Kang You Seok is reportedly joining the cast of Netflix’s live-action Solo Leveling, as Yoo Jin Ho. According to reports on November 19, the actor has been cast in the popular adaptation.
Kang You Seok rose to stardom through works like Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines, Law and the City, and Resident Playbook. His recent projects put him on several buzzworthy actor lists and even earned him a nomination for Best New Actor at the Blue Dragon Series Awards.
Solo Leveling is based on the hit Korean web novel and webtoon that became a global phenomenon with more than 14.3 billion cumulative views. The live-action series follows Sung Jin Woo, the weakest E-Rank Hunter, who nearly dies in a dungeon. After surviving, he gains a set of unique leveling abilities that no other hunter in the world has.
The franchise grew even bigger when its Japanese anime adaptation swept nine major categories, including Anime of the Year and Best Action, at the 2025 Crunchyroll Awards. It marked the first time a Korean animation reached that level of recognition.
The Solo Leveling live-action version is confirmed to star Byeon Woo Seok as Sung Jin Woo. As per reports, Han So Hee (Gyeongseong Creature, Nevertheless, Project Y) is cast as an S-rank hunter, Cha Hae In.
Kang You Seok will play Yoo Jin Ho, the second son of a wealthy hunter business family.
He is a D-Rank Hunter who is straightforward, loyal, and determined. He first meets Sung Jin Woo during a dungeon raid, and after being saved by him, he becomes deeply loyal to him. Jin Ho often calls Jin Woo “Boss” and stays by his side. He also wants to prove himself to his father by becoming a guild master, which he works toward with Jin Woo’s help.
The series will be co-directed by Lee Hae Jun and Kim Byung Seo, the duo behind films such as Ashfall, Castaway on the Moon, and My Dictator. Production is handled by Kakao Entertainment and SANAI Pictures, known for high-quality, male-audience-focused films like New World and The Spy Gone North.
The release timeline for Solo Leveling live action is not yet revealed by Netflix.
