Park Shin Hye’s lovable second male lead in “You’re Beautiful” after 13 years: Unchanged visuals but declining popularity 

How is “You’re Beautiful” star, CNBLUE’s Jung Yong Hwa, doing now? 

Featuring a visual cast, K-drama “You’re Beautiful” became a hit when it was released in 2009. Its success helped the cast, including CNBLUE’s Jung Yong Hwa, gain more spotlight in the industry. Jung Yong Hwa’s character in the drama, Kang Shin Woo, created a second lead syndrome and stole viewers’ hearts with his handsome looks and warm-hearted, sweet personality. Despite not ending up with Park Shin Hye’s character in the end, Jung Yong Hwa was enthusiastically shipped with Park Shin Hye by plenty of viewers. In 2011, Jung Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye reunited in “Heartstrings” as the leading couple. 

Although he had such a perfect launching pad for his career, among the stars of “You’re Beautiful”, Jung Yong Hwa got involved in the most controversies that affected his image. In 2016, he came under investigation for insider trading. At the beginning of 2018, he was once again investigated by the police for allegedly receiving preferential treatment regarding his admission to Kyunghee University’s doctoral program. Jung Yong Hwa was cleared of these suspicions eventually, but his reputation was still damaged. 

Average acting skills and controversies have caused his popularity to decline. Despite the fact that he continues to appear in new projects, his popularity cannot be revived as it was in the “You’re Beautiful” era. Last year, Jung Yong Hwa made a comeback in “Sell Your Haunted House,” in which he played the lead role alongside Jang Nara. Unfortunately, although being widely praised for its quality, the drama was not commercially successful.