Chae Jong-hyeop

The model who spoke English in Pretoria

Chae Jong-hyeop spent five years of his adolescence in South Africa before anyone in Seoul knew his name. There, he went by Jimmy. He wasn't aiming to become an actor; his time abroad was a family effort to improve his English in an international setting. That period in the Southern Hemisphere forged a reserved personality that stayed with him when he returned to Korea to try his luck on the runways.

His height and features quickly opened doors in the fashion world. But modeling was only a stepping stone. In 2016, he made his television debut in Webtoon Hero – Tundra Show Season 2. It was a low-key appearance that didn't make big headlines in the entertainment press of the time.

And the gamble paid off.

For three years, he took on minor projects on digital platforms that barely paid the bills. He worked on Between Friends and No Bad Days during 2017 and 2018. These were low-budget productions where he learned to move in front of the camera without the pressure of big national TV audiences.

The pitcher who didn't know how to play baseball

In 2019, he landed the role of Yoo Min-ho in the sports drama Stove League. He played a young baseball pitcher with raw talent but plenty of insecurities. To prepare for the character, he had to learn the technique from scratch, since he had never practiced this sport professionally. He trained until his hands blistered so that his movements would look convincing on screen.

The series was an unexpected ratings hit in South Korea. That success allowed him to move into cable television with projects of greater technical scale. In 2021, he appeared in Sisyphus: The Myth alongside established figures in the industry. His role as Sun required him to handle both action and drama in a complex science fiction plot.

That same year, he appeared in Nevertheless. His character was nicknamed the Potato Chip Boy by the series' fans on social media. That commercial tag gave him massive visibility beyond Korea's borders (especially in the Asian and Latin American markets).

South Korea was no longer enough.

The Diagnosis That Changed His Military Contract

In 2023, the actor made public a private detail that directly affected his career. He revealed that he had epilepsy. The diagnosis came after several fainting spells on set, and medical tests confirmed the condition years earlier. This medical condition exempted him from mandatory military service as an active-duty soldier after a grade five physical exam.

His health set the pace of the contract.

Despite his physical limitations, he stayed active in high-profile productions. In 2023, he starred in Castaway Diva, playing a television producer with a traumatic family past. The series reached high positions on global viewing charts on streaming platforms. His ability to convey restrained emotions became his signature trait among actors of his generation.

In 2024, he made the leap into the Japanese market with the series Eye Love You, produced by the TBS network. He became the first Korean actor to star in a prime-time drama in Japan, speaking both his native language and Japanese. The success in the neighboring country multiplied his advertising value across East Asia.

At the close of 2024, the production of Serendipity’s Embrace confirmed that filming was wrapped after coordinating international schedules between Seoul and Tokyo. The series was based on a hit webtoon and was directed by Song Hyun-wook. The international distribution deal was closed for a record-breaking sum for a ten-episode romantic comedy.