Ahn Jae-hong (; born March 31, 1986) is a South Korean actor. He made his professional acting debut in 2009 and is known for his work in both film and television. He first gained recognition through his roles in the films The King of Jokgu (2013) and Fabricated City (2017) and further achieved prominence for his performances in the television series Reply 1988 (2015–16), Fight for My Way (2017), Mask Girl (2023), and Chicken Nugget (2024).
Early life and education Ahn Jae-hong was born on March 31, 1986 and raised in U-dong, Haeundae District, Busan, as the youngest of two sons. Since childhood, Ahn liked watching movies and used to rent the latest releases. He applied to study film, but he did not know whether he wanted to pursue acting until college when he started making short films and performing in theater.
In 2005, he enrolled in the acting program at Konkuk University's Department of Film Studies. During his second year of college, Ahn was offered the leading role in the college's regular summer performance. He portrayed Jang Deok-bae in director Jang Jin's play Clumsy People. Ahn also continued directing and acting in short films while he was in college.
Career
2009–2012: Beginnings and breakthrough After graduating, Ahn performed on stage at Daehangno and worked part-time at a movie theater. In his spare time, he wrote down his ideas and directed his own short films. In 2011, he was cast as Sungseon in director Son Na-mook's open-run production of Boeing Boeing, an adaptation of the French play of the same name. That same year, Ahn made his feature film debut with a minor role as a student in the drama film The Day He Arrives, which was written and directed by Hong Sang-soo. In 2012, Ahn starred in The Sunshine Boys, also known as , which was the first production of Gwanghwamun Cinema. For his performance, Ahn was awarded the Korean Film Directors Guild Award for Best Actor, which he shared with co-stars Kim Chang-hwan and Shim Hee-seop.
In 2013, Ahn appeared in director Hong Sang-soo's Nobody's Daughter Haewon. That same year, he starred as Hong Man-seop in Gwanghwamun Cinema's independent sports comedy film The King of Jokgu, which featured the Korean sport jokgu. The film premiered at the 18th Busan International Film Festival and attracted over 40,000 viewers, breaking records for an indie comedy in Korea, and was one of the most well-received indie films of the year. For his performance, Ahn earned several nominations for Best New Actor at various film festivals and won the award at the Wildflower Film Awards and Director's Cut Awards. The following year, he participated as a staff member in director Hong Sang-soo's film Hill of Freedom.
2015–present: Rising popularity In 2015, Ahn was cast as Kim Jung-bong, Jung-hwan's older brother, in the television series Reply 1988. His acting received favorable reviews from viewers and Ahn was nicknamed "Bongvely", a combination of "Bong" from his character Jung-bong and "lovely", by the press.
In January 2016, Ahn and Reply 1988 co-stars Ryu Jun-yeol, Ko Kyung-pyo, and Park Bo-gum were surprised by Na Yeong-seok and taken to Namibia and Zimbabwe to film the variety show Youth Over Flowers. That same year, Ahn made special appearances in two films and played supporting roles in three others. At the end of 2016, Ahn returned to the stage in the opening production of director Park Geun-hyung's play Ode to Youth at the Art Forest Art Hall in Daehangno. Ahn played the role of Cheong-chun, alternating the role with Kim Dong-won and Lee Jae-gyun. The play was performed from December 8 to February 12, 2017.
In 2017, Ahn played a supporting role in director Hong Sang-soo's On the Beach at Night Alone and starred in the television series Fight for My Way. That same year, he also starred in the period comedy film The King's Case Note and in Park Kwang-hyun's action thriller film Fabricated City. In 2018, Ahn took on the role of Han-sol, an aspiring online comic artist, in Gwanghamun Cinema's Microhabitat, starring with Esom. It is the debut feature film of director Jeon Go-woon. That same year, Ahn appeared in director Hong Sang-soo's Leaves of Grass. In 2019, Ahn starred in JTBC television series Be Melodramatic as the arrogant and famous director Son Beom-soo. His duet with his co-star Chun Woo-hee for the series' soundtrack was released on September 21, 2019. In 2021, Ahn was selected as the third 'Next Actor' of the 9th Muju Sangol Film Festival. Every year, the organizer selects a domestic actor with personality and high potential to focus on acting world. On December 1, 2021, Ahn signed a contract with Management MMM.
Endorsements Following his rise in popularity after Reply 1988, Ahn has been chosen as the face of various brands in South Korea. In 2015, he and fellow actor Lee Dong-hwi appeared in a Kia Motors' K5 promotional video, where they played their characters from Reply 1988. Ahn was also selected alongside Ryu Jun-yeol and Kim Seol as the models for Nongshim's Jjawang ramen commercial, where they portrayed their characters from Reply 1988. He and Ryu Jun-seol filmed a commercial for a telecommunications company with their on-screen mothers Ra Mi-ran and Kim Sung-Kyun.
In 2016, Ahn won the Best Advertising Model Award. In 2017, Ahn appeared in commercials for coffee brand Maxim Mocha Gold coffee, ice cream producer Baskin Robbins, part-time job portal Albamon, and delivery app Baedal Minjok. In 2018, Ahn was chosen as the main model for a Ford Motor's commercial aired in China. The contract was for a duration of two years.
Personal life In 2016, Ahn confirmed that he was dating a non-celebrity who was five years younger than him. They attended the same university and had already been together for two years when their relationship was announced. On September 18, 2019, a source from his agency confirmed that Ahn had broken up with his girlfriend.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1996 Crocodile Aeng-bal 2009 A Perfect Sight Short film 2010 Chatter Short film 2011 The Day He Arrives Student 1 2012 The Sunshine Boys Seung-joon Happy Birthday to Me Jae-hong Short film Lemon Time Wook Short film 2013 Nobody's Daughter Haewon Student 1 The King of Jokgu Hong Man-seop 2014 Tazza: The Hidden Card Woondo Red Carpet Poongcha Miss The Train Tae-shik Short film Summer, Love, Illusion Short film, director and writer 2015 C'est si bon Byung-chul Twenty In-gook Coin Locker Girl Police officer 2 The Sound of a Flower Yong-bok 2016 Queen of Walking So Soon-yi Voice appearance The Queen of Crime Student Cameo The Last Ride Gap-deok Familyhood Deok-soo Missing You Detective Cha 2017 On the Beach at Night Alone Seung-hee Fabricated City Demolition The King's Case Note Yoon Yi-seo Ladies Of the Forest Short film 2018 Grass Hong-soo Microhabitat Han-sol 2019 Miss & Mrs. Cops Happy Balloons Boss Cameo 2020 Secret Zoo Kang Tae-Soo Time to Hunt Jang-Ho 2023 Rebound Kang Yang-hyeon 2025 Hi-Five Ji-sung 2026 The King's Warden
Television series Year Title Role Notes 2015–2016 Reply 1988 Kim Jeong-bong 2016 The Legend of the Blue Sea Thomas Cameo (episode 2) 2017 Fight for My Way Kim Joo-man 2019 Be Melodramatic Son Bum-soo 2020 Kingdom Eunuch Season 2 2023 Mask Girl Joo Oh-nam 2024 LTNS Samuel Chicken Nugget Ko Baek-joong
Web series Year Title Role Notes 2014 Prominent Woman Jae-hong Flirty Boy and Girl Man #2 frugal
Television shows Year Title RoleNotes Ref. 2016 Youth Over Flowers Cast member My Ear's Sweetheart / Candy In My Ears 2020 Traveler Cast memberSeason 2 2025–2026Reply 1988 10th Anniversary
Music videos Year Title 2025 "Hyehwa-dong (or Ssangmun-dong)"
Music videos appearances + Year Title Artist(s) 2014 "Her" (그녀) Epitone Project "Let's get along, We" (잘 지내자, 우리) Dark (Zitten) 2017 "Snow" (눈) (feat. Lee Moon-sae) Zion.T 2019 "August issue of Yoon Jong-shin 2019 monthly - It's going to be a breakup" (2019 월간 윤종신 8월호 - 이별하긴 하겠지)(With Kim Feel, Cheon Dan-bi) Yoon Jong-shin "September issue of Yoon Jong-shin 2019 monthly - Workaholic" (2019 월간 윤종신 9월호 - 워커홀릭) (With Ha Dong-kyun)
Hosting Year Title Notes 2024 Opening Ceremony of the 29th Busan International Film Festival With Park Bo-young
Theater + Theater play performances of Ahn Jae-Hong Year Title Role Venue Date English Korean 2011 New Boeing Boeing Sun-seong Daehakro Doore Hall 3 2016–2017 Ode to Youth Cheong-chun Art Forest Art Hall Dec 8 – Feb 12
Discography + List of singles, showing year released, and name of the album Title Year Album "Hyehwa-dong (or Ssangmun-dong) ())" 2025 Reply 1988 10th Anniversary OST
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2012 17th Busan International Film Festival DGK Award The Sunshine Boys 2014 51st Grand Bell Awards Best New Actor The King of Jokgu 35th Blue Dragon Film Awards 2015 10th Max Movie Awards Best Actor 2nd Wildflower Film Awards 24th Buil Film Awards Best New Actor 15th Director's Cut Awards 2016 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards Reply 1988 9th Korea Drama Awards 23rd Korea Advertising Awards Top Advertising Model 2017 Korean Film Shining Star Awards Popularity Award Fabricated City 10th Korea Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actor Fight for My Way 1st The Seoul Awards Best Supporting Actor (Drama) 31st KBS Drama Awards Best New Actor Best Couple 2018 54th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Supporting Actor (TV) 2023 Busan International Film Festival with Marie Claire Asia Star Awards Beyond Cinema Award Mask Girl 59th Grand Bell Awards Best Actor in a Series 2024 22nd Director's Cut Awards Best Actor in a Drama Series 60th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Supporting Actor – Television 3rd Blue Dragon Series Awards Best Supporting Actor Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards 2025 34th Buil Film Awards Best Actor Hi-Five
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