Reflecting on the 2nd week of April, the K-Drama landscape sparkled with series that intricately spun enchanting narratives and introduced memorable characters. These shows infused an additional layer of thrill into the new year, transforming the second week of April into a period brimming with endearing on-screen tales.

By the use of extensive data collection that involves analyzing netizen's reactions to various online platforms such as news websites, online communities, social media platforms, and videos, Good Data Corporation shows an insight into the Korean entertainment industry by providing a weekly ranking of the most talked about actors and dramas in Korea.

Wondering which K-Dramas and actors are trending in Korea at the moment? Read on to find out!

 

Hottest Korean Drama (On TV & OTT) For The 2nd Week of April

The most talked about drama was...

"Queen of Tears"

The K-Drama "Queen of Tears" first aired on March 9th, and it has since found its way to the top of the most-talked-about ranking. Viewers are loving the awesome cast, those laugh-out-loud moments, and the super interesting plot of the series.

Here is the full ranking of the hottest Korean dramas for the 2nd week of April:

1. "Queen of Tears"

2. "Lovely Runner"

3. "Parasyte: The Grey"

4. "Wonderful World"

5. "Blood Free"

6. "The Escape of Seven: Resurrection"

7. "Beauty and Mr. Romantic"

8. "Nothing Uncovered"

9. "Chief Detective 1958" 

10. "Missing Crown Prince" 

 

Hottest Korean Actor (On TV & OTT) For The 2nd Week of April

The most talked about Korean actor was...

Kim SooHyun - "Queen of Tears"

Kim SooHyun has topped the ranking again. He has been relishing in praises from K-Drama lovers and fans thanks to his endearing on-screen performance. It's no wonder drama fans can't seem to get enough of his character.

Here is the full ranking of the hottest Korean actors for the 2nd week of April:

1. Kim SooHyun - "Queen of Tears"

2. Kim JiWon - "Queen of Tears"

3. Byeon WooSeok - "Lovely Runner"

4. Kim HyeYoon - "Lovely Runner"

5. Park SungHoon - "Queen of Tears"

6. ASTRO's Cha EunWoo - "Wonderful World"

7. Kim NamJoo - "Wonderful World"

8. Kwak DongYeon - "Queen of Tears"

9. Kim KapSoo - "Queen of Tears"

10. Han HyoJoo - "Blood Free" 

It looks like "Queen of Tears" generated quite the buzz (again) in the second week of April. Other popular dramas included "Lovely Runner", "Parasyte: The Grey", and more.

Make sure to check out these shows and their talented cast members!

“My ID is Gangnam Beauty” (2018), also called “Gangnam Beauty”, was a hit, with many overseas viewers falling in love with the K-Drama. Based on the webtoon of the same name by Gi MaengGi, it tells the story of MiRae who was bullied for her looks at school, leading her to get plastic surgery. She now enters her "new life" with a whole new face at university. While everyone is focused on what people look like, KyungSuk, MiRae’s fellow classmate, thinks differently, and MiRae learns what real “beauty” is.

While it is a rom-com, the story also touches on many deep topics such as lookism, sexism, the societal pressure to meet beauty standards, and the importance of realizing one’s inner beauty. The drama received a lot of positive reviews because of its various messages.

However, did you know that there is a Thai adaptation of the same webtoon and that with top Thai actors? Named "Beauty Newbie" (2024), the Thai drama is based on the same webtoon as the Korean drama. The airing just ended on April 2nd. Although the story largely remains the same, it focuses more on the female lead making her first-ever friend in her new life at university than the Korean show.

Let us introduce the cast to you:

MiRae (Im SooHyang) becomes Liu (Baifern), KyungSuk (ASTRO's Cha EunWoo) becomes Guy (Win), SooAh (Jo WooRi) becomes Faye (Jane), and WooYoung (Kwak DongYeon) becomes Saint (Great).

ChanWoo (Oh HeeJoon) becomes Mac (Mike), WonHo (Kim DoYeon) becomes Mok (Drake), and Eun (Park YooNa) becomes Ann (Emi).

Important Note: To avoid too many spoilers we will cover until episode 5 of the Thai drama. We can't cover all the points. Also, the comparison is done with the Korean drama and not the original webtoon. 

Here are a few differences we could notice between the Korean drama "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" (2018) and the Thai drama "Beauty Newbie" (2024) both based on the same webtoon.

 

Overall Differences

1. It's faster

The Korean drama consists of sixteen 60-minute episodes while the Thai drama only has fourteen 44-minute episodes, making it 344 minutes (or approximately 6 hours) shorter.

Since the Thai version is shorter, the drama starts way faster than the Korean drama, and all the main elements are quickly settled within the first minutes of the show. However, the Thai production still kept some key scenes, such as the face grading scenes (scenes where the female lead grades women's faces).

 

2. Its use of social media & cyberbullying

Like in some other GMMTV dramas such as “F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers”, the characters of “Beauty Newbie” are frequent users of social media. This leads to many cases of cyberbullying which were not present in the Korean drama.

The use of Instagram, X (Twitter), online messengers, online communities, and more are shown on screen and play an important role in the story and heavily impact the characters.

While both MiRae and Liu were victims of bullying in the past, Liu continues to struggle against online bullying at her university. Everywhere she turns, there are people talking behind her back or on the internet, not only in her department, but across the entire school

 

3. The fighting is more violent

Compared to the Korean drama, the Thai drama has more severe violence. The fight scenes are longer and taken to a higher level. If you don't like violence, don’t worry as it shouldn’t be anything that will stop you from watching.

KyungSuk does get into a few fights but the intensity of the fights is different from the ones Guy takes part in. We noticed more kicks, punches, and blood shown to viewers.

It might be a cultural difference or solely a choice to show that Guy is ready to be hurt for Liu.

 

Differences in the characters

4. Liu/MiRae: from a smart to a naive female lead

From the start, MiRae is quite smart and relatively quick-witted while Liu is much more naive. Their mental maturity seems different.

When Liu faces all the red flags of Faye, she still does not realize that she is being used and wronged. What is more, Liu does not side with Guy who is trying to help her. She keeps people who use her by her side and keeps the good ones far.

It seems that the Thai production wanted to make the growth of her character more significant and make her character more dependent on the two lead characters for their romantic interest.

 

5. Faye/SooAh: from a villain with flaws to a self-centered vicious lady

This character is one of the most striking differences between the two dramas, in its nature but also in screen time.

The Korean drama villain is SooAh even if some events later on seem to redeem her. SooAh is a liar, has ill feelings for MiRae, and manipulates guys for her gains.

However, in the Thai drama, Faye is more evil and vicious. You might wonder, "how is that even possible?".

Faye's mentality and behavior possess a darker edge, as she's prepared to go to any lengths to uphold her façade of the 'beautiful angel.' Despite her charming exterior, her actions are fueled by self-serving motives, leveraging her beauty and influence to manipulate situations in her favor, all while making any of her rivals hit low.

From the first episodes, she gets a lot of screen time and we know what she planning early while we know later for SooAh.

Liu is also much more under her manipulation, a real puppet. The first episodes portray how Faye is using Liu to give herself a better image. For example, after making sure everyone knows that Liu had plastic surgery and making people make negative comments about it, she would defend Liu. This whole plan makes her look like a "nice" person defending the weak, when really, she had planned it all.

Also, another difference is while SooAh hates being taken in pictures because of her trauma, Faye enjoys it and enjoys having her 'fanclub'/'followers' like Mok taking pictures of her, secretly or not.

The Thai production takes this character further to add more drama (read fun) and makes viewers even more engaged in hating Faye and hoping for Liu to listen to Guy. Also, the summary of the Thai drama mentions that Faye is Liu’s “first friend” ever, making her even more important to the story.

 

6. Saint/WooYoung: from a quick story use to a real second lead for a love triangle

In "My ID is Gangnam Beauty", WooYoung is a TA for the chemistry department and a neighbor of MiRae. He has a crush on her but this was mostly used to just move the plot forward and make MiRae date KyungSuk. He was not ever taken seriously as a potential boyfriend so there was never any real love triangle in the drama.

However, in "Beauty Newbie", Saint is much more than just "a oppa with a crush". He creates a love triangle, and makes some viewers feel the second lead syndrome. Furthermore, not only does he live in Liu’s neighborhood, he also lives next door. Living in the same building and floor, he always appears in her sphere.

Saint is also much more sweet and kind to the female lead than WooYoung. He also got the support of Liu's parents from the very first episode, while this happens later for WooYoung. Saint is one step ahead of Guy and a strong contestant for Liu's heart. He also has his own perfume lab on the rooftop of the building, which only makes Liu like him more and spend more time with him.

Saint is even on the main poster of the drama while WooYoung is not. The Thai drama has four characters while the Korean one has three.

The Thai production decided to make Saint a more important character to add more romance and make viewers invested in the love triangle. Also, Liu needed a real friend to help her mature and Saint gives her a lot of help on finding solutions and building self-esteem. The character of Saint is very much popular among the viewers.

 

7. Not as many friends for the female lead

MiRae makes a few close friends at school, adding on her already close friend and roommate HyunJung (Min DoHee). However, Liu is friends with Faye and her two friends and that is all. In the drama, she is mostly surrounded by men and them. Liu does not have a roommate/friend like HyunJung either.

We can guess that since the drama is shorter, the production decided to make Faye and Saint more present in the story. They had to make some choices on who to put the spotlight on in Liu's life.

 

8. Ann/Eun: quite similar but Ann is not Liu's friend but Guy's

Ann and (Yoo) Eun are quite similar. They are blunt and quick-witted. They are both quick to notice Faye/SooAh's true nature. Eun is the first one to know that SooAh was lying about living in Gangnam.

But we noticed that Ann is not as close to Liu than Eun is to MiRae. Also, unlike Ann, Eun is the representative of the department and much interest in what is happening among the students and doesn't hesitate to stand out.

Furthermore, Ann is a very close friend of Guy’s, whereas in the Korean drama, the characters of Eun and KyungSuk are not as close. The reason for this might be that there are no other students that match her mindset. This little twist is quite interesting. It seems that Ann is filling the void left by the character of Seo YooJin (Lee TaeSun), the male lead’s best friend, who is nowhere to be found in the Thai drama.

 

9. The "sunbae" vs Mac

You will mostly remember the "sunbae" named ChanWoo that annoys everyone and that includes Mirae. The Thai drama kept the character but changed a few things.

While in the Korean drama, ChanWoo grosses out everyone in the department with his actions and is not particularly attractive, Mac is just a senior who is physically attractive but has difficulties with dating.

Mac becomes interested in both Liu and Faye, and Faye, who he prefers, manipulates him by confessing to him. Eventually, he turns violent towards Liu, but luckily, she is saved by Guy. This is exactly like in the Korean drama. The cafeteria scene and the kick-out scene were both kept with each their own twists.

However, there are quite a few differences from the Korean drama. MiRae was never really interested in ChanWoo, who didn't quite have the charm – mentally or physically – and even showed some borderline aggression in the first episodes. On the other hand, Mac seemed like a much better fit from the start, which is why Liu decided to give him a chance.

We can't be sure of the reason for these changes, but we can guess that the impact on Liu's mental would be bigger if she was interested in this character but then threatened by him.

 

10. Guy's sister is free to do her broadcast

In "My ID Gangnam Beauty", KyungSuk's sister hides from her family to do her broadcast and covers her face with masks to keep secret her identity. But in "Beauty Newbie", Guy's sister is openly doing her broadcasts, face fully shown on camera, and is supported by both her father and brother. They even help her fix some of her props, something we would never see with KyungSuk’s family. Also in the Thai drama, the sister is a bit older.

We guess that since the Thai production had to shorten the story, they removed this element of the story that required more scenes in the Korean drama.

 

11. Professors are involved in the school tensions

In the Thai drama, professors (administrative professors) are involved in the trouble students are facing. If students fight, they are called and receive a punishment. The characters are more responsible for their actions and they are asked about it and face punishment for it. In the Korean drama, WooYoung is the TA and takes care of these.

As seen earlier, WooYoung and Saint are different in both dramas, so we can guess the Thai production did not want to give him this role at school in the drama. Saint is here to support Liu emotionally and as a man and not as a school authority. He also makes his stands clear in front of the professors when she is facing difficulties.

 

Differences in the story

12. A different level of the "bathroom kick-out" scene ft. kendo

One of the most famous scenes of "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" is KyungSuk kicking ChanWoo (or "the sunbae") in the bathroom to save MiRae. In this scene, everyone is scared to stop ChanWoo from screaming and threatening MiRae. KyungSuk jumps in and fights the sunbae putting him K.O. on the toilet seat.

Are you not curious how the Thai version portrayed this scene?

The fight scene was a bit different. Mac threatens Liu that he will reveal to everyone her pre-surgery picture by clicking on the remote if she does not agree with what he wants. Guy jumps in the room and intervenes. Since Guy does Kendo, he takes the broom from Mac's hands and makes a few moves. He ends up hurting his hand and bleeding but Mac is defeated.

While the two dramas use a broom, the result is different. Also, students were not helping Liu because they were curious about the picture while students were not helping MiRae because they were scared of the sunbae. The Thai version went for a longer scene for more impact and painted Guy as Liu's savior.

 

13. MiRae & KyungSuk vs Liu & Guy

In the first episodes of "My ID is Gangnam Beauty", MiRae and KyungSuk are not close but MiRae has no hatred towards him, whereas Liu as a deep resentment of Guy. Their relationships have different starting points. Even if Guy helps Liu at various times, she always has a reason to hate him even more and does not let him explain himself.

The Thai drama production team decided to put one more obstacle for Guy and Liu to get closer. It has a small taste of a "from enemies to lovers" trope.

 

14. Liu's dad is aware of her plastic surgery

In the Korean version, only MiRae's mom knows about her plastic surgery (and was the only one who agreed on it!). It's a big secret to her dad, who only finds out later on and is greatly impacted by it.

However, in the Thai drama, the dad knows about her plastic surgery just like the mom and is just as supportive from the start, which makes for quite a big difference in the story.

Just like KyungSuk's sister, this aspect of the drama has been omitted.

 

15. The whole school accessed Liu's pre-surgery picture

In “My ID is Gangnam Beauty,” MiRae’s department does know that she had plastic surgery but they don’t have access to her pre-surgery picture. However, in "Beauty Newbie", the whole school accessed it as it was spread through social media. The trauma for Liu and the hardships to overcome seem much bigger than MiRae with this element.

 

Bonus: Liu/MiRae pre-surgery face stay not shown to drama viewers

We were happy to see that the Thai production also chose to not reveal on screen the pre-surgery face of the lead character. She is seen with a blur or a mask.

The Korean drama never revealed her face, showing only her eyes or her back, because the production team did not want to create a standard for what is ‘ugly’ or not. The Korean director Choi SungBum talked about it before and highlighted that "it is unethical to create a fixed definition of ugliness in a drama that strives to find the real meaning of beauty" as translated by The Korea Herald (here). They left it up to the viewers' imagination to represent the "ugly"/"unattractive" face.

 

Bonus: The outfits for the school festival stay similar

Do you remember the scene when the girls of the department were forced to wear these revealing outfits to sell drinks at the uni festival? It stayed the same in the Thai drama.

To give you a bit of a spoiler, Liu is the victim of sexual harassment but the men in her department do not take her side because "it is her job to make customers satisfied".

Let us share one shocking line. Faye has customers staring at her chest and taking illegal pictures so she goes to ask for help from one of the men of the department. He then decides to send Liu to that table and says to Faye: "It's okay. She's all plastic. A bit of staring and touching wouldn't tarnish her, unlike a natural beauty like you."

 

You can watch the drama for free and officially with subs on GMMTV YouTube below:

The 2024 Overseas Hallyu Survey results are out, and it is no surprise that once again, for the 11th year in a row, Lee MinHo has been picked as the most favored Hallyu star in the world! Find out more.

In case you didn't know, the Overseas Hallyu Survey is conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to determine the consumption and impact of Hallyu worldwide. The sample size of the survey is 25,000 people from 26 countries familiar with K-Content.

According to the report published by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Lee MinHo was picked as the top Hallyu star by 6.4% of respondents. He also ranked 1st in all 5 regions that were surveyed, that is, Asia/Pacific, the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Lee MinHo's popularity was recorded to be the highest in the Middle East, followed by Asia/Pacific, Africa, the Americas, and Europe.

Of course it is an incredible feat to maintain the top spot for 11 consecutive years but why exactly is the Lee MinHo craze so strong? Let's get into it!

 

Lee MinHo's Legacy

Before Hallyu ever became a mainstream cultural phenomenon, there was "Boys Over Flowers", paving the way. A large majority of international K-Drama fans started their Hallyu journey with "Boys Over Flowers", and it continues to be one of the very first K-Dramas the recent generations of fans watch or go back to for their daily dose of Lee MinHo.

As a result, over the last 5 years, global interest in "Boys Over Flowers" has spiked at least once almost every single year, mostly corresponding to one of Lee MinHo's works that were either airing at the time or were talked about in the news.

For instance, when "The King: Eternal Monarch" was airing in 2020 (April 17 – June 12), searches for "Boys Over Flowers" skyrocketed around May 17 to 23. Older fans could have been rewatching the classic and new fans may have seeked it out because they just couldn't get enough of Lee MinHo.

Similarly, around the time when Lee MinHo's appearance in "Pachinko" was all the buzz, alongside the Thai remake of "Boys Over Flowers" called "F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers", the K-Drama "Boys Over Flowers" started trending on Google searches once more (December 26, 2021 - Jan 1, 2022).

Unsurprisingly, as news about "Ask The Stars" started to spread, with speculations about the airing date, and so on, global interest in "Boys Over Flowers" spiked yet again (April 16 - 22, 2023)!

In other words, whenever Lee MinHo is in the spotlight, "Boys Over Flowers" draws attention, too, proving its timeless status and Lee MinHo's enduring impact. It is nothing but a fallacy to deny or undermine the influence of "Boys Over Flowers" on Hallyu, which continues to prove itself even today.

Now, the "Hallyu Star" category in the Overseas Hallyu Survey was created in 2014, when Lee MinHo had already started making a place for himself in global fans' hearts. However, this time, his popularity received new impetus from the international success of the K-Drama "The Heirs"—another blockbuster hit with record-breaking highs at the time of its release. As Hallyu had already crash-landed on the world, "The Heirs" was the perfect launching pad for Lee MinHo to shoot to global fame on a larger scale than ever before.

By topping up the success of "Boys Over Flowers" with K-Dramas like "Personal Taste", "City Hunter", "Faith" and "The Heirs", Lee MinHo showed the world that he wasn't a one-hit-wonder. He was destined to be a world star and he was only getting started. This consistency also translated to a stronger fan base and higher global interest in this new superstar from Korea.

Exactly one year after the conclusion of "The Heirs", in December 2014, Lee MinHo reached the highest peak in his career at the time. It was also in 2014 that the "Hallyu Star" category was established, and once he grabbed the top spot, there was no looking back. According to Google Trends, in the last 7 days, global interest in Lee MinHo reached a similar peak as back in 2014. This happened on April 13 (it has reached the same peak many times in previous years, too). So, the numbers suggest that Lee MinHo is currently at his peak once again. It is no surprise, therefore, that Lee MinHo is ruling the top spot in the Overseas Hallyu Survey's "Hallyu Star" category.

Notably, between 2014 to 2024, Lee MinHo has released 2 K-Dramas ("The Legend of the Blue Sea", "The King: Eternal Monarch"), 2 films ("Gangnam Blues", "Bounty Hunters"), 1 documentary ("DMZ, The Wild"), two promotional web series ("Summer Love" & "7 First Kisses"), and the Hollywood series "Pachinko".

As is obvious, Lee MinHo chose quality over quantity, and clearly, the actor has an eye for impactful projects. He outdid himself with each work, and Lee MinHo's success kept scaling unbelievable heights. According to an interview with "Harper's BAZAAR Singapore", Lee MinHo constantly attempts to bring out the "true identity" of his character in his works, which not only comes through to the audience as impressive but also amplifies the immersion of his works, creating a "fad" every time Lee MinHo is on screen. He embodies his characters with such charm and conviction that it is impossible not to fall in love!

Moreover, the actor's versatility is beyond comparison, and he never allows himself to be put in a box. Just when you think you've understood and can predict Lee MinHo's spectrum, he throws us a curveball we'd least expect. For a lot of fans, "Pachinko" was this curveball that started a new chapter in Lee MinHo's career.

 

Lee MinHo In His 30s

Lee MinHo entered his 30s as the King of the world. Everyone knew him and loved him, even worshipped him as their role model, an inspiration. However, Lee MinHo took his 30s as a time to experiment, expand and evolve.

Much like his title of "the King", Lee MinHo's first K-Drama in his 30s was "The King: Eternal Monarch", where he played Emperor Lee Gon. Truly, a royal role for a royal man. With this K-Drama, Lee MinHo reunited with "The Heirs" scriptwriter, the esteemed Kim EunSook, hoping to replicate their previous collaborative success, and needless to say, the result spoke for itself. "The King: Eternal Monarch" was one of the most popular TV shows on Netflix at the time of its airing and topped the chart in several countries around the world.

If we consider the current K-Drama landscape, in the past 90 days, "The King: Eternal Monarch" has surpassed "The Heirs" in global interest, meaning that more people are searching for "The King: Eternal Monarch" now than "The Heirs". "The King: Eternal Monarch" exceeded "The Heirs" and introduced a whole new generation of fans to this heartthrob, but little did they know that the star had a lot more up his sleeve.

For the first time in 10 years, Lee MinHo auditioned for a role, and that role was none other than Koh HanSu in "Pachinko". Debatably, Lee MinHo as Koh HanSu in "Pachinko" is the best performance of his acting career so far and one of the best from contemporary Korean actors right now, which says all that you need to know about his outstanding talent.

Notably, something had shifted in Lee MinHo when he entered his mid-30s. The actor felt a natural inclination to portray the "real" and with "Pachinko", he proved that he was just as much an actor for the real as he was for the fairytale.

Once I hit my mid-thirties, it feels like I'm now striving for what's 'real'. Otherwise, I can't agree, and that's why things are getting tougher. Whether it's the criteria for choosing scripts, the resulting videos, or even what I'm doing within them. If it's not genuine now, it's difficult. So, amidst a lot of contemplation, I was offered an audition for "Pachinko", and when I read the script, I felt certain. If it's this project, I can genuinely give it a try. I want to try it once.
Lee MinHo to "Esquire Korea"

The same actor who brought us the most heart-fluttering Prince Charming characters could also give us a heart-wrenchingly realistic, nuanced, and tragic anti-hero failed by history and burdened by survival and that is why he is the people's most beloved Korean actor of the decade.

I dig deeper into Koh HanSu and particularly, Lee MinHo's portrayal of the character in my "Character Sketch" article that you can read here.

 

What's Next?

I want to leave as many roles as I can in my 30s. My goal for this year is to work as much as I can.
Lee MinHo to "Harper's BAZAAR Singapore"

It's no surprise that the actor is booked and busy! With a new outlook on acting and a more mature perspective on the art he wants to create on-screen, Lee MinHo is gearing up for a grand 2024 with three upcoming works.

Firstly, we have "Ask The Stars", also known as "When The Stars Gossip", a space rom-com about the love story of space tourist Gong Ryong (Lee MinHo) and astronaut Eve Kim (Kong HyoJin), set in a space station. Then, we're getting the highly anticipated live-action adaptation film of the immensely popular web novel/webtoon "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint", where Lee MinHo will be playing Yoo JungHyuk, one of the main protagonists of the story.

Both projects are reportedly unprecedented in scale and are definitely two of the most highly talked about upcoming Korean productions right now, with continually rising interest from global fans. As a matter of fact, searches for "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint" in relation to Lee MinHo have gone up a whopping 350%! Talk about impact!

That's not all! Lee MinHo will be returning as Koh HanSu for "Pachinko - Season 2", much to the joy of fans worldwide.

We cannot wait to see what the world's favorite Hallyu star, Lee MinHo, has in store for us next!

 

A Fandom As Noble As The Artist

Finally, we come to one of the most crucial elements that contributed to Lee MinHo's overwhelming popularity across a decade - his relationship with his fans, MINOZ. It is not just the actor's talent, gorgeous visuals, towering physique, and impeccable style that has garnered him millions of fans from around the world. It is the person that he is, the human behind the artist, his kindness, humility, passion, resilience, and sincerity that have made us fall in love. However, what makes the Lee MinHo X MINOZ dynamic so special is how Lee MinHo draws inspiration and strength from his fans too. He loves them with all his heart and truly so. He cares for them and their stories as he shares his own, and they grow together. The man even made a whole singing career just for his fans!

Even now, whenever I make eye contact with my fans, I get good energy from them, am moved by them, and get a lump in my throat. Whenever I meet my fans for the first time, I hear the reasons why they became my fans, and listening to their stories is always amazing. For example, a fan from Japan told me how she became despondent after losing her husband. But she was comforted by watching my dramas and regained the will to live. So stories like these encourage me to become a better actor.
Lee MinHo to "Harper's BAZAAR Singapore"

To this day, the relationship between Lee MinHo and MINOZ has to be one of the most admirable artist-fan equations we've ever seen. This is a fandom that celebrates their actor's milestones by contributing to charity and donating to meaningful causes, echoing the values upheld by Lee MinHo himself.

Over the years, Lee MinHo has remained unshakably loyal to his commitment to philanthropy. From founding the award-winning donation platform "PROMIZ" in 2014 to give back to children, animals, and the environment, to executing numerous campaigns under the same, such as the "PROMIZ Gift Set Project", "Milk Mustache Project", "Safe Umbrella Project" and so on, Lee MinHo's dedication to creating a better tomorrow for all is unwavering.

In addition to contributing to PROMIZ and its various campaigns, there have been innumerable donation campaigns run independently by MINOZ worldwide, be that in honor of Lee MinHo's birthday, a new project, debut anniversaries, and so on and so forth.

Of course, the fandom showers the actor with their gifts and praises, too, but most importantly, they work together to make this world a better place for everyone to live in and love Lee MinHo. If that's not the most noble of intentions, we don't know what is!

As the fandom continues to grow, we hope more and more people will open up their hearts to heal and protect the world, bringing joy through sharing, much like their favorite star does.

Now, if we're talking numbers, we analyzed posts from across the internet and found that the hashtag for Lee MinHo's fandom - #MINOZ recorded a high of 3M in reach on March 21, 2024, which is a great measure of the buzz surrounding Lee MinHo's comeback.

Interestingly, when we conducted a sentiment analysis of the posts, the results returned a 100% positive sentiment, meaning netizens worldwide have nothing but a positive reaction to #MINOZ.

Now, that's what a wholesome fandom looks like!

Similarly, Lee MinHo's Instagram follower count keeps increasing, and the actor has gained 77,730 new followers in the last 30 days alone! With 35.1M followers on his Instagram (@actorleeminho) at the time of writing, Lee MinHo is the 2nd most followed Korean actor on Instagram. We're expecting this number to skyrocket again when the actor makes his much-awaited comeback.

Are you excited for Lee MinHo's comeback? Tell us on X!