[2025 Year-End Review] Cineplay Arts Awards Best Male Rookie Award 4 People

The year 2025 is coming to a close. Just as previews for year-end tax settlements often come up, the end of the year requires a time to reflect and summarize the year. Therefore, Cineplay also aims to look back on the year and select impressive works in various fields. We have selected special awards across categories including film, scripted, unscripted, actors, and rookie actors. In this post, each journalist has selected one Korean male rookie actor. Although it is called a rookie award, the category of 'rookie actor' has somewhat broadened recently, so we clarify that we have selected actors who have gained attention with leading roles, including true rookies. The works were chosen from among the cast of films and dramas officially released in Korea until December 10, 2025. We applaud all the actors who have shown new sides this year and introduce the four selected by Cineplay journalists.

Kim Ji-yeon - 〈Manhole〉 Kim Jun-ho

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If 〈The Watcher〉 discovered Park Jung-min and Lee Je-hoon, 〈Manhole〉 discovered Kim Jun-ho. The film 〈Manhole〉 constantly makes the audience empathize with the protagonist Seon-oh, while also distancing themselves, evoking sympathy and caution. Like Seon-oh's dual position as both a victim and a perpetrator, his inner self is also shaken and unclear. We applaud actor Kim Jun-ho for expressing that pain and moral confusion through his gaze, silence, and trembling.

Joo Sung-cheol - 〈3670〉 Jo Yu-hyun

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Watching Cheol-jun (Jo Yu-hyun), who lives under the dual boundary of being a defector and a sexual minority, makes me genuinely want to sing 'Merry-Go-Round' with him. The merry-go-round seems to be standing still, but in fact, there is no place in Korean society that it does not touch. Have we ever supported someone's life in fiction this much over the past few years?

Choo Ah-young - 〈The Tyrant's Chef〉 Lee Chae-min

Lee Chae-min's 'Lee Heon' captures both comedy and romance. His skillful acting showcased in the food reaction scenes of 〈The Tyrant's Chef〉 blends with the drama's absurd direction to evoke laughter, and his natural chemistry with co-actor Lim Yoon-a creates a romance full of excitement. At this point, isn't he a strong candidate for the next romantic comedy lead?

Seong Chan-eol - 〈3rd Year 2nd Semester〉 Yoo I-ha

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If we take intensity as a measure, other actors may be far ahead, but Yoo I-ha's face leaves an unforgettable deep impression that resonates with the work. 〈3rd Year 2nd Semester〉 deals with an intern in an awkward position, neither a student nor a fresh graduate. Yoo I-ha portrays Chang-woo, who must be an adult due to a difficult family environment, yet is still immature. His portrayal evokes both pride and sympathy in the audience, and that strange emotion overlaps, making it impossible to forget Yoo I-ha's gentle face. In today's market, which is heavily focused on stimulation, I even feel anxious that I might not see such a gentle face again. I hope that like the earnest Chang-woo in the work, he will reunite with his sincerity in future projects.