Choo Young-woo has officially been cast in the highly anticipated drama Long Vacation, as reported by SPOTV News on the 27th. This new series will be directed by Lee Jung-hyo, who has an impressive portfolio including popular hits such as I Need Romance 2012, Witch’s Romance, and Crash Landing on You. Currently, Lee is also working on a project titled The Price of Confession.
In recent months, Choo gained widespread recognition for his performances in JTBC’s The Tale of Lady Ok and Netflix’s Trauma Center. He is set to continue his ascent in the industry with upcoming roles in Netflix’s The Square and tvN’s The Fairy and the Beast.
Overview of Choo Young-woo
Born in 1999, Choo Young-woo is a rising star in South Korean cinema, making his debut in 2021 with the web series You Make Me Dance. His breakout role came in JTBC’s The Tale of Lady Ok, where he showcased his versatility through dual characters: Sung Yoon-gyeom, a nobleman, and Chun Seung-hwi, a traveling storyteller. To convincingly portray these roles, Choo underwent extensive training in martial arts, horseback riding, archery, singing, and dance.
In the upcoming Netflix series The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, set for release in 2025, he plays Yang Jae-won, a fourth-year medical resident under the tutelage of experienced trauma surgeon Baek Kang-hyuk, played by Ju Ji-hoon. The gripping narrative follows Baek as he revitalizes a struggling critical trauma team at a university hospital.
Amid financial hardships, Jae-won collaborates with team members Cheon Jang-mi and Park Gyeong-won to enhance the unit’s life-saving capabilities. The series quickly dominated the viewing charts, achieving a remarkable No. 2 ranking on Netflix’s global TV show list by January 30, 2025.
Looking ahead, Choo Young-woo’s future projects include The Square, a noir action drama where he will portray Geum Son, a prosecutor who is the son of a criminal organization leader. Additionally, he stars in tvN’s The Fairy and the Beast, a fantasy romance based on a widely acclaimed webtoon.
Choo’s family background is notably artistic; his father Choo Seung-il was among Korea’s top models in the 1990s, and his mother, Kang Sung-jin, also pursued modeling.
Insight into Director Lee Jung-hyo
Director Lee Jung-hyo has gained acclaim for helming a diverse range of television dramas, each showcasing unique storytelling. His debut series, Heartless City (2013), revolves around an undercover cop infiltrating a drug cartel, starring Jung Kyung-ho. This was soon followed by the romantic comedy A Witch’s Love (2014), featuring Uhm Jung-hwa as a mature reporter entangled with a much younger man, delivering a refreshing take on age-gap romance.
In 2016, Lee’s talent shone through with The Good Wife, a Korean adaptation of the American legal drama, starring Jeon Do-yeon as a lawyer facing personal and professional turmoil. The year 2017 saw him direct Criminal Minds, a South Korean version of the popular crime series, bringing together a cast led by Lee Joon-gi and Son Hyun-joo.
Lee’s 2018 project, Life on Mars, is a captivating remake of the British series, featuring a detective who finds himself transported back to 1988. His subsequent work in 2019, Romance Is a Bonus Book, explored the struggles of a former copywriter attempting to reintegrate into the workforce while navigating relationships in a publishing company.
Among his noteworthy achievements is the award-winning series Crash Landing on You (2019–2020), which tells the enchanting story of a South Korean heiress accidentally landing in North Korea, leading to a romantic bond with a North Korean officer. The series garnered numerous international accolades for its engaging plot and stellar performances.
In 2023, Lee directed Doona!, which narrates the life of a retired K-pop idol and a student, delving into themes of healing, fame, identity, and personal growth.