Gang Dong-won
Gang in April 2024
Born	(1981-01-18)January 18, 1981 (age 44) Busan, South Korea
Other names	Kang Dong-won
Education	Hanyang University (Mechanical engineering)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2000–present
Agents	AA Group (South Korea) Creative Artists Agency (USA)[1]
Korean name
Hangul	강동원
Hanja	姜棟元
RR	Gang Dongwon
MR	Kang Tongwŏn

Gang Dong-won (Korean: 강동원; born January 18, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He debuted as a model and rose to stardom through the filmTemptation of Wolves (2004). He is subsequently known for starring in the filmsMaundy Thursday (2006),Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard (2009),Secret Reunion (2010),Kundo: Age of the Rampant (2014),The Priests (2015),A Violent Prosecutor (2016),Master (2016), andPeninsula (2020).

Gang Dong-won was born January 18, 1981, inBusan, and grew up inChangwon ofSouth Gyeongsang Province. His father, Gang Cheol-woo, was an engineer and later the vice president of SPP Heavy Industries.^[2] Gang's family suffered economic hardship at times and Gang had to work part-time in college to pay for his tuition.^[3][4] Academically gifted with anIQ of 137, Gang graduated fromHanyang University at Ansan with a degree inmechanical engineering.^[5]

In 2000, when Gang 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 forprêt-à-porter collections inParis such asDKNY,Gucci andHugo Boss, as well as for the local Seoul Fashion Artists Association (SFAA).^[6]

After being cast in themusic video forJo Sung-mo's "I Swear," Gang began taking acting classes, leading to a change in career.^[7] He made his acting debut on television in 2003, playing a doctor with a regional dialect inCountry Princess (also known asFunny Wild Girl), and achaebol's son inSomething About 1%.^[6][8] In 2004, he shot his first movie, the romantic comedyToo Beautiful to Lie, which was moderately successful.

Gang's first real breakthrough was inTemptation of Wolves, the film adaptation ofGuiyeoni's teen internet novel.^[9] Gang's popularity subsequently rose, extending to other Asian countries, especially Japan. He then briefly returned to television as anantihero inMagic, though it received low ratings.^[6][8]

Gang's next roles were an inmate ondeath row onMaundy Thursday,^[10] and the antagonist inVoice of a Murderer.^[11] His two collaborations withauteurLee Myung-se inDuelist andM further cemented Gang's status as one of the top young actors in Korean cinema,^[7][12][13] earning him critical recognition for his stylish flair and diverse choice of roles.^[6]

Gang said that he decided to play the mischievous titular character in the action fantasyJeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard because "he wanted to work on a fun movie, as he was emotionally drained while formerly having worked on several serious films.^[14] TheChoi Dong-hoon film turned into a holiday blockbuster, sellingover 6 million tickets over the winter season despite opening in theaters only a week after the release ofAvatar in Korea.^[15][16] In 2010, he was cast opposite veteran actorSong Kang-ho inJang Hoon's spy filmSecret Reunion.^[17] It became one of thebiggest Korean box office hits of 2010, withover 5 million tickets sold. He then joined theBusan-centeredomnibusCamellia, starring inJang Joon-hwan'sshort filmLove For Sale.^[18] Gang's last project before enlistment was the psychic thrillerHaunters.^[19][20]

Gang enlisted for hismandatory military service on November 18, 2010, for four weeks of basic training at the Nonsan military camp inSouth Chungcheong Province.^[21] 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.^[22] On the day of his release, his agency uploaded a three minutesYouTube clip of him in various locations throughout the city, titled "Gang Dong-won in a Day."^[23]

In 2013, Gang appeared inThe X, a 30-minute spy thriller directed byKim Jee-woon.^[24]

In 2014, Gang returned to the big screen inYoon Jong-bin's period action filmKundo: Age of the Rampant, playing an illegitimate nobleman's son who attempts to destroy a group ofRobin Hood-like outlaws in 19th centuryJoseon Dynasty.^[25][26] He next starred inMy Brilliant Life,E J-yong's film adaptation ofKim Aeran's bestselling novelMy Palpitating Life about a couple who must watch their son suffering fromprogeria grow prematurely old.^[27][28][29]

In 2015, Gang reunited withJeon Woo-chi co-starKim Yoon-seok inJang Jae-hyun's mystery thrillerThe Priests.^[30]

In 2016, Gang played a young con artist in the crime filmA Violent Prosecutor directed byLee Il-hyung,^[31] which became the second highest grossing Korean film of 2016.^[32] He also starred inUm Tae-hwa's fantasy filmVanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned^[33] andCho Ui-seok's financial thriller filmMaster together withLee Byung-hun andKim Woo-bin.^[34] After ending the contract with United Artist Agency,^[35] Gang signed with a new agency,YG Entertainment in January 2016.^[36]

In 2017, Gang made a special appearance asLee Han-yeol inJang Joon-hwan's historical film1987: When the Day Comes.^[37]

In 2018, Gang played a deliveryman framed for the assassination of a politician in Noh Dong-seok's thrillerGolden Slumber, based on Isaka Kotaro's novel of the same name.^[38][39] His next project wasKim Jee-woon's science fiction action thrillerIllang: The Wolf Brigade, which is a film adaptation based onJin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, a Japaneseanimated thriller.^[40][41][42]

In 2020, Gang starred inYeon Sang-ho's horror-action-thrillerPeninsula, a standalone sequel to the 2016 hitTrain to Busan.^[43] He then starred inHirokazu Kore-eda's filmBroker where he played the role of Dong-soo–a man who was abandoned by his parents, and now sells abandoned babies with his friend played bySong Kang-ho.^[44] The film competed for thePalme d'Or at the2022 Cannes Film Festival.

In December 2022, Gang ended his contract withYG Entertainment after about 7 years.^[45] In 2023, he established his own one-man agency, Studio AA Group.^[46] In a March 2024 interview, Imaginus vice president Ryu Hyung-jin revealed that Gang Dong-won co-leads Studio AA, one of ten labels underImaginus, the content production company founded byChoi Jin-hee, former CEO ofStudio Dragon.^[47]

In June 2024, Gang was invited to become a member of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[48] In October, Netflix released the historical war action film,Uprising. Directed byKim Sang-man and produced byPark Chan-wook, the film stars Gang as Cheon Yeong, a man with unparalleled swordsmanship skills, and depicts the lives of two childhood friends who become adversaries during the Japanese invasions of Korea. The movie premiered at the 29th Busan International Film Festival on October 2, 2024, and was released on Netflix on October 11.^[49] On November 12, 2024, Gang officially launched his fashion brand, NONYMOUSAA.^[50]

Gang's drama series,Polaris, with the English titleTempest, premiered onDisney+ andHulu on September 10, 2025. Co-produced by two Imaginus labels, Showrunner and Studio AA,^[47][51] the series was written byJeong Seo-kyeong and directed byKim Hee-won. Gang stars as Baek San-ho, a former top international mercenary with a mysterious past,^[52] who crosses paths with diplomat Seo Mun-ju, played byJun Ji-hyun.^[53]

In March 2017, a user of the movie website Max Movie uploaded a list of currently active movie actors who are descendants ofpro-Japanese collaborators, and listed Gang. His maternal great-grandfatherLee Jong-man [ko] (1885–1977) is listed in the pro-Japanese biographical dictionary, having been involved in the mining business during the Japanese colonial rule and donating to the Japanese army.^[54] Because of the revelation, Gang issued a public apology and cancelled his scheduled recording forVanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned commentary.^[55][56]

In May 2022, Gang was selected as the house ambassador for French luxury brandLouis Vuitton.^[57][58][59]

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toGang Dong-won.

• Gang Dong-won at theKorean Movie Database
• Gang Dong-won atIMDb
• Gang Dong-won atHanCinema
• Gang Dong-won Japan Official FanclubArchived March 30, 2023, at theWayback Machine
• Gang Dong-won atNaver Movie
• Gang Dong-won atDaum Movie

• Best New Actor for MBC Drama Awards winners
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