# Kang Young-seok

Kang Young-suk (Korean: 강영석; August 12, 1991), is a South Korean actor. In 2011, he made his debut as a musical actor in the production Hwarang. In 2014, he ventured into theater with his first play, titled B Adult Year. From 2017 onwards, he began by taking on minor roles and gradually worked his way up to more prominent supporting roles on television. He is known for his supporting roles in Should We Kiss First?, Revolutionary Love, 100 Days My Prince, Military Prosecutor Doberman, Insider, Mental Coach Jegal, Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist, The Kidnapping Day, Welcome to Samdal-ri, and Queen Woo.

## Early life and education

During his time at Gaepo High School, Kang participated in sports but realized it wasn't his calling, leaving him unsure of his future path. It was during this period that he saw the musical Romeo and Juliet, igniting his curiosity about acting. Without hesitation, he enrolled in an acting academy and found it to be enjoyable. He devoted himself to his studies, often staying late to study scripts and even taking on cleaning duties. His hard work paid off, leading to his acceptance into the Department of Theatre and Film at Chungang University. He received support and faced no opposition from his parents as he pursued this path.

## Career

Kang Young-suk was initially disappointed when he couldn't find a suitable job, so he decided to explore audition opportunities. In 2011, he successfully landed a role in musical Hwarang after auditioning.
After being discharged from the military in 2014, Kang ventured into theater with his first play, titled B Adult Year. In the following year, he was recommended for auditions by friends for acting projects. While some may view his quick success in landing roles in the play Model Students (2015), the musical Bachelor's Vegetable Store (2015), and the musical Thrill Me (2015) one after another as luck, Kang attributes it to his diligent preparation and hard work in every audition. Kang's next role was Professor V, a genius physics professor who turns into a vampire in the musical Mama Don't Cry.
The play Old Wicked Song, which premiered in 2015, returned to the Dongsung Arts Center Dongsung Hall stage in September 2016. The story revolves around Mashkan, an eccentric professor with contrasting personalities, and Stephen, a pianist, who find solace and growth through music. The role of pianist Stephen was played by Kang and Lee Hyun-wook in double casting. Stephen, a talented pianist, struggles with inner turmoil and disconnects from the joy of music despite his skill.
This was followed by another musical, Black Mary Poppins. Set in Germany in the 1920s, it is a musical thriller that reveals the truth about four siblings involved in a fire and a mysterious murder that occurred in the mansion of renowned psychologist Dr. Gratzen, and the story of their missing nanny. Kang and Jeon Sung-woo played the role of Hermann, the second child, a painter with a masculine and free personality, but lonely and easily shaken. The musical was performed at Daehakro T.O.M Theater 1 starting on October 13, 2016.
In 2017, Kang was cast in the musical History of Fools in a triple casting as the main character, Seo Min-ki, alongside Park Si-hwan and Park Jeong-won.
The play Save the Earth, based on director Jang Jun-hwan's film of the same name, falls into the science fiction genre involving aliens. It is a psychological game between two characters: Byeong-gu, who has a deep wound in his heart, and Kang Man-sik, the person who inflicted the wound and holds the key to solving the problem. Kang, Park Young-soo, Jeong Wook-jin, and Key in the main role of Byeong-gu, took turns performing at Chungmu Arts Center's Black Theater from August 10 to October 22, 2017.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| Year | English | Korean | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2021 | Waiting for Rain | 비와 당신의 이야기 | Bookworm | | |
| 2021 | Cabriolet | 카브리올레 | Jeong Ki-seok | Main role | |
| 2022 | The Test Takers | 노량바이러스 | Student 5 | Short film | |
| 2022 | When I Sleep | 내가 누워있을 때 | Plane passenger | | |
| 2022 | President Jeong Yak-yong | 대통령 정약용 | Jang Hee-cheol | | |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2017 | The Bride of Habaek | |
| 2017 | Revolutionary Love | Jang Cheol-min |
| 2018 | Should We Kiss First? | Min Woo-sik |
| 2018 | 100 Days My Prince | Gwon Hyeok |
| 2020 | When My Love Blooms | Kang Jun-woo |
| 2021 | Undercover | Jeong Cheol-hoon |
| 2022 | Military Prosecutor Doberman | Kang Ha-jun |
| 2022 | Insider | Jang Seon-oh |
| 2022 | Mental Coach Jegal | Go Young-to |
| 2023 | Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist | Jeon Kang-il |
| 2023 | The Kidnapping Day | Jayden |
| 2023–2024 | Welcome to Samdal-ri | Bu Sang-do |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
| 2024 | Queen Woo | Go Yeon-u / Sansang of Goguryeo | |

## Stage
### Musical

Musical play performance :
| Year | Title | Title | Role | Theater | Date | Ref. |
| Year | English | Korean | Role | Theater | Date | Ref. |
| 2011 | Hwarang | 화랑 | Mu-rang-ro | SH Art Hall, Daehangno | August 20, 2011 - September 4, 2011 | |
| 2011 | Hwarang | 화랑 | Mu-rang-ro | SH Art Hall, Daehangno | October 8, 2011 - October 23, 2011 | |
| 2015 | The Bachelor's Vegetable Store | 총각네 야채가게 | Yoon Min | KEPCO Arts Center | November 13, 2015 - December 31, 2015 | |
| 2016 | Thrill Me | 쓰릴 미 | Na | Yes 24 Stage 2 | February 19 - June 12, 2016 | |
| 2016 | Mama Don't Cry | 마마 돈 크라이 | Professor V | Uniplex 2 | May 1 - August 28, 2016 | |
| 2016–2017 | Black Mary Poppins | 블랙메리포핀스 | Hermann | Daehak-ro T.O.M. 1 | October 14, 2016 - January 15, 2017 | |
| 2017 | History of Fools | 찌질의 역사 | Seo Min-gi | Yes24 Stage 3 | June 3 - August 27, 2017 | |
| 2018 | The Man Who Had a Dream | 홀연했던 사나이 | Seungdol-i | Chungmu Art Center Middle Theater Black Box | February 6, 2018 - April 15, 2018 | |
| 2018–2019 | Those Days | 그날들 | Sang-gu | Centum City Sohyang Theater Shinhan Card Hall Busan | Dec 23–30 | |
| 2018–2019 | Those Days | 그날들 | Sang-gu | Daejeon Arts Center Art Hall | Jan 5–6 | |
| 2018–2019 | Those Days | 그날들 | Sang-gu | Blue Square Shinhan Card Hall Busan | Feb 22–May 6 | |
| 2018–2019 | Those Days | 그날들 | Sang-gu | Gyeongsangnam-do Culture and Arts Center Grand Performance Hall Guri | June 7–8 | |
| 2020 | Charmy | 차미 | Oh Jin-hyuk | Chungmu Art Centre Middle Theatre Black | April 14 - July 5, 2020 | |
| 2020–2021 | Amadeus | 아마데우스 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Gwanglim Art Centre BBCH Hall | November 17, 2020 - February 28, 2021 | |

### Theater

Theater play performance :
| Year | Title | Title | Role | Theater | Date | Ref. |
| Year | English | Korean | Role | Theater | Date | Ref. |
| 2014 | B Adult Year | B성년 | Hallway | Hyehwa-dong Theater Experiment Room 1 | July 3–13, 2014 | |
| 2015 | Model Students | 모범생들 | Min-young/Myung-jun | Daehakno Free Theatre | May 8 – August 2 | |
| 2016 | Old Wicked Songs | 올드위키드송 | Stephen | Dongsung Art Centre Dongsung Hall | September 24 - October 23, 2016 | |
| 2016–2017 | Old Wicked Songs | 올드위키드송 | Stephen | Daehak-ro Dream Art Centre 1 | November 8 - January 22 | |
| 2017 | Model Students | 모범생들 | Myung-jun | Daehak-ro Dream Art Center 4 | June 4, 2017 - August 27, 2017 | |
| 2017 | Save the Earth | 지구를 지켜라 | Byeong-gu | Chungmu Art Center Middle Theater | August 10 - October 22, 2017 | |
| 2018 | The Miracle of Namiya General Store | 나미야 잡화점의 기적 | Kohei | Yes24 Stage 1 | August 21 to October 21 | |
| 2019 | Another Country | 어나더컨트리 | Debbienish | Interpark Uniplex | May 21 - August 18, 2019 | |
| 2019 | R&J | 알 앤 제이 | Student 2 | Lee Hae-rang Theater | June 28 - September 29 | |
| 2019 | The History Boys | 히스토리보이즈 | Daykin | Doosan Art Centre Yeongang Hall | September 20 - October 27, 2019 | |
| 2019 | The Legend of Georgia McBride | 조지아 맥브라이드의 전설 | Casey | Uniplex 2nd Theater | November 27, 2019 – February 23, 2020 | |
| 2020 | Another Country | 어나더컨트리 | Guy Bennett | Seogyeong University Performing Arts Centre SKON 1 | June 10 - August 23, 2020 | |
| 2021 | R&J | 알 앤 제이 | Student 2 | Lee Hae-rang Theater | February 5, 2021 - May 2, 2021 | |

## Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result | Ref. |
| APAN Star Awards | 2022 | Best New Actor | Military Prosecutor Doberman Insider | Nominated | |