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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Movies and TV devider Yearender: Lee Byung-hun, Ma Dong-seok, Lee Jung-jae top list of movie actors who excelled in 2025 in Korea

Yearender: Lee Byung-hun, Ma Dong-seok, Lee Jung-jae top list of movie actors who excelled in 2025 in Korea

Published Dec 19, 2025 10:41 am  |  Updated Dec 19, 2025 04:10 pm
(Clockwise from top right) Lee Byung-hun, Ma Dong-seok, Lee Jung-jae, Hwang Jung-min and Hyun Bin (Instagram)
(Clockwise from top right) Lee Byung-hun, Ma Dong-seok, Lee Jung-jae, Hwang Jung-min and Hyun Bin (Instagram)

Lee Byung-hun, Ma Dong-seok and Lee Jung-jae copped the first three places in a year-end survey of movie actors who shined in 2025 in South Korea. 

Gallup Korea released its year-end surveys for Person of the Year, honoring those who excelled in Korean dramas, movies and entertainment. 

For movie actors, Gallup Korea held a survey from Nov. 11 to 28 among 1,700 respondents aged 13 and above nationwide (except Jeju Island) in South Korea. The respondents were asked, “Who do you think will be the most active actor in 2025?”

Lee Byung-hun, who starred in the film “No Other Choice,” took first place with 25.8 percent. “No Other Choice” is currently in the shortlist for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. 

For “No Other Choice,” Lee Byung-hun is nominated for Best Actor-Musical or Comedy at the upcoming Golden Globe Awards. 

The movie is also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy. 

Action star Ma Dong-seok came in second with 18.4 percent. He starred in “The Roundup: Punishment in 2024 and "Holy Night: Demon Hunters" in 2025. Ma Dong-seok first entered the top 10 of “Movie Actor of the Year” in 2016, and has remained in the top ranks for nine consecutive years since the following year, taking first place in 2018, 2023, and 2024.

Lee Jung-jae took third place with 15.5 percent. His popularity soared after starring in the series “Squid Game.” 

Hwang Jung-min, who starred in the films "Mission: Cross" and "I, the Executioner" in 2024, came in fourth with 7.1 percent. 

Hyun Bin, star of the film “Harbin,” placed fifth with 6.4 percent. 

Jo Jung-suk, Song Kang-ho, Kim Go-eun, Son Ye-jin and Choi Min-sik (Instagram, Showbox)
Jo Jung-suk, Song Kang-ho, Kim Go-eun, Son Ye-jin and Choi Min-sik (Instagram, Showbox)
(Clockwise from top right) Lee Byung-hun, Ma Dong-seok, Lee Jung-jae, Hwang Jung-min and Hyun Bin (Instagram, CJ Entertainment)
(Clockwise from top right) Lee Byung-hun, Ma Dong-seok, Lee Jung-jae, Hwang Jung-min and Hyun Bin (Instagram, CJ Entertainment)

Jo Jung-suk, star of “My Daughter Is a Zombie,” the highest grossing Korean film this year, ranked sixth with 5.5 percent. 

Song Kang-ho of the series “Uncle Samsik” placed seventh with 5.1 percent. 

Tied for eighth place are actress Kim Go-eun, who starred in the films "Exhuma" and "Love in the Big City," and actress Son Ye-jin with 4.9 percent. 

 Choi Min-sik placed 10th with 4.6 percent. 

The actors who received more than 1 percent of responses outside the top 10 are Park Jung-min (3.7 percent), Yoo Hae-jin (3.6 percent), Ha Jung-woo (3.3 percent), Song Hye-kyo (2.8 percent), Kang Ha-neul (2.7 percent), Son Suk-kyu (2.4 percent), Kim Hye-soo (2.2 percent), Park Bo-gum (2 percent), Ryu Seung-ryong (1.8 percent), Jung Woo-sung (1.5 percent), Kim Woo-bin, Joo Ji-hoon, Sol Kyung-gu, Han Seok-kyu (all 1.3 percent), Jung Hae-in, Jo Woo-jin (all 1.2  percent), and Kim Tae-ri, and Jeon Do-yeon (all 1.1 percent). 

Top 10 Movie Actors Who Shined in 2025 in South Korea (Source: Gallup Korea)

1st Place - Lee Byung-hun (“No Other Choice”) - 25.8% 

2nd Place - Ma Dong-seok (“Holy Night: Demon Hunters") - 18.4% 

3rd Place - Lee Jung-jae (“Squid Game” Seasons 2 and 3) - 15.5% 

4th Place - Hwang Jung-min (“I, the Executioner," Mission: Cross”) - 7.1%

5th Place - Hyun Bin (“Harbin”) - 6.4% 

6th Place - Jo Jung-suk (“My Daughter Is a Zombie”) - 5.5%

7th Place - Song Kang-ho (“Uncle Samsik”) - 5.1%

8th Place - Kim Go-eun ("You and Everything Else," "The Price of Confession") - 4.9% 

- Son Ye-jin (“No Other Choice”) - 4.9%

10th Place - Choi Min-sik (“Exhuma”) - 4.6%

The top 10 movie actors in South Korea in 2025 based on the year-end survey of Gallup Korea (Jonathan Hicap / background photo: CJ Entertainment)
The top 10 movie actors in South Korea in 2025 based on the year-end survey of Gallup Korea (Jonathan Hicap / background photo: CJ Entertainment)
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