A MODERN
BIOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
THE COLLECTION / Film & TVARCHIVE № 162
1995 —   TV PERSONALITY / ACTOR

DEX

Kim Jin-youngJun 9, 1995South Korea

What happened at what age?
Where were they at your age?

In 2020, the year he turned 25, he was discharged as a sergeant from the Navy Special Warfare Flotilla (UDT/SEAL) and appeared as an instructor on the online variety show Fake Men 2. In 2021, he took part in the survival variety show Game of Blood.

The breakthrough yearIn 2022, the year he turned 27, he appeared on Netflix’s Single’s Inferno 2 as the so-called catfish man and began gaining wide popularity at home and abroad.

In 2023, he hosted the web variety show Dex’s Fridge Interview alone and appeared in Wavve’s Game of Blood 2, MBC’s Adventure by Accident 2 and Netflix’s Zombieverse. In July, he won best new male entertainer at the 2nd Blue Dragon Series Awards for Game of Blood 2.

Late that year he joined Netflix’s Single’s Inferno 3 as MC and won Rookie of the Year at the MBC Entertainment Awards.

In 2024, he tied for first in the TV category of Forbes Korea’s Power Celebrity 40 and made his screen debut in Tarot: The Seven Chapter Story. In summer he also joined tvN’s Fresh off the Sea.

In 2025, he passed 1 million YouTube subscribers and gave 10 million won for recovery from the wildfires in North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang and Ulsan.

That year he was also nominated for male variety performer at the Baeksang Arts Awards and played Jeong-hyeon in ENA’s The Defects. At year’s end he won the Excellence Award at the MBC Entertainment Awards.

In 2026, he made a cameo in Netflix’s Bloodhounds season 2 and said he would pause his YouTube channel, which he had run for six years, to focus on acting.

Dex (born Jun 9, 1995) debuted as an instructor on Fake Men 2 on Oct 1, 2020, the year he turned 25, and became known in 2022, the year he turned 27, through Netflix’s Single’s Inferno 2. In 2023, the year he turned 28, he won Rookie of the Year at the MBC Entertainment Awards.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.

Full timeline · 28 records2020 — 2026   ＋
AGE / YEAR

  1. 25 · 2020
    Debut

    Debuts as an instructor on Watcha’s Fake Men 2

    After being discharged as a sergeant in the Special Mission Battalion of the Navy Special Warfare Flotilla (UDT/SEAL), he appeared as an instructor on the online variety show Fake Men 2.

    Source 01 · Newsen (Korean) · Film shoot interview for Fake Men 2 · opens in a new tabSource 02 · MBC Entertainment (Korean) · Kim Gyeran’s full statement on suspending Fake Men · opens in a new tabSource 22 · Namuwiki · Dex (TV personality) · opens in a new tab The discharge date is from Namuwiki, and the exact date was not confirmed in news articles.
  2. 26 · 2021
  3. 28 · 2023
    YouTube

    Hosts the web variety show Dex’s Fridge Interview alone for the first time

    He hosted the talk show alone, inviting guests such as singers and actors, and it appeared several times on the trending videos list.

    Source 22 · Namuwiki · Dex (TV personality) · opens in a new tab The date is from Namuwiki and was not confirmed in news reports.
  4. 28 · 2023
  5. 28 · 2023
  6. 28 · 2023
  7. 28 · 2023
    TV

    Netflix’s Zombieverse is released

    He drew attention for a scene in which he goes down into the zombie den on his own to rescue a teammate.

    Source 08 · Seoul Shinmun (Korean) · Zombieverse, gathering the K-zombie craftsmen · opens in a new tabSource 09 · Entermedia (Korean) · From catfish to the rising star · opens in a new tab Entermedia writes that this work and Adventure by Accident 2 took him from catfish to rising star and cemented his place as a variety blue chip.
  8. 28 · 2023
  9. 28 · 2023
  10. 29 · 2024
  11. 29 · 2024
  12. 29 · 2024
  13. 29 · 2024
  14. 29 · 2024
  15. 29 · 2024
  16. 29 · 2024
  17. 30 · 2025
  18. 30 · 2025
  19. 30 · 2025
  20. 30 · 2025
  21. 30 · 2025
  22. 30 · 2025
  23. 31 · 2026
  24. 31 · 2026
  25. 31 · 2026
  26. 31 · 2026
  27. 31 · 2026

END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2020–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.

02 / QUICK ANSWERS

Q & AFrequently asked

How old was Dex when he debuted?
On Oct 1, 2020, the year he turned 25, he appeared as an instructor on the online variety show Fake Men 2, after being discharged as a sergeant from the Navy Special Warfare Flotilla (UDT/SEAL).
How old was Dex when he became famous?
In 2022, the year he turned 27, when he appeared on Netflix’s Single’s Inferno 2 as the so-called catfish man. Sports Seoul writes that the appearance had an influence that changed the course of the program, and Forbes Korea writes that he gained wide popularity with fans at home and abroad after this work.
Does Dex act as well?
He made his screen debut in Tarot: The Seven Chapter Story in 2024, and in 2025 played the human weapon Jeong-hyeon in ENA’s The Defects. In 2026 he also appeared in Netflix’s Bloodhounds season 2.
How many times has Dex won at the MBC Entertainment Awards?
Twice: Rookie of the Year in 2023 and the Excellence Award in 2025.
How old is Dex?
Born in 1995, he turns 31 in 2026 (31 as of Sep 22, 2026).
04 / ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

A LIFE,
IN CHAPTERS.

What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.

COLLECTION162Dex / DEX

Film & TV · South Korea
Jun 9, 1995 —

Sources and method24 SOURCES   ＋

Ages are counted from the birth year 1995: the year of the event minus 1995, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.

  1. Newsen (Korean) · Film shoot interview for Fake Men 2 ↗Nov. 18, 2020. Says Fake Men 2 began on Oct. 1 but uploads stopped after episode 4 because of a controversy, then resumed
  2. MBC Entertainment (Korean) · Kim Gyeran’s full statement on suspending Fake Men ↗Oct. 16, 2020. Says Dex, Oscar, Aslan, Jake, Axe, Kwon and others joined as instructors for season 2
  3. Sports Seoul (Korean) · “Broadcasting genius” Dex ↗Mar. 17, 2024. Says he gained public recognition from Fake Men season 2, showed his ability to play a character in Game of Blood, and as the “catfish man” on Single’s Inferno 2 drove buzz and had an influence that changed the course of the program. 830,000 subscribers at the time
  4. OSEN (Korean) · Single’s Inferno 2 release announced ↗Dec. 20, 2022. Says it would be released two episodes a week over five weeks from Tuesday the 13th
  5. Forbes Korea (Korean) · 2024 Power Celebrity 40 overall ranking ↗Apr. 24, 2024. Says Dex, who has emerged as a blue chip in broadcasting, ranked 14th overall
  6. Forbes Korea (Korean) · 2024 Power Celebrity 40 top 10 by category ↗Apr. 24, 2024. Tied for first in the TV category with Lee Sang-min. Says he gained wide popularity with fans at home and abroad after appearing in Netflix’s Single’s Inferno 2 in 2022
  7. Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · There is no more “national variety show” ↗June 14, 2023. Says Adventure by Accident season 2, with Kian84, Pani Bottle and Dex, began its India trip with episode 1 on the 11th
  8. Seoul Shinmun (Korean) · Zombieverse, gathering the K-zombie craftsmen ↗Aug. 15, 2023. Says the Netflix variety show was released on the 8th
  9. Entermedia (Korean) · From catfish to the rising star ↗Aug. 15, 2023, column by Jeong Deok-hyeon. Says he cemented his place as a variety blue chip through Zombieverse and Adventure by Accident 2. Describes the scene in Zombieverse in which he goes down into the zombie den on his own to rescue his teammate Tsuki
  10. Maeil Business (Korean) · Interview with the Single’s Inferno producer ↗Dec. 4, 2023. At the Single’s Inferno 3 press conference, producer Kim Jae-won says casting Dex as MC was the best decision of the year. Due Dec. 12
  11. MHN Sports (Korean) · Results of the 2023 MBC Entertainment Awards ↗Dec. 30, 2023. Aired on the 29th. MCs Jun Hyun-moo, Dex and Lee Se-young. Rookie of the Year Dex (Adventure by Accident), Best Couple Award Kian84, Dex and Pani Bottle (Adventure by Accident 3)
  12. Newsen (Korean) · Tarot makes a comeback on Netflix ↗Oct. 15, 2025. Opened at CGV on June 14 last year (2024); his first lead in the “Please Throw Me Away” episode; about 20,000 cumulative admissions at the time of release
  13. Star News (Korean) · Interview with the Fresh off the Sea producer ↗Oct. 15, 2024. First aired in July, with Yum Jung-ah, Ahn Eun-jin, Park Joon-myun and Dex. The producer’s statement that Yum Jung-ah actively recommended Dex
  14. Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · The Defects ratings ↗July 24, 2025. Episodes 1 and 2 of ENA’s The Defects aired on the 21st and 22nd. Says the controversy over Dex’s acting did not hurt the ratings
  15. Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Donation for wildfire victims ↗Mar. 28, 2025. Donated 10 million won through Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association to an emergency fund for victims of the North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang and Ulsan wildfires
  16. Newsis (Korean) · Sung Si-kyung shut out at the Baeksang awards ↗May 7, 2025. Nominees for male variety performer at the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards were Shin Dong-yup, Yoo Jae-suk, Kim Won-hoon, Sung Si-kyung and Dex; Shin Dong-yup won
  17. Xportsnews (Korean) · Results of the 2025 MBC Entertainment Awards ↗Dec. 30, 2025. Held on the 29th. Excellence Award, male: Gu Seong-hwan and Dex (Adventure by Accident 4)
  18. Star News (Korean) · Cast for Bloodhounds season 2 ↗Apr. 6, 2026. Says Ryu Soo-young, Park Seo-joon, Dex and Lee Seol joined season 2
  19. Ilgan Sports (Korean) · Announces a YouTube break ↗June 19, 2026. He announced the pause on his own channel on the 18th, and his agency explained it as a break to focus on acting. He made clear it was not a retirement. Summary says he is from the UDT and became known through Fake Men 2 in 2020, began gaining popularity through Single’s Inferno 2 in 2022 and became a leading broadcaster through Adventure by Accident and the MBC Entertainment Awards Rookie of the Year in 2023
  20. MyDaily (Korean) · Appears in Kian’s Bizarre B&B 2 ↗Sept. 4, 2026. Says he would appear as a day part-timer in season 2 of Netflix’s Kian’s Bizarre B&B
  21. Sports World (Korean) · [Shift in content power] ↗May 11, 2026. Says he became known through Fake Men 2, raised his recognition through Game of Blood, built a global fandom through Single’s Inferno 2 and won the Rookie of the Year at the 2023 MBC Entertainment Awards
  22. Namuwiki · Dex (TV personality) ↗Used as the basis for records whose dates were not confirmed in news reports
  23. Bloter (Korean) · The message of Game of Blood 2 ↗May 7, 2023. Says Wavve’s Game of Blood 2 was released last month on the 28th. Describes the scene in which Dex and Ha Seung-jin face off over the Blood Mansion
  24. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · The Glory’s Song Hye-kyo wins the first grand prize at the Blue Dragon Series Awards ↗July 19, 2023. The 2nd Blue Dragon Series Awards at Paradise City Hotel in Yeongjong Island, Incheon, on the 19th. Best new male entertainer went to Dex for Wavve’s Game of Blood season 2, and best male entertainer to Yoo Jae-suk

Fact-checked: 2026.09.22 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.