Choi Min-sik praises Choi Hyun-wook ahead of Netflix's 'Last Row Boy' global release June 26

Netflix's 맨 끝줄 소년 (Last Row Boy) drops worldwide on June 26. At the production press conference, Choi Min-sik made his priorities clear: watch Choi Hyun-wook.

The event was held the morning of June 24 at Hotel Naru Seoul M Gallery in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Directed by Kim Gyu-tae, the suspense drama follows Heo Moon-o, a failed writer turned Korean literature professor who discovers the genius of a student named Lee Gang sitting in the back row of his classroom. He becomes obsessed with the young man's writing. Choi Min-sik plays Heo Moon-o. Choi Hyun-wook plays Lee Gang.

Choi Min-sik didn't mince words about his co-star. "The more I did it, the more no other actor came to mind besides actor Choi Hyun-wook," he said. He gradually became Lee Gang through the process. "The eyes are really important." He expects audiences to "be captivated by actor Choi Hyun-wook's eyes in this drama."

Some reports had suggested Choi Min-sik personally recruited Choi Hyun-wook. He dismissed it flat: "That's groundless rumor."

Choi Hyun-wook credited his senior. "Without senior Min-sik, I don't think Gang could have done this much," he said. He described Choi Min-sik's presence on set as "tiger-like energy" he could feel from every direction.

The drama reunites Choi Min-sik with Kim Yun-jin for the first time since the 1999 film Shiri. He said the reunion felt like no time had passed, calling her "like a gumiho" — a nine-tailed fox of Korean folklore known for not aging.