Daejeon Hana Citizens striker Lee Min-kyu, a professional soccer player, is most often told that his facial expression has changed. He’s been spotted smiling on and off the field since receiving Minish Veneers, and we talked to him and his wife about how their smiles have changed.
The 2025 K League 1 season is coming to a close. Daejeon Hana Citizens, led by head coach Hwang Sun-hong, are on track to make history this season with some truly remarkable results. Currently in second place in the league, Daejeon is on track to qualify for the Asian Champions League for the first time, making it a season to remember for both the team and its fans. At the center of it all is striker Lee Min-gyu.
Born in 1990, he is known in the K League as the “waiting player”. That’s because he didn’t get much attention at the beginning of his career, but he gradually shined through his hard work.
His game exploded after he got married, winning top scoring and championship titles, and earning national team honors. He’s now a confident and responsible player who laughs that he’s “better after marriage”.
Recently, the South Korean athlete underwent another “transformation” – this time not on the field, but in his daily life – after undergoing Minish treatment with his wife, Kim Soo-hyun.
Dental problems that orthodontic treatment hasn’t solved
He had always been concerned about his teeth. He had braces, but his teeth had shifted again due to poor maintenance, and his teeth were stained from drinking coffee and energy drinks while wearing braces. Not being able to smile naturally also took a toll on her confidence when taking photos and interacting with fans.
He came across Minish, a minimally invasive tooth removal service, on social media. He hadn’t thought about tooth removal before, but after researching Minish, he realized that he wanted to save as much of his natural teeth as possible.
I then visited the hospital to check out the trust and system for myself, and was very impressed with the detailed explanations and kindness of the medical staff during the consultation.
“I trusted the dentist because he explained the condition of my teeth in great detail and gave me detailed suggestions on how to treat them.”
His wife, Kim Soo-hyun, decided to try Minish when her teeth became slightly misaligned after giving birth, and their original round shape didn’t match her image, so she was looking to whiten and straighten them.
“Usually one person does it, sees the results, and then the rest of us do it, but we were so confident, we said we’d do it first.”
“Both my wife and I got braces, whitening, and orthodontics all in one”
After the minish, the two are experiencing positive changes.
“Now I don’t feel any discomfort when I smile, because I used to have a dental complex and I couldn’t smile at my fans, but now I smile brighter when I talk to them, and they tell me I have a different look around me.”
In fact, there’s even a joke among his fellow players that “all you can see are his teeth now.”
His wife, Kim Soo-hyun, also smiled, saying, “When we take pictures, we smile to show each other more teeth.” “We used to joke that we were ‘gnats,’ but now we show off our white teeth.”
Most importantly, Minish is a great option for athletes because when he was wearing braces, his lips were often popping, but with Minish, he doesn’t have to worry about that, and the procedure is short, so it doesn’t interfere with his schedule.
I then highly recommended it to my colleagues and juniors.
“I think our job is to be close to the fans as well as the sport, and if you’re not confident in your appearance, you might not be able to communicate that, and I think Minish is a really good option for athletes who have that problem.”
His smile has grown stronger as a striker for Daejeon Hana Citizens and as the head of a family, and his newfound confidence is reflected in his hard work. We wish him the best of luck in his current season, and look forward to seeing him face his fans with an even brighter smile in the upcoming season.
