Seo Kang-joon (born Lee Seung-hwan on October 12, 1993) is a South Korean actor and singer who is a member of the group

5urprise 5urprise (; pronounced surprise), is the first ever South Korean actor group and consists of five actors: Yoo Il, Seo Kang-joon, Gong Myung, Kang Tae-oh and Lee Tae-hwan. History 5urprise was launched by talent agency Fantagio in September 2013 ...

. He gained recognition with his role in the television series ''

Cheese in the Trap ''Cheese in the Trap'' () is a South Korean manhwa series written and illustrated by Soonkki. The webtoon was released on Internet portal Naver WEBTOON since 2010, and the first volume in print was published on March 2, 2012. It was adapted int ...

'' (2016) and has since starred in ''

Entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...

'' (2016), ''

Are You Human Too? ''Are You Human?'' () is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Seo Kang-joon and Gong Seung-yeon. It aired on KBS2's Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 ( KST) time slot, from June 4 to August 7, 2018. Synopsis Oh Laura, a renowned scienti ...

'' (2018), ''

The Third Charm ''The Third Charm'' () is a 2018 South Korean television series directed by Pyo Min-soo and starring Seo Kang-joon and Esom. It explores the real side of relationships between couples. It aired from September 28 to November 17, 2018, on JTBC's ...

'' (2018), '' Watcher'' (2019), When The Weather Is Fine (2020), and ''

Grid Grid, The Grid, or GRID may refer to: Common usage * Cattle grid or stock grid, a type of obstacle is used to prevent livestock from crossing the road * Grid reference, used to define a location on a map Arts, entertainment, and media * News ...

(2022).''

Early life and education

Seo Kang-joon was born Lee Seung-hwan in

Gunpo Gunpo (군포; ), formerly romanized as Kunp'o, is a small city in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province, located south of Seoul in the Seoul National Capital Area. It borders Anyang to the north, Uiwang to the east, and Ansan to the south and west, an ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

, South Korea. In the second year of secondary school, Seo went to study abroad in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

for one year and seven months and returned to Korea in the first year of high school. After his debut, he enrolled at the Faculty of Performing Arts of Dong Seoul College. Seo worked part-time as a model before his debut. After passing the audition for ''Actor's League'', a program with the aim of searching for new actors organized by

Fantagio Fantagio () is a South Korean entertainment company that operates as a record label, talent training and management agency, as well as movie and K-drama production company. The company was founded in September 2008 as N.O.A. Entertainment (stan ...

, Seo underwent training before debuting in the group

Career

2012–2015: Beginnings

Seo took on

bit parts In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British televisi ...

in various television series, before making his acting debut as with a supporting role in SBS' drama ''

The Suspicious Housekeeper ''The Suspicious Housekeeper'' () is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Choi Ji-woo, Lee Sung-jae, Wang Ji-hye and Kim So-hyun. It aired on SBS from 23 September to 26 November 2013 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes. ...

''. His first major role was in the 2014

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

Cunning Single Lady Cunning Single Lady (; lit. "Devious Woman Who's Single Again") is a 2014 South Korean romantic comedy television series starring Lee Min-jung and Joo Sang-wook as a divorced couple who rekindles their romance. It aired on MBC from February 27 t ...

'', for which he won the Best New Actor award at the 7th

Korea Drama Awards The Korea Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony for excellence in television in South Korea. It was established in 2007, and is held annually in October in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province as the official main event of the annual Korea Drama Fes ...

. He has then appeared in television dramas ''

What Happens to My Family? ''What Happens to My Family?'' () is a 2014–2015 South Korean television series starring Yoo Dong-geun, Kim Hyun-joo, Yoon Park and Park Hyung-sik. It aired on KBS2 on Saturdays and Sundays at 19:55 ( KST) time slot from August 16, 2014, to F ...

'' (2014–2015), ''

Splendid Politics ''Splendid Politics'' () is a 2015 South Korean television series starring Cha Seung-won, Lee Yeon-hee, Kim Jaewon, Seo Kang-joon, Han Joo-wan and Jo Sung-ha. It aired on MBC from April 13 to September 29, 2015 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 ...

'' (2015), and ''

To Be Continued A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

'' (2015), as well as films '' My Love, My Bride'' (2014) and ''Summer Snow'' (2015). In 2014, Seo joined the SBS variety show '' Roommate'' as a cast member. He also appeared on ''

Law of the Jungle "The law of the jungle" (also called jungle law) is an expression that has come to describe a scenario where "anything goes". The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines the Law of the Jungle as "''the code of survival in jungle life'', now usual ...

'' as a guest.

2016–present: Rising popularity and leading roles

Seo's breakout role came in 2016 as a talented pianist in the college romance drama ''

''. The same year, he starred in his first leading role in

tvN TVN may refer to: * TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel * Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster * TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi * TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...

drama ''

'', the Korean remake of the American television series of the same name. In 2018, Seo starred in KBS's science fiction drama ''

Are You Human? ''Are You Human?'' () is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Seo Kang-joon and Gong Seung-yeon. It aired on KBS2's Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 ( KST) time slot, from June 4 to August 7, 2018. Synopsis Oh Laura, a renowned scientist, ...

'' where he played double roles as a wealthy heir and robot. The same year, he starred in romance comedy drama ''

''. In 2019, Seo starred in OCN's thriller drama '' Watcher'' as a policeman. He was cast in the

JTBC JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTB ...

romance drama '' When the Weather Is Fine'', which aired in the first half of 2020. In 2022, Seo starred in

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

( Star) thriller drama ''

'' as an employee of the Grid Bureau.

Personal life

On November 8, 2021, it was reported that Seo would enlist in the military on November 23, 2021. Later the same day, Seo's agency confirmed that he would enlist in the military on November 23, without revealing his location. Seo received the division commander's commendation for excellent performance in basic military training.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Variety show

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seo, Kang-joon South Korean male television actors South Korean male film actors South Korean male idols 1993 births Living people People from Gunpo People from Gyeonggi Province 21st-century South Korean male actors