Yoo Yeon Seok revealed a funny story behind choosing his stage name, including two options that carried unexpectedly fitting meanings for an actor.
During a recent episode of his YouTube show Yoo Yeon Seok’s Weekend Theater, the actor talked about names with guests Park Seo Ham and Kim Ji Yeon.
Yoo Yeon Seok explained that his real surname is Ahn, but when he started acting, he considered changing his surname to match his mother’s family name, Jo.
“My real surname is Ahn. I changed my surname for my stage name, but I didn’t want to change the name people called me,” he explained.
That initially led him to consider the name “Jo Yeon Seok.” However, he noticed that when spoken in Korean, it could sound like “supporting actor’s seat,” creating an amusing connection to acting.
The coincidence then gave him another idea.
“I thought, if that sounds like ‘supporting actor’s seat,’ maybe I should just go with ‘leading actor’s seat’ instead,” he joked, explaining that he briefly considered “Joo Yeon Seok.”
But he eventually decided against that option as well.
“I was around 25 and still young at the time. I thought it would be embarrassing if my name meant ‘leading actor’ when I hadn’t even become a leading actor yet,” he said.
Instead, he chose Yoo Yeon Seok. According to the actor, the name reflected his hope of remaining flexible, as the Korean word “yoo-yeon” can carry the meaning of being flexible or adaptable.
Years later, the unused “Jo Yeon Seok” and “Joo Yeon Seok” options have become a humorous part of the story behind the name audiences now know him by.
