Korean actor who almost played Gong Yoo’s role in “Coffee Prince”: super handsome but lives in regrets his whole life?

The actor even apologized to Gong Yoo, having greatly regretted dropping the role. 

The 2007 K-drama “Coffee Prince” was among the great hits on the Korean small screen back in the late 2000s. In fact, this was the series that turned Gong Yoo into a superstar, and was the launching pad for the princely actor we get to see today. However, Gong Yoo was not the first choice for “Coffee Prince”, and would have missed out on it had a Korean actor not rejected the role.

In particular, director Lee Yoon Jung of “Coffee Prince” originally offered the role of male lead Choi Han Kyul to actor Chun Jung Myung. However, due to 2 reasons, the actor was unable to participate in the project, leading to Gong Yoo assuming the role instead. 

First of all, Chun Jung Myung was busy filming for the movie “Hansel and Gretel” at the time, leading to overlapping schedules. In addition, Lee Yoon Jung’s second choice was Gong Yoo, and so she immediately recruited the actor to star in “Coffee Prince”, eventually getting his acceptance.  

Looking back, Chun Jung Myung expressed extreme regrets for rejecting “Coffee Prince”, especially as the series became a whole phenomenon in Korea. “It is something that I will regret my entire life. Apologies to Gong Yooo, but this is my true feelings”, the actor said. 

8 years after “Coffee Prince”, Chun Jung Myung finally reunited with director Lee Yoon Jung in the K-drama “Heart to Heart”. He has also starred in various notable series like “Cinderella’s Sister”, “Love Alert”, and “The Master of Revenge”, but his popularity, unfortunately, falls far behind Gong Yoo, who’s now a mega star. 

Thanks to “Coffee Prince”, Gong Yoo gained insane popularity, so it’s no wonder Chun Jung Myung was left with great regrets. 

Source: K14