South Korean actor Lee Yong-joo, the face many K-comedy fans remember as the hapless new recruit in tvN’s long-running sitcom “Blue Tower,” died suddenly on Aug 29 at age 44 of a heart attack, according to television industry sources.
The sudden loss
The news was first shared through comments on the actor’s own Instagram account, his most recent post dating to December 2025. “I would like to notify you that my friend Lee Yong Joo suddenly passed away,” a close friend wrote, asking people to offer their warm condolences and remember him on his final journey.
The cause of death was reported as a sudden cardiac arrest. A funeral altar was set up in Room 5 of the Bundang Jesaeng Hospital funeral hall in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, with the procession set for 6:30 a.m. on Aug 31 before cremation at the Seongnam Municipal Crematorium.
A two-decade screen career
Lee began in the industry as a model before moving into acting, landing a minor role in the 2004 film “Do-ma Ahn Jung-geun” and building a resume across MBC’s “Hello, Francesca,” the 2006 hit “Goong,” and SBS’s “Two Women’s Room.”
| Year | Show | Role or note |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Do-ma Ahn Jung-geun (film) | Early acting role |
| 2005 | Hello, Francesca (MBC) | Early TV role |
| 2006 | Goong (MBC) | Hit drama |
| 2009-2014 | Ugly Miss Young-ae (tvN) | Long-running sitcom |
| Blue Tower (tvN) | Private Lee Yong-joo | Signature comedy role |
His most memorable work was tvN’s “Blue Tower,” where he played a bumbling new recruit that made him a familiar face in Korean comedy, a career that spanned more than two decades. He also appeared in “Ugly Miss Young-ae”, one of Korean television’s most enduring comedy franchises.
Why Filipino K-drama fans feel this one
Korean comedy and drama have a devoted following in the Philippines, where the K-drama streaming boom has made shows and their casts familiar to a generation of Filipino viewers. Lee’s death lands in a busy stretch of Korean entertainment news that keeps drawing the local audience back.
For a performer whose career was steady, quiet and beloved by the fans who grew up with his sitcoms, the suddenness is the hardest part. Tributes have begun to pile up online as the news travels through the K-entertainment community.
