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Actor Choi Won-young joins zoning out competition to promote upcoming show, wins second place

Published: 15 Apr. 2026, 16:40

Actor Choi Won-young participates in the Gwanghwamun Space-out Competition on April 14. [JTBC]

Actor Choi Won-young took second place at the 2026 Gwanghwamun Space-out Competition, which took place in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Tuesday.

The competition, in which people competed based on their ability to zone out for 90 minutes, was organized by the team behind the upcoming psychological drama “We Are All Trying Here” to promote the series.

“Honestly, I had been ambitiously preparing to win since last night,” the actor said after receiving the prize. “There were so many formidable contestants at the venue, and [...] I never expected to receive the award. It is an honor to receive such a great prize, and I had a meaningful time here because I was able to personally convey the values that our show 'We Are All Trying Here' hopes to share.”

His co-star in the drama, Cho Min-kook, also joined the competition.

First place went to Song Ga-yoon, a university student who wore a handmade hairband that read, “Now Loading.”

The winner was decided by combining public votes and the results of participants' heart rate graphs.

The winner of the 2026 Gwanghwamun Space-out Competition participates in the competition in Jung District, central Seoul, on April 14. [YONHAP]

Other cast members, including Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Youn-jung, Kang Mal-geum, Sim Hee-seop, Park Ye-ni and Bae Myung-jin, visited the photo zone and activity booths — modeled after settings in the drama — set up at the competition venue.

The Netflix page for ″We Are All Trying Here,″ expected to premiere on April 18 [SCREEN CAPTURE]

“We hope this event, held in the heart of Gwanghwamun, gave people a chance to briefly shift their focus from the [negativity] in their lives and discover the [positives],” the production team said. “The drama [...] will also approach its weary characters with a gentle humanism that comforts the heart.”

“We Are All Trying Here” premieres on JTBC at 10:40 p.m. on Saturday. It will also be available for streaming on Netflix.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]