Today, the K-pop idol-actor is celebrating his 26th birthday.
On February 23, 2016, a new idol boy group consisting of six members, debuted. The name of their group is ASTRO and one of the members is Cha Eunwoo. Cha Eunwoo, at that time, was designated as group’s face, visual, vocal, and was given the moniker ‘Morning Alarm.’
Apart from that, Eunwoo also got the reputation of being the “face genius” in K-pop, with the public admiring his handsomeness that is “out of this world.” His too good-looking, that some even say that he came “straight out of a manhwa.”
Some time ago, amidst his rising popularity among the general public, Eunwoo had a tagline all to himself. “Your bias is your bias, but Cha Eunwoo is Cha Eunwoo,” which seems to be interpreted as Cha Eunwoo just being on a different level in terms of visuals, charisma, and talent, among others.
Here are some reasons that might explain why Eunwoo is Eunwoo.
Eunwoo as an idol
First, Eunwoo is a member of the (now) five-member group Astro.
In the past, he had shared that one of his insecurities is not being able to dance well as he hoped to be. But boy, he is truly such an inspiration, as years later, he is one of the most-improved skill-wise and is now able to take the center position when dancing with ease! Talk about passionate performers and he’s surely going to be one of those.
Also, as he shared before in ‘All the Butlers’, he became interested in music thanks to his crush way back then, who was then a fan of the band FT Island.
Eunwoo also makes songs!
Not only does he perform, but he also creates songs!
‘After Midnight’, ‘No, I Don’t’, and ‘First Love’ are some of the songs where Eunwoo has been credited as part of the writing team!
He is an actor, too!
Did you know that he actually debuted as an actor furst, before becoming an idol? In fact, he had made a film over a year before Astro debuted! The film was ‘A Brilliant Life’ and he portrayed the character Ah-reum.
Last year, his second movie was shown, where he earned praises from the movie director and fellow cast members for his portrayal of the role Jeon Taeryong in ‘Decibel’.
Aside from that, 11 drama series to date, with the three most memorable being his portrayal of Do Kyung-seok in ‘Gangnam Beauty’, Lee Su-ho in ‘True Beauty’, and his most recent, Father Yohan in ‘Island’.
He is also currently filming his newest drama, ‘A Good Day to Be A Dog’, where he is casted to play the role of the male lead Jin Seo-won.
An in-demand MC
In 2016, he was also tapped to be the main host of MBC’s music countdown show ‘Show Music Core’, where he stayed until he stepped down in January 2018.
Since then, he had also become a fixture in year-end shows, with his most recent hosting being the 2022 SBS Gayo Daejeon.
He had also appeared as MC in several music festivals.
A model-endorser
Perhaps, the most prolific in his career is his numerous endorsements and modelling for multiple brands. Locally, he had also been the face of an apparel brand and was recently named as the newest endorser of a popular donut and coffee chain in the Philippines.
Last year, he was spotted in a luxury brand’s event in Egypt, where he was able to interact with the likes of Naomi Campbell, Robert Pattinson, and EXO member Sehun!
He takes good photographs too!
Eunwoo has also proven that he can put the ‘art’ in word artist. Earlier this year, Eunwoo staged an exhibit in Seoul, which mostly featured his personal photographs from his ‘archive’.
Eunwoo as ‘Dork-min’
Just in case you didn’t know, Cha Eunwoo is actually not his birth name. His real name is Lee Dongmin and he was born on the 30th of March, 1997.
Due to Eunwoo’s effortless, but undeniably funny side, a cute nickname ‘Dork-min’ was coined by the fans. Here are some snaps and clips that will prove how hilarious he can be.
Eunwoo has a very high IQ!
When he was in middle school, Eunwoo was considered to be an ace student. This is because he is both the President of the class and the third top student of the batch!
In some of his television appearances, Eunwoo has flexed his intellect, which left the cast members and even audiences in awe!
Eunwoo, who can understand and speak English, is also continuously learning the language. Apart from that, he can also speak Japanese and Mandarin, on top of his mother tongue Korean.
Eunwoo is so hardworking, that he can also be called the ‘time management god’
Despite his already packed schedule, he is still able to squeeze a lot of activities in his 24 hours. On top of his commitments and showbiz engagements, Eunwoo still makes it a point that he is able to attend his university classes!
He also makes sure to support his fellow Astro members whenever he could.
Eunwoo is generous to his friends and a philantropist to many
That brings us to the next point why he is Cha Eunwoo.
There have been multiple instances where he has shown his generosity to his friends, particularly to Astro members.
Aside from that, he has also given back to the community by way of giving donations during calamities and other causes.
Bonus fun fact: Eunwoo actually lived in the Philippines when he was young!
Way back 2019, during his first fan meeting event, Eunwoo first revealed this fact. According to him, he stayed in the Philippines for six months when he was in fourth grade or around 11 years old. He had also been to local places like Tagaytay.