Lee Min Ho: ”I think the controversy over my private life is due to personal desires... I'm trying to be moderate”

Actor Lee Min-ho has been ranked as the most popular Hallyu actor for 12 consecutive years.

Previously, Lee Min-ho was honored as the “Korean actor loved by people worldwide” for 12 consecutive years. According to the “2025 Overseas Korean Wave Reality Survey” (based on 2024 data) released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea International Cultural Exchange Promotion Agency, Lee Min-ho secured the top spot as the most popular Korean actor worldwide for 12 consecutive years with overwhelming popularity ratings.

Recently, during an interview with Herald POP at a café in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Lee Min-ho revealed that he is making efforts to restrain his personal desires to avoid controversies in his private life.

On that day, Lee Min-ho stated, “My values are to quietly do my best in the circumstances I am given,” and added, “I believe that the title before my name, Lee Min-ho, can always change.”

He continued, “Even when I debuted, I never had the idea that I had to become ‘Korean Wave star’ Lee Min-ho,” and added, “With the mindset that any descriptive term can always change, I just do my best as Lee Min-ho.”

Lee Min-ho also confessed, “I haven't felt particularly anxious about falling from the top star position, but I live with the awareness that it could happen to me at any time.”

He further revealed, “I do sometimes feel personal emotions or desires. Personal issues often stem from personal desires, so I try to exercise self-control by prioritizing things more important than myself, such as family and project responsibilities.”

He also emphasized, “Lately, there have been many sensitive issues, and I never know when a problem might arise. But by always being mindful and studying, I’ve come to the conclusion that I should live my life as myself. I strive to exercise self-restraint within my capabilities and maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

Lee Min-ho's screen comeback film, “Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint,” is a fantasy action film about surviving in a world that has been destroyed, based on a novel that was serialized for over 10 years. On the day the novel concluded, the world within the novel became reality, and the sole reader, “Kim Dok-ja” (played by An Hyo-seop), and his companions as they fight to survive in a world that has been destroyed. The film is set to be released in South Korea on the 23rd.