▲ Actor Lee Hyo-je poses for photos at Yonhap News Agency's Seoul headquarters before an interview on May 13, 2026, He plays high school student Choi Hyung-wook in Netflix’s young adult horror series “Girigo” in this photo provided by the OTT giant. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) -- Actor Lee Hyo-je said Thursday he is experiencing global recognition following the success of Netflix’s YA horror series “Girigo,” which recently topped the platform’s non-English TV chart.

Speaking in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul, Lee said he was surprised by the overwhelming response from viewers worldwide.

“After the series was released, I started receiving messages from overseas fans and saw my social media followers surge from about 5,000 to 94,000,” he said.

▲ Actor Lee Hyo-je poses for photos at Yonhap News Agency's Seoul headquarters before an interview on May 13, 2026, He plays high school student Choi Hyung-wook in Netflix’s young adult horror series “Girigo” in this photo provided by the OTT giant. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

“Girigo” follows five high school students trying to escape a curse tied to a wish-granting mobile application. Released April 24, the series rose to No. 1 globally in Netflix’s non-English TV category within two weeks.

Lee played Choi Hyung-wook, the student who first introduces the mysterious app to his friends and triggers the unfolding events.

To portray the cheerful but obsessive character, Lee gained 20 kilograms during production.

“I ate five or six meals a day,” he said. “Rose tteokbokki with extra Chinese glass noodles was the most effective.”

Lee said he also studied the games his character enjoyed and focused on expressing Hyung-wook’s gradual psychological transformation as he becomes consumed by fear and supernatural forces.

▲ Actor Lee Hyo-je plays high school student Choi Hyung-wook in Netflix’s young adult horror series “Girigo,” in this photo provided by the OTT giant. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

Debuting in the 2014 film We Are Brothers, Lee previously appeared in works including The Throne and Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned, largely as a child actor.

He described “Girigo” as a turning point in establishing himself as an adult actor.

“I want to continue acting until the very end of my life,” he said. “Acting means that much to me.”

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