Kang Dong-won

Kang Dong-won
Born	(1981-01-18) 18 January 1981 Busan, South Korea
Nationality	South Korean
Education	Hanyang University (Mechanical Engineering) Sangmyung University Graduate School (Theatre and Film)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2003-present
Agent	YG Entertainment (2016-present)
Korean name
Hangul	강동원
Hanja	姜棟元
Revised Romanization	Gang Dong-won
McCune–Reischauer	Kang Tong-wǒn

Kang Dong-won (born 18 January 1981) is a South Korean actor.

Early life

Kang Dong-won was born in Busan to a privileged background. His father Kang Cheol-woo is the vice president of SPP Heavy Industries, ranked among the top ten shipping companies worldwide.^[1][2][3] Kang's family moved to Changwon when he was seven years old. Academically gifted since a young age with an IQ of 137, Kang was accepted at Hanyang University, one of the top universities in the country. He graduated with honors with a degree in Mechanical engineering.^[4]

Career

2003-2009: Debut and career breakthrough

In 2000 when Kang was a first year university student, he was spotted on the street by a modeling agent. Thus began his modeling career, and he appeared on the catwalk for prêt-à-porter collections in Paris such as DKNY, Gucci and Hugo Boss, as well as for the local Seoul Fashion Artists Association (SFAA).^[5]

After being cast in the music video for Jo Sung-mo's "I Swear," the experience intrigued Kang that he decided to take some acting classes. Realizing that acting was what he had been looking for his entire life, the revelation meant a change of career.^[6] He quit modeling and made his acting debut on television in 2003, playing a doctor with a regional dialect in Country Princess (also known as Funny Wild Girl), and a chaebol's son in 1% of Anything.^[5][7]

In 2004 he shot his first movie, the romantic comedy Too Beautiful to Lie. However, his first real breakthrough was in Temptation of Wolves, the film adaptation of Guiyeoni's teen internet novel.^[8] With his beautiful, androgynous looks, Kang's popularity rose, extending to other Asian countries, especially Japan. He then briefly returned to television as an antihero in Magic, though it was not successful ratings-wise.^[5][7]

Instead of starring in more mainstream fare, Kang surprised audiences with his next roles as an inmate on death row in Maundy Thursday,^[9] and the antagonist in Voice of a Murderer.^[10] His two collaborations with auteur Lee Myung-se in Duelist and M further cemented Kang's status as one of the top young actors in Korean cinema,^{[11][12][13][14][6]} earning him critical recognition for his stylish flair and diverse choice of roles.^[5]

Kang said that he decided to play the mischievous titular character in the action fantasy Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard because "he wanted to be an actor loved by all generations."^[15] With its strong, star-filled ensemble cast and a high effects budget, the Choi Dong-hoon film turned into a blockbuster holiday event, selling over 6 million tickets over the winter season despite opening in theaters only a week after the release of Avatar in Korea.^{[16][17][18][19][20][21]}

In 2010 he scored an acting coup by being cast opposite acclaimed veteran actor Song Kang-ho in Jang Hoon's spy film Secret Reunion.^[22][23][24] It became one of the biggest Korean box office hits of 2010, with over 5 million tickets sold. He then joined the Busan-centered omnibus Camellia, starring in Jang Joon-hwan's short film Love For Sale.^[25]

2010-2012: Military service

After filming psychic thriller Haunters,^[26][27] Kang enlisted for his mandatory military service on November 18, 2010 for four weeks of basic training at the Nonsan military camp in South Chungcheong Province.^[28] This was followed by non-active duty as a public service worker at Seoul City Research Institute of Public Health and Environment. He was discharged on November 12, 2012.^[29][30] On the day of his release, his agency uploaded a three-minute YouTube clip of him in various locations throughout the city, titled "Gang Dong-won in a Day."^[31][32]

2013-current: Return to acting

Kang lay low in 2013, with the exception of appearing in The X, a 30-minute spy thriller directed by Kim Jee-woon that showcases the visual potential of ScreenX, a new 270-degree exhibition system.^[33]

In 2014, Kang returned to the big screen in Yoon Jong-bin's period action film Kundo: Age of the Rampant, playing an illegitimate nobleman's son who attempts to destroy a group of Robin Hood-like outlaws in 19th century Joseon Dynasty.^[34][35]

He next starred in My Brilliant Life, E J-yong's film adaptation of Kim Aeran's bestselling novel My Palpitating Life about a couple who must watch their son suffering from progeria grow prematurely old.^{[36][37][38][39]} This is his second time to collaborate with actress Song Hye-kyo, after Love For Sale; they both belong to United Artist Agency, which Kang joined in 2013.

In 2015, Kang reunited with Jeon Woo-chi co-star Kim Yoon-seok in mystery thriller The Priests.^[40] He has also been cast in the upcoming films A Violent Prosecutor and Veiled Time, slated for 2016.^[41][42] and Master with Lee Byung-hun and Kim Woo-bin.

In 2016, Kang signed with YG Entertainment.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Music video

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Official website (Korean)
• Kang Dong-won at the Korean Movie Database
• Kang Dong-won at the Internet Movie Database
• Kang Dong-won at HanCinema