Cha Eun-woo’s Profile
- Real Name: Lee Dong-min
- Native Name: 이동민
- Nicknames: Cha Eun-woo
- Birthday: Mar 30, 1997 (28 years old)
- Blood type: B
- Height/Weight: 183 cm (6’0") / 74 kg (163 lbs)
- Gender: Male
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
- MBTI: ISTJ
- Birthplace: Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
-
Nationality:
South Korean
- Profession: Singer, Actor, Model, MC
- Language Skills: Korean, English
- Debut: February 23, 2016
- Position: Vocalist, Visual, Face of the Group
- Fandom: AROHA
- Years Active: 2014–present (11 years)
Cha Eun-woo (born Lee Dong-min, 이동민) is a South Korean singer, actor, and model. He was born on March 30, 1997, in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
He is a member of the K-pop boy group ASTRO under Fantagio, where he serves as a vocalist and the group’s visual. Alongside group activities, he has starred in various television dramas and other creative projects, and he launched his solo career with the release of his first mini album Entity in February 2024.
Early life
He attended Nungnae Elementary School, followed by Suri Middle School and Suri High School. He later transferred to Hanlim Multi Art School and graduated in 2016 with a focus on Broadcasting & Entertainment. Cha Eun-woo then pursued higher education at Sungkyunkwan University, majoring in Performing Arts (Theater).
He was first scouted by a Fantagio talent agent while participating in a school festival. Soon after, he officially joined the company as a trainee during his first year of high school, marking the beginning of his professional artistic career.
Career
Cha Eun-woo began training under Fantagio in 2013 and was first introduced to the public through the trainee showcase project Fantagio iTeen Photo Test Cut in February 2015. Prior to his official debut, he appeared in the web drama To Be Continued, a project designed to introduce the members of ASTRO.
On February 23, 2016, he debuted as a member of ASTRO with the group’s first mini album Spring Up. In the same year, he expanded his activities as a host for MBC’s music program Show! Music Core and starred in the web drama My Romantic Some Recipe. He also appeared in the reality-documentary series Law of the Jungle in New Caledonia and several holiday specials broadcast during the Chuseok season.
In 2017, he played a supporting role in KBS’s drama Hit the Top and appeared in the teen web drama Sweet Revenge. This period marked his first transition from music into acting. In 2018, he landed his first lead television role in JTBC’s My ID is Gangnam Beauty, which brought him broader recognition as an actor. From late 2018 through 2019, he continued to serve as a main MC for the year-end music festival MBC Gayo Daejejeon.
In 2019, Cha Eun-woo played the male lead in MBC’s historical romance drama Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung. The role earned him an Excellence Award and the Best Couple Award at the MBC Drama Awards that year.
Beginning in 2020, he joined the SBS variety program Master in the House, remaining until 2021 and receiving the Rookie Award at the SBS Entertainment Awards. Later that year, he returned to scripted television as the male lead in tvN’s True Beauty, a drama adaptation of the popular webtoon.
Between 2021 and 2022, he engaged in a range of projects. In December 2021, he recorded Don’t Cry, My Love for the soundtrack of the novel adaptation Under the Oak Tree. In 2022, he contributed a remake of Focus on Me to the soundtrack of the webtoon The Villainess is a Marionette. That November, he appeared in the action film Decibel and took on a principal role in the fantasy series Island, released on TVING.
In 2023, Cha Eun-woo returned to television as the lead in the romance drama A Good Day to Be a Dog, which aired from October 2023 to January 2024. Early in 2024, he starred in MBC’s psychological drama Wonderful World. On February 15, 2024, he officially launched his solo career with the release of his first mini album Entity, featuring the title track Stay. That same month, ASTRO released the digital single Circles to commemorate the group’s eighth anniversary.
In 2025, ahead of his military service, Cha Eun-woo collaborated with Arden Cho on an acoustic cover of Free, released in July. On July 28, 2025, he enlisted for mandatory service, joining the military band with a scheduled discharge in January 2027. This marked the close of a decade of continuous artistic activity before beginning his service.
Fun Facts
- He once went viral just for his laugh, which fans jokingly dubbed “the best sound in the world.”
- His impromptu performance of “Kathang Isip” by Ben&Ben in Manila turned into a fan-favorite moment.
- His fluent English has been praised many times, surprising those who didn’t expect it from a K-pop idol.
- Within ASTRO, he earned the nickname “Morning Alarm” because he’s always the first one up, waking the others.
- He collects action figures, a quirky hobby that fans love pointing out.
- Before going on stage, he always drinks a cup of warm water to steady his voice.
- He enjoys singing in the shower, and fans joke that “every ballad becomes an OST in there.”
- On a reality show, he once tried to pull funny “ugly faces,” but fans found him even cuter instead.
- He has a habit of pointing at his own nose in posters and photos, which turned into a running meme.
- Before enlisting, he left a simple fan forum message saying, “Please don’t forget me,” which was both funny and touching.
- At his final fan meeting before enlistment, he danced to the “Soda Pop” challenge from K-pop Demon Hunters, and the clip went viral.
- He has misplaced his phone several times, only to later find it still sitting in his pocket.
- Fans were surprised to discover his real speaking voice is much deeper than they expected.
- A sandwich commercial featuring him became a meme, with one fan joking, “If Cha Eun-woo made me this sandwich, I’d display it in a glass box.”
- His disciplined daily routines and random little habits are often turned into funny clips on TikTok and Twitter.
- Kim Se-jeong called Cha Eun-woo her “level 1 best friend” and often mentioned him on TV.
