems. He has photos of him at various art exhibits splattered across his Instagram feed. The fact that they aren’t one-off is a very telling sign that he is genuinely interested in fine arts.

| @wonjong_/Instagram

7. His coffee taste

Jong Won enjoys ice lattes in the summer and hot americano in the winter. Recently, he’s been trying out drip coffee. Here’s his attempt.

Want to get to know more about him? Stay tuned for more on the budding star.