Gang Dong-won was born January 18, 1981, in
Busan, and grew up in
Changwon of
South Gyeongsang Province. His father, Gang Cheol-woo, was an engineer and later 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 an
IQ of 137, Gang graduated from
Hanyang University at Ansan with a degree in
mechanical engineering.[5]
Career
2000–2004: Beginnings
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 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).[6]
After being cast in the
music video for
Jo 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 in Country Princess (also known as Funny Wild Girl), and a
chaebol's son in Something About 1%.[6][8] In 2004 he shot his first movie, the romantic comedy Too Beautiful to Lie, which was moderately successful.
2005–2010: Career breakthrough and mainstream success
Gang's first real breakthrough was in Temptation of Wolves, the film adaptation of
Guiyeoni's teen internet novel.[9] Gang's popularity subsequently rose, extending to other Asian countries, especially Japan. He then briefly returned to television as an
antihero in Magic, though it received low ratings.[6][8]
Gang 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.[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 minutes
YouTube clip of him in various locations throughout the city, titled "Gang Dong-won in a Day."[23]
2013–present: Return to acting
In 2013, Gang appeared in The X, a 30-minute spy thriller directed by
Kim Jee-woon.[24]
In December 2022, Gang ended his contract with
YG Entertainment after about 7 years.[45] and afterward established his own one-man agency called AA Group.[46]
In March 2024, Ryu Hyung-jin, the vice president of Imaginus, provided exclusive insights into ten labels operating under Imaginus and their respective leaders in an interview with Cine21. Among these labels was Studio AA (스튜디오 AA), which is co-led by Gang Dong-won. Imaginus is a content production company established by
Choi Jin-hee, the former CEO of
Studio Dragon, in 2021. Imaginus has several upcoming projects in the pipeline. One of them is Polaris, a drama written by
Jeong Seo-kyeong starring Gang and
Jun Ji-hyun, which to be directed by
Kim Hee-won co-produced by Showrunner and Studio AA.[47][48][49][50]
Controversy
In March 2017, a user of movie website Max Movie uploaded a list of currently active movie actors who are descendants of
pro-Japanese collaborators, and listed Gang. His maternal great-grandfather
Lee Jong-man (1885–1977) is listed in the pro-Japanese biographical dictionary, having been involved in mining business during the Japanese colonial rule and donating to the Japanese army.[51] Because of the revelation, Gang issued a public apology, and cancelled his scheduled recording for Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned commentary.[52][53]
Endorsements
In May 2022, Gang was selected as House ambassador for French luxury brand
Louis Vuitton.[54][55][56]
^Lee Yu-na (March 24, 2022).
"강동원, 美 CAA와 계약 체결...할리우드 접수할까 (공식)" [Kang Dong-won signs a contract with CAA in the US... Will it take over Hollywood (official)] (in Korean).
YTN.
Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via
Naver.
^강동원 "아버지 재벌설? 월급 부사장인데.."(인터뷰) [Gang Dong-won "My father is a chaebol? He is just a hired vice president]. JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). November 8, 2010.
Archived from the original on April 14, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
^Song, Min-joo (December 30, 2022).
"강동원, 아이콘도 YG엔터 떠난다...'탈 YG' 열풍? [공식]" [Kang Dong-won and iKON are also leaving YG Entertainment... 'Leave YG' craze? [Formula]] (in Korean). TV Report.
Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via
Naver.
^[K스타] 강동원 외증조부 '이종만' 게시글에 대한 오해와 진실 [Misunderstanding and Truth About the Post on Gang Dong-won's Maternal Great-grandfather Rhee Jong-man]. KBS News (in Korean). March 6, 2017.
Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
^Jeon Hyung-Hwa (February 1, 2021).
"[단독]아이유, 송강호·강동원·배두나와 '브로커' 호흡..고레에다 히로카즈 감독 내한 [종합]" [Solo IU, Song Kang-ho, Kang Dong-won and Bae Doona, 'broker' director Hirokazu Koreeda. Respiration cold [General]]. star.mt (in Korean).
Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021 – via
Naver.
^Kang Hyo-jin (September 19, 2022).
"빙의' 강동원·허준호·이솜·이동휘, 캐스팅 완료 '14일 크랭크인" [Possession' Kang Dong-won, Heo Jun-ho, Esom, and Lee Dong-hwi, casting completed 'Crank-in on the 14th'] (in Korean). spoTV News.
Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2022 – via
Naver.
^Yoo Ji-hye (August 26, 2021).
"[단독] 강동원, 영화 '엑시던트' 리메이크작 주연" [[Exclusive] Dongwon Kang, starring in the remake of the movie 'The Incident']. Sports Donga (in Korean).
Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021 – via
Naver.
^Cho Ji-young (June 7, 2023).
"[공식] 강동원X박정민, 박찬욱 제작 넷플릭스 영화 '전,란' 캐스팅 확정" [[Official] Kang Dong-Won X Park Jung-Min, Park Chan-Wook Produced Netflix Movie 'Jeon, Ran' Casting Confirmed] (in Korean).
Sports Chosun.
Archived from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Ko Seung-ah (May 11, 2022).
"강동원, 흑백에도 훈훈 비주얼...주형진 '들을게' 뮤비 등장" [Kang Dong-won, a heartwarming visual in black and white... Joo Hyung-jin's 'I'll Hear' MV Appears] (in Korean). News1.
Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022 – via
Naver.
^Ji, Min-kyung (October 22, 2020).
'2020 부일영화상' 강동원X서예지, 남녀인기스타상 수상.."팬들 감사해" ['2020 Buil Film Awards' Kang Dong-won x Seo Ye-ji, won the Men's and Women's Popular Star Award.. "Thank you fans"]. Naver (in Korean). Osen.
Archived from the original on October 27, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2020.