With a phenomenal résumé spanning more than two decades in the Korean entertainment industry, superstar Gong Yoo continues to be among the most sought-after actors in his country. In this piece, we explore the journey of Gong Yoo from a rising star to Korean royalty, his impressive net worth and his life beyond the camera.
Deemed by fans and critics as one of the top character actors, Gong Ji-cheol, aka Gong Yoo, has an array of hit movies and TV shows to his credit. These include Coffee Prince (2007), Silenced (2011), The Age of Shadows (2016) –in which he starred alongside Korean acting legend Song Kang-ho, Goblin (2016), The Silent Sea (2021) and Squid Game season 1 (2021).
“Playing diverse characters has pushed me to soul-search,” said the actor in an interview with Netflix.
Talking about the preparation process for his roles, Gong Yoo shared in the 2022 Netflix interview, “A good script holds all the answers you need. There are parts of the script that are not as obvious — hidden intentions and metaphors that I review in detail with the director to make sure we are on the same page — then I add my own sensibilities to bring the characters to life. I also sometimes get inspired by a specific place or prop.”
All about Gong Yoo: Net worth, career, brand deals, expensive things he owns and more
Gong Yoo’s net worth
According to media outlet Kdramastars, Gong Yoo enjoyed a net worth of USD 7 million in 2021. By 2023, Gong Yoo was estimated to have doubled his net worth to approximately USD 14 million, showcasing his rapid rise in the Korean entertainment industry.
A major part of his earnings stems from his critically acclaimed roles in movies and TV shows. Additionally, fashion endorsements, commercials and real estate ventures further solidify his financial standing.
Career and filmography
Gong Yoo has portrayed a wide range of characters throughout his two-decade-long career, from courageous, self-sacrificing protagonists in movies like Train to Busan to goofy romantic leads in shows like Coffee Prince.
Featuring blood, brains and mayhem, Train to Busan became South Korea’s first home-grown zombie movie to achieve global commercial success, making a solid USD 5.76 million on its opening day on 20 July 2016. Meanwhile, Coffee Prince, a K-drama adaptation of the novel of the same name by Lee Sun-mi, is one of the most popular K-dramas ever. The series finale recorded a viewership rating of 27.7 per cent according to Nielsen Korea.
Early days
One of the most sought-after actors in South Korea, Gong Yoo started as a model before landing his first entertainment gig as a VJ for the K-pop channel Mnet in 2000. He made his acting debut in the 2001 TV series School season 4 as a suave student Hwang Tae-young. Following this, Gong landed multiple supporting character roles over the next several years. He went on to make his movie debut in 2003 with the romantic comedy movie My Tutor Friend.
Gong also hosted the live music show Music Camp before scoring his first leading role in the 2005 SBS K-drama Hello My Teacher. In 2006, he was cast in the romance drama One Fine Day opposite Sung Yu-ri. The then-rising actor landed his breakout role in 2007 in MBC’s romantic Korean drama Coffee Prince.
Rise in popularity, awards and Train to Busan
Gong Yoo’s popularity continued to soar with the critically hit 2011 movie Silenced. A theatrical adaptation of Gong Ji-young’s Korean novel The Crucible, it focuses on the real-life incident of the mass sexual abuse of deaf students in Gwangju Inhwa School in Korea.
One of the most impactful Korean movies based on true stories, Silenced led to multiple necessary changes in child safety laws in the nation. The National Assembly of South Korea passed the Dogani Bill to abolish the statute of limitations for sex crimes against minors and disabled people, in October 2011. Additionally, Gong Yoo received widespread love for opening an important debate about child safety, school bullying and sexual abuse in the nation. The film made over USD 30.7 million at the box office.
Gong Yoo further showcased his versatility with the 2013 action spy movie The Suspect. A Won Shin-yun directorial, it was a commercial hit and made USD 26.9 million at the box office, against a budget of USD 9.5 million. Meanwhile, his portrayal of brooding lover Ki-hong in the 2016 erotic romance A Man and A Woman earned him the Grand Prize (Daesang) at the Korea Film Actors Association Awards.
The Korean heartthrob got his first blockbuster release with the Yeon Sang-ho directorial Train to Busan. According to Box Office Mojo, it garnered over USD 92.7 million against a budget of USD 8.5 million and makes for one of the highest-grossing Korean movies of all time. Train to Busan also enjoyed a special screening in the Midnight Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. Following this massive success, the makers launched a standalone Train to Busan franchise and released its animated prequel Seoul Station in 2016 and sequel Peninsula in 2020.
Superstardom with Goblin and more
Over the years, Gong Yoo has been part of several success stories. These include the period action thriller The Age of Shadows (2016), the fantasy-romance drama Goblin (2016), the action thriller Seo Bok (2021), the Netflix global hit series Squid Game season 1 (2021) and the sci-fi flick The Silent Sea (2021).
While the 2016 cult classic Goblin catapulted Gong Yoo to superstardom, his Netflix endeavours like Squid Game season 1 and The Silent Sea made him a global household name. A love story between an otherworldly being and a human, Goblin changed the trajectory of romantic Korean dramas and became one of the highest-rated tvN shows of all time. According to Nielsen Korea, Goblin recorded a solid 18.68 per cent viewership rating after its finale on 21 January 2017. Meanwhile, The Age of Shadows was selected as South Korea’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.
Not to forget the survival Korean drama Squid Game season 1, which recorded more than 1.65 billion hours of viewership in the first 28 days of release. Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, it is one of the most-watched K-dramas on Netflix. Additionally, the series also won six Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022, including Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for Hwang. Reportedly, the actor earned approximately USD 700,000 per episode for his role in the show.
Gong Yoo is also popular for his cameos, his latest being in the Bae Suzy starrer Wonderland (2024). Talking about Gong, who plays AI Sung Joon in the sci-fi movie, director Kim Tae-yong shared in a press conference (via Soompi), “Since he is an AI character that carries out the task of managing the AI within Wonderland while also being a friend, he needed to be both cool yet warm, and there was no other actor like Gong Yoo [for the role]. He is warmhearted and thoughtful, and he is an actor with romantic tension”.
Gong Yoo plays music producer Han Jeong-won in the November 2024 K-drama The Trunk. He will be next seen in the highly anticipated Squid Game season 2, which is all set to premiere worldwide on Netflix on 26 December 2024.
Luxury brand endorsements like Louis Vuitton and Chanel
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A popular face in the world of fashion, brand endorsements and commercials make for key revenue streams that bolster the formidable net worth of Gong Yoo. Over the years, the Korean star has been the face of multiple global and local brands including Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford Beauty, Channel, New Balance, Lotus, SK Enmove, Denps, Kanu, Terra, Discovery Expedition and Fresh.
Gong’s association with French luxury house Louis Vuitton goes back to 2017 when the Goblin actor fronted ads for its LV Tambour Horizon watch. In 2019, he attended the opening of the Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul boutique. In June 2024, he appeared at the Louis Vuitton Men’s spring/summer 2025 show designed by Pharrell Williams. Shortly after, he was announced as the newest House Ambassador for the brand. With this, he joined the brand’s roster of celebrity spokespeople alongside K-pop sensations J-Hope, BamBam and Jackson Wang.
The veteran actor has also been featured in multiple magazine editorials including Elle, GQ, Vogue, Esquire, Marie Claire Korea, Arena, W Korea, Magazine M, High Cut, Harper’s Bazaar and Gadgets.
With over 4.4 million followers, Gong Yoo successfully dominates Instagram with his consistent project-related updates, photoshoots and sponsored posts. One of the most popular Korean actors on Instagram, he reportedly earns around USD 10,000 to USD 100,000 per post on the social media platform.
Expensive things owned by Gong Yoo that add to his net worth
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Besides his acting projects and brand deals, real estate investments are a significant component of Gong Yoo’s net worth. He owns a USD 8 million worth penthouse unit in Afer Hangang, Yongsan, Seoul. The high-end neighbourhood, which hosts beautiful views of Yongsan Park on one side and Han River on the other, is also home to other popular K-celebs like J-hope and Kim Go-eun. Additionally, Gong also has a vacation house worth USD 537,000.
Gong Yoo is also a car enthusiast and owns several luxury vehicles, including a Porsche 911, a Mercedes-Benz S-Class and a K7 Hybrid Kia Cadenza.
Gong Yoo is a pet parent to two cats — an Egyptian Mau and a Scottish Fold. The latter is named Kongkong and often appears in commercials with Gong.
A glimpse at his personal life
Born on 10 July 1979 in Busan, South Korea, Gong Ji-cheol is the only son of Gong Won and Yoo Myung-Joo. According to a 1996 edition of the Gokbu Gong clan’s genealogy book in Korea, Gong is the 79th-generation descendant of the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius. In a 2017 fan meeting in Taiwan, Gong Yoo agreed to the claim and shared that he indeed is from the Gokbu Gong clan.
While the Squid Game star grew up wanting to work in advertising, he later graduated from Kyung Hee University with a degree in Theater and Film. Gong eventually went on to pursue an acting career in the Korean entertainment industry.
He enlisted for the mandatory military service on 14 January 2008 and was discharged on 8 December 2009.
As for his relationship, Gong Yoo is currently single, according to his agency Management Soop. However, he is rumoured to have dated his co-actors Kim Go-eun and Im Soo-jung.
(Hero Image Credit: 매니지먼트숲/@management_soop via Instagram; Featured Image Credit: Netflix K-Content/@netflixkcontent via X)
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
