Kentaro Sakaguchi Soars in Korea Gaining Recognition from BTS and BLACKPINK

Kentaro Sakaguchi (33) is making a solid impact on the Korean entertainment scene.

Originally starting his career as a model, Sakaguchi began his full-fledged acting career in 2014. He appeared in highly acclaimed works such as the film “64” and the drama “Kounodori” (TBS), gaining popularity as a leading figure of the “salt-faced handsome” trend. His success is not limited to Japan; in recent years, he has been steadily earning recognition in the Korean entertainment industry as well.

His rapid rise to fame in Korea began with “Signal”

One of the major turning points was his appearance in remakes of Korean dramas.

In 2017, he starred in “Sorry, I Love You” (TBS), and in 2018, in “Signal: Long-Term Unsolved Case Investigation Team” (Fuji TV), which helped his name spread among Korean audiences. Especially with “Signal,” being a remake of a major hit in Korea, Sakaguchi’s acting stirred significant buzz among fans in the original country.

Moreover, in recent years, an entertainment reporter familiar with Korean entertainment notes that he has been expanding his activities beyond acting into the fields of beauty and fashion.

“In 2023, he was selected as the commercial model for the Korean skincare brand ‘Manyo Factory,’ making his presence known in the beauty field and gaining a female fanbase. Additionally, utilizing his 183 cm model-like figure, he has appeared in ads for Uniqlo Korea and in a photoshoot for the Korean edition of ‘ELLE,’ steadily establishing his career.”

Supporting this growing popularity, he became the first Japanese guest on rapper Lee Young-ji’s (22) YouTube show, which boasts 4 million subscribers. The video has surpassed 9 million views, and his natural interaction mixing in Korean has received a huge response, with comments like “so refreshing” and “he’s so cute and his voice is nice.”

A connection with BTS ignited Korea’s popularity

While Kentaro Sakaguchi has steadily established his presence in Korea, at the root of it all was his connection with BTS, the world-renowned K-pop group.

Their friendship began when BTS provided the theme song for the Japanese version of “Signal.” At a fan meeting in 2018, BTS introduced Sakaguchi, who was visiting the venue, on stage and performed a line from the drama’s theme song “Don’t Leave Me.” In later interviews, Sakaguchi himself shared that they occasionally keep in touch and send each other photos of posters they come across, indicating that their relationship grew through such exchanges.

Korean producer Maju, who has over 100,000 followers across social media, commented:

“Sakaguchi’s popularity is skyrocketing, and if you ask locals, ‘Who’s your favorite Japanese actor?’ many would say, ‘Kentaro!’ Of course, some people knew him before, but there’s no doubt that his connection with BTS rapidly boosted his recognition. You could say it gave him serious status in Korea. Now, he’s widely known as ‘the Japanese actor who’s close with BTS,’ and he’s warmly welcomed even on Korean variety shows.”

In September 2023, Sakaguchi held his first solo fan meeting in Korea. It was rare for a Japanese actor to host such an event there, drawing attention, but what made even bigger news was the congratulatory flowers sent by BTS’s J-Hope, who was serving his military duty at the time. The Instagram post featuring the flowers created a huge buzz among BTS fans (known as ARMY).

Last year, after J-Hope’s discharge, Sakaguchi reunited with him, and a photo of them hugging posted on social media quickly trended, accompanied by comments like “This big brother (Sakaguchi) keeps getting younger!” Their close relationship continues today, with them exchanging gifts and staying in touch.

Natural connection with Korean entertainers also boosts popularity

Producer Maju continued:

“Another of Sakaguchi’s strengths is how naturally he’s building connections with Korean entertainers. His TikTok collaboration with ENHYPEN, and two-shot photos with TWICE’s Sana and aespa’s Karina at the Milan Collection — these moments on social media give the impression that he’s a ‘Japanese actor seamlessly blending into Korean culture.'”

Then, in March of this year, Lisa from BLACKPINK — who boasts over 100 million Instagram followers — posted a two-shot video with Sakaguchi. Fans were amazed to hear Lisa say that she had long been a fan of Sakaguchi flooding social media with comments like, “Kentaro Sakaguchi, who even made Lisa his fan, is a national treasure of Japan!” Their dream collaboration quickly went viral, further cementing Sakaguchi’s image as a global star.

“He’s the perfect embodiment of the ‘ideal Korean girl’s type’ — fair skin, small face, and over 180 cm tall. He has this cool appearance, but when he smiles, his face crinkles up charmingly. So many people say they’ve fallen for that gap (laughs),” Maju added.

In October 2024, Sakaguchi co-starred with Lee Se-young (32) in Coupang Play’s Korean drama What Comes After Love(streamed on Prime Video in Japan). The project, into which he threw himself wholeheartedly, topped the charts in 103 countries just two weeks after its release, proving his global popularity.

The Netflix film What Comes After Goodbye, co-starring Kasumi Arimura (32), also made history as the first Japanese production to be officially invited to the On-Screen section of the Busan International Film Festival, further raising Sakaguchi’s profile across Asia.

His move into Korean cinema now seems only a matter of time.

“A lot of Korean directors highly regard Sakaguchi’s acting skills. He has the perfect combination of talent, looks, and sincerity. It’s a trio that fits Korean entertainment really well. Expectations are rising in Korea too about what kind of projects he’ll tackle next,” said a film distribution insider.

As a bridge between Japanese and Korean entertainment, Kentaro Sakaguchi is steadily climbing the ranks of Asian stardom. His momentum shows no signs of slowing, and it’s clear we won’t be able to take our eyes off his future endeavors.