Five Baeksang Arts Awards, two Grand Bell Awards, and one Blue Dragon Film Award highlight the professional achievements of this Seoul-born actor. Beginning his career with stage performances, he transitioned into television in 2007. Since that initial sitcom appearance, he has emerged as a major figure in South Korean media, moving between television dramas, variety programs, and high-grossing feature films.
Early Development and Education
Born on February 16, 1988, in the Gangnam District of Seoul, he was raised by a single mother. His father, Kim Chung-hoon, was the lead singer of the 1980s band Seven Dolphins. To help manage a shy personality during his school years, he participated in acting classes. This interest developed further through his secondary education at Joongdong High School. His early performance experience included stage roles in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Grease, and Hamlet. In 2009, he enrolled in the Film and Theater Department at Chung-Ang University.
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He debuted on television in the 2007 sitcom Kimchi Cheese Smile. His profile rose through roles in the 2008 youth drama Jungle Fish and performances in Giant and Will It Snow for Christmas?. In 2011, he took a lead role in the musical drama Dream High, for which he studied song and dance at JYP Entertainment. His cinematic success followed with the 2012 film The Thieves, which became the second highest-grossing movie in Korean history, and the 2013 film Secretly, Greatly, which drew an audience of 7 million.
International Recognition and Military Service
The period between 2013 and 2015 marked a surge in his international popularity, largely driven by the fantasy series My Love from the Star. The show garnered billions of hits on the platform iQIYI and influenced fashion and consumer trends. Following his work on the variety drama The Producers, he received multiple Daesang awards. In October 2017, he enlisted for mandatory military service. He returned to his screen career in 2020 with It's Okay to Not Be Okay, subsequently appearing in One Ordinary Day and the 2024 production Queen of Tears.
Fast facts
- Born: 16 February 1988, Seoul, South Korea
- Education: Joongdong High School, Chung-Ang University
- Television debut: 2007, Kimchi Cheese Smile
- Major awards: 5 Baeksang Arts Awards, 2 Grand Bell Awards, 1 Blue Dragon Film Award
- Television Actor of the Year (Gallup Korea): 2014
- Military service enlistment: October 2017
Questions readers ask
What was his first major role on stage?
He played the character Puck in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Did he perform music for his television roles?
Yes, he recorded tracks for the soundtracks of Dream High, Moon Embracing the Sun, and My Love from the Star.
