When Squid Game first premiered on Netflix, viewers worldwide fell in love with several characters (Sae-byeok! Ali! Hot Cop!) as the dystopian K-drama became one of the streaming giant's biggest hits. Among the fan favorites, one star especially captured the internet's thirst, in one of the briefest performances of the whole season. Hallyu star Gong Yoo set the fandom aflame as the handsome Recruiter—and he's now gaining widespread acclaim for reprising his role in Squid Game's long-awaited second season.
Even before Squid Game took over the globe, Gong Yoo was already a very familiar face to fans of Korean entertainment. The 45-year-old actor has starred in some of the biggest K-dramas and Korean movies of the past 20 years, all while maintaining a private life apart from his celebrated career. If this is your first time seeing the actor, here's everything to know about Squid Game season 2 star Gong Yoo, including which of his other projects to check out.
Gong Yoo is a descendant of Confucius.
Yoo, whose real name is Gong Ji-cheol, was born in July 1979 near Busan, South Korea. His stage name combines his father's (Gong) and his mother's (Yoo) last names. According to his parents, he's a descendant of Confucius from the Chinese philosopher's Korean extended family.
He's starred in several smash-hit K-dramas.
After debuting in 2001, Gong landed his breakout role in the 2007 romantic K-drama Coffee Prince, playing a café owner who falls in love with an employee. The classic rom-com is still beloved among K-drama fans, and Gong eventually reunited with the cast in the 2020 special My Dear Youth – Coffee Prince.
The busiest year of Gong's career was 2016 when he starred in the fantasy-romance drama Guardian: The Great and Lonely God, also known as Goblin, named after Yoo's character. He won a Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actor for his performance as the immortal Goblin, who searches for a human bride to turn him mortal.
Following Squid Game, his first K-drama role following Goblin, Gong made more Netflix K-dramas. His space thriller K-drama The Silent Sea came out just a few months after Squid Game's first season, in December 2021. In November 2024, he starred in The Trunk, a mystery-romance drama where he plays a grieving man who enters a contract marriage.
He gained international fame with his starring role in 'Train to Busan.'
In 2016, Gong starred in the zombie horror movie Train to Busan, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The heartfelt thriller broke the opening week record in Korea with five million tickets sold and helped him gain international recognition.
The actor's performance was probably informed by how he was actually scared during the production. He told Anthem Magazine that he steered clear of the actors who played the zombies even when they weren't filming. "This is obviously fictional, but there were times when I was genuinely scared. When you’re operating on fear while in character, in this narrow space of the train, and one of the zombies grab you by accident, it’s scary. That’s for the blooper real, but the expression on my face is real."
His first collaboration with Hwang Dong-hyuk sparked societal change in Korea.
Gong first worked with Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk on the film Silenced (2011). The film was based on the real-life scandal at a school for the hearing-impaired, where at least eight students were abused by staff. The film sparked outrage in Korea and led to the passing of the "Dogani Law," which imposed tougher punishments on those convicted of sex crimes against children and the disabled.
Gong told CNN that the role was game-changing. "This was one of the first times when I thought, if I really have some sort of influence…isn’t this something I should be using it for? Rather than taking to the streets to protest, the most effective thing I could do as an actor would be (to use my popularity to) push for funding…so this film could be made."
He's a homebody who's not on social media.
Despite being a household name, Gong is protective of his personal life. He has said in interviews that he doesn't enjoy being recognized on the street, and spends most of his time at home. Gong even went on a two-year acting hiatus after his string of hit projects in 2016.
When asked about the media intruding on his private life, Gong told CNN, "The camera, I hate it. That’s something I need to endure while working as an actor. In the end, because of fame, ‘Gong Yoo’ exists. It’s the driving force that keeps me going. But if there’s something you gain, there’s also something you can lose. Therefore, I try not to showcase my personal life.”
Gong is also off social media. His official profiles are run by his agency, Management Soop. "Twitter, Instagram, I don’t do it at all. This [interview] is better than social media," he said.
He's best friends with his 'Goblin' co-star Lee Dong-wook.
Gong's close with several of his Goblin co-stars. He was friends with the Grim Reaper actor Lee Dong-wook, who he met while serving in the military in 2008 before they did the show together.
Since Goblin ended in 2016, Gong has supported the cast in several ways, including sending coffee trucks to Lee and their co-star Kim Go Eun while they filmed other shows.
In November 2024, he reunited with his on-screen sister Yoo In-na on her YouTube channel, where she introduced him as "my eternal brother."
He donated 100 million Korean won to COVID relief.
In 2020, Yoo joined several Korean celebrities, including Parasite director Bong Joon-ho, in donating funds to COVID-19 relief measures. According to the South China Morning Post, he gave roughly $84,000 under his real name and asked for it to be used "for medical staff and to support low-income and underprivileged people."
