Hwang In-yeop

Hwang In-youp (; born January 19, 1991) is a South Korean actor and model. He began his career in modeling industry before making his screen debut with a main role in the web series Why. He is known for his roles in 18 Again (2020), True Beauty (2020–2021), the Netflix original series The Sound of Magic (2022), Why Her (2022), Family by Choice (2024), and Dream to You (2026).

Early life and education Hwang In-youp was born in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, on January 19, 1991. He is the oldest son; his brother, who is three years younger, is a producer and singer-songwriter who goes by the name Inof. Hwang lived in Davao City, Philippines, during his high school and college years, going by the English name Ryan Leon. He graduated from high school at the Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai International School, and later graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in fashion design at the Philippine Women's University (formerly Philippine Women's College).

Career 2017–2019: Modelling and acting debut Hwang entered the entertainment industry in 2017 as a runway model. Reports state that he was once under YG KPlus, a model management company owned by YG Entertainment.

In 2018, he made his acting debut in the Naver TV web series Why. He later signed a contract with the South Korean agency KeyEast, a subsidiary of SM Entertainment.

In 2019, he played Seo Kyo-won in the web series Freshman, and made his television debut with supporting role in the KBS2 historical television series The Tale of Nokdu.

2020–present: Rising popularity In 2020, Hwang gained recognition for his performance in the JTBC fantasy series 18 Again, a remake of the 2009 American film 17 Again. He played Goo Ja-sung, a school bully and the counterpart character of Stan, who was portrayed by Hunter Parrish in the original film.

Hwang participed in the 2020 drama tvN romantic-comedy series True Beauty, based on the on-going Webtoon of the same name. He portrayed Han Seo-jun, a secondary lead character. He contributed to the soundtrack of the series with the song "It Starts Today" .

Hwang also appeared in the independent short film Swimming Bird alongside Lee Ji-ah, which the film won at the 1st GwangMyeong Film Festival.

In 2021, Hwang was cast in the fantasy musical series The Sound of Magic, which was released globally on Netflix in May 2022. He is also contributed to the soundtrack of the series with the song "I Mean It" . On April 23, 2021, Keyeast announced that Hwang had signed a contract with Japan's agency Stream Media Corporation. Later, Hwang confirmed to star in the SBS mystery legal drama Why Her which premiered in June 2022 marking his first lead role on a terrestrial TV station.

In 2023, he was cast as Kim San-ha, one of the main characters in drama Family by Choice, Korean remake of Chinese drama Go Ahead in 2023. Drama was aired in 2024 at JTBC channel and OTT platforms.

On January 2, 2024, it was reported that Hwang had signed an exclusive contract with KN Studio.

In August 2024, JTBC confirmed Hwang as a special appearance character Heo In-gang to star in Dear X drama.

On November 24, 2025, Japanese agency J Harmony posted that it took over the operation of his Japan official X account.

Personal life Hwang had completed mandatory military service before beginning a career in modelling.

He has training in various martial arts such as Taekwondo (where he is a 3rd dan black belt), Hapkido and Kendo (or Kumdo as it is known in South Korea).

Discography Soundtrack appearances Title Year Album "It Starts Today" 2021 True Beauty OST "I Mean It" 2022 The Sound of Magic OST

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2020 Swimming Bird In-guk Short film

Television series Year Title Role Notes 2019 The Tale of Nokdu Park Dan-ho Why Her Gong Chan / Kim Dong-gu 2024 Family by Choice Kim San-ha 2025 Dear X Heo In-gang Cameo (episode 5–8) 2026 Dream to You Woo Soo-bin

Web series Year Title Role 2018 Why Gi Jae-young 2025 Crime Scene Zero Guest Player in Episode 5 Netflix

Awards and nominations + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Asian Culture Awards 2020 Best Korean Rising Star True Beauty Brand Customer Loyalty Award 2021 Best Male Rookie Actor Hwang In-youp SBS Drama Awards 2022 Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama Why Her Best Supporting Team