13 Facts Every Nam Joo Hyuk Fan Should Know by Heart

Did you know he starred in a couple of music videos?

BY Jacinda Lopez for Cosmo.ph | Dec 1, 2020

IMAGE INSTAGRAM/SKAWNGUR

Nam Joo Hyuk is currently starring in his biggest role to date, as Nam Do San, the adorkable tech genius on Start-Up. And because of how well-written and well-received the show is, the K-drama-watching populace is divided into two teams: #TeamDoSan or #TeamGoodBoy. Whether you're rooting for his character to end up with Suzy's Seo Dal Mi or not, there's no question that the drama is one of the most memorable we've seen this year. So, to know more about 2020's breakout leading man, here are a bunch of fun facts you need to know about him—especially if you're on #TeamDoSan. *winks*

Nam Joo Hyuk was born on February 22, 1994!

The 26-year-old star was born in Busan, South Korea. Here's an adorbs #throwback to when he was a smol bb:

Nam Joo Hyuk started in the industry as a model.

Signed under YG Entertainment, Nam Joo Hyuk made his modeling debut in 2013 for SONGZIO Homme Spring/Summer 2014 collection. According to Soompi, Joo Hyuk once spoke about how he had to exert extra effort in modeling because he never felt he was good at it: "To be honest, even in my early modeling career, I can't say that I was good. I don't think I have a large range of facial expressions. I'm not particularly skilled. I don't know what I do, I just do it. I want to do well, so I do make an effort."

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

CONTINUE READING BELOW

Nam Joo Hyuk made his K-drama debut in 2014.

Nam Joo Hyuk landed a supporting role in the fantasy drama Surplus Princess or The Idle Mermaid in 2014. The next year, Joo Hyuk was cast as the male lead in the hit teen drama Who Are You: School 2015 where he played a high school swimmer. His leading lady in the drama is Kim So Hyun.

You can spot Nam Joo Hyuk in a couple of music videos!

In 2014, Nam Joo Hyuk starred in two music videos for YG Entertainment duo AKMU (Akdong Musician). Check him out in their MVs "200%" and "Give Love":

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo was Nam Joo Hyuk's breakout drama.

For the second time, Nam Joo Hyuk played a swimmer in a drama! In 2016's Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, he starred as college campus heartthrob and varsity swimmer Jung Joon Hyung alongside Lee Sung Kyung. The charming and irresistibly hilarious rom-com was a hit among viewers and popularized the line, "Do you like Messi?"

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

Nam Joo Hyuk's only public relationship was with Lee Sung Kyung.

Yup, the two Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo co-stars dated in real life! Nam Joo Hyuk and Lee Sung Kyung have known each other for years because both of them started out as models in YG Entertainment. Their relationship was confirmed in April 2017, a few months after Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo went off the air. Sadly, YG Entertainment announced their split in August of the same year.

Nam Joo Hyuk is a proud dog dad!

Those who have Insta-stalked Nam Joo Hyuk would know that he absolutely loves posting pics of his poodles! Say hello to his precious babies, Ga Eul and Gob Soon:

K-drama actor Ji Soo is Nam Joo Hyuk's best friend.

Both born in 1994, Nam Joo Hyuk and Ji Soo had an instant connection when they first met in the 2016 sageuk drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. They've since appeared in a bunch of variety shows together and even fronted Leon Korea magazine in 2019. In an interview with the publication, the two rising actors and BFFs talked about their special friendship

Nam Joo Hyuk: "We talk about acting a lot. Frankly, it's rare for [two actors] to have a relationship where they can do this, but we tell each other honestly whether something the other did was good or bad. We're really grateful to each other and thankful for this friendship."

Ji Soo: "But that doesn't mean we only talk about acting. We also recommend songs to one another, and we talk to each other about lots of different things."

Nam Joo Hyuk has a number of model-turned-actor friends!

Record Of Youth's Byeon Woo Seok and Start-Up's Stephanie Lee also started out as models and are both longtime friends of Nam Joo Hyuk. Cool, no?

Nam Joo Hyuk was once a Penshoppe ambassador.

In 2017, Nam Joo Hyuk was chosen as the face of local clothing brand Penshoppe. And in July 2018, Joo Hyuk and fellow Penshoppe endorser Sandara Park met fans at the Mall Of Asia Arena for the Penshoppe FanCon In Manila. FYI, fans reportedly got quite "aggressive" when they met Joo Hyuk which resulted in him getting scratches on his arms.

Basketball is Nam Joo Hyuk's favorite sport.

Being athletic comes naturally to Nam Joo Hyuk because he used to play basketball. When he was in high school, Joo Hyuk played varsity basketball as a point and shooting guard. Too bad he had to give up his professional basketball dreams after he underwent leg surgery. Good news, though! He was able to meet his idol, NBA superstar Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Even better, for MBC's Infinite Challenge, Joo Hyuk got the chance to play basketball with Stephen Curry himself!

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

Nam Joo Hyuk is currently signed with Management SOOP.

In April 2020, Nam Joo Hyuk made a huge career move: He left his home agency YG Entertainment and signed with Management SOOP. What makes this move exciting is because of Management SOOP's impressive roster of talents, which include: Gong Yoo, Suzy, Gong Hyo Jin, Choi Woo Shik, and Jung Yu Mi.

Nam Joo Hyuk already starred in a Netflix Original Series!

In September 2020, Nam Joo Hyuk and Jung Yu Mi headlined the quirky fantasy series The School Nurse Files. In the Netflix Original Series, Joo Hyuk plays Classical Chinese teacher Hong In Pyo and spoke more about his character during the series' press con: "In Pyo is an ordinary guy who meets someone extraordinary then realizes he himself is extraordinary. In the course of solving cases with Eun Young, he learns new things about himself and matures. I start the character from an ordinary person's point of view, then I show the audience more diverse aspects."