Kim Seon-ho

Kim Seon-ho (Korean: 김선호, IPA: [kim ˈsʰɘ(ː)nβo̞]; born May 8, 1986) is a South Korean actor. He made his acting debut in theater in 2009 before making his screen debut with a small role in the television series Good Manager in 2017. He rose to prominence for his supporting role in the drama Start-Up (2020) and gained further recognition for the series Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021). He was Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2021, and made his film debut in the noir film The Childe (2023).
Kim Seon-ho was born in Seongbuk District, Seoul, South Korea on May 8, 1986 and grew up as an only child in Bongcheon-dong, a neighborhood in Seoul. He describes himself as introverted and insecure during his childhood and teenage years, which he attributes to a traumatic incident in his childhood. During a home robbery, his mother was stabbed with a knife, and Kim narrowly escaped the attack by hiding under his bed. He slowly overcame this trauma through acting after enrolling in an acting academy during his third year of high school.
After finishing high school, Kim studied at the Seoul Institute of the Arts where he received a degree from the Department of Broadcasting and Entertainment. During his studies, he joined his campus theater club Theatrical Art Research Society [ko]. In the theater club, Kim started to act in plays such as My Town, The Seagull, and Chunpung's Wife.
Kim went for his mandatory military enlistment in 2007, before making his debut as an actor. He served as an assistant instructor at Nonsan Army Training Center and later switched to working as a public service worker. His time in the military broadened his worldview.
Kim first professional stage role was in the open-run production of New Boeing Boeing (an adaptation of the French play of the same name) in 2009, which he reprised in 2013. In 2012, Kim acted the role Dr. Watson to Korean production of William Gillette's play Sherlock Holmes.
In 2013, Kim auditioned for a play after graduating from college, drawing on his stage experience while attending Seoul Institute of the Arts. At the end of 2013, Kim took on the main lead role in play Words I Couldn't Say for 7 Years, written and directed by Park Jung-in, at Daehakro Moonlight Theater. In March 2014, Kim reprised his role at the Figaro Art Hall in Jung-gu, Ulsan. In the autumn of 2014, Kim was triple-cast in season 10 of Aligator Theater Company's Rooftop House Cat, winning the role of protagonist Lee Kyung-min after overcoming a 200-to-1 competition ratio in an open audition. He was then recast for seasons 11 and 12. In 2015, he was also cast in the title role of the Aligator Theater Company's play Purpose of Love. Both plays are popular romantic comedies in Daehangno (comparable to Off-Broadway).
Later, he expanded his repertoire with darker roles in limited-run plays produced by Aligator Theater Company. In 2015, Kim auditioned for Austin role in Korean revival of Sam Shepard's True West, directed by Oh Man-seok. He was triple-cast as Austin with Lee Hyun-wook and Moon Sung-il. They alternately acted opposite Jeon Seok-ho, Kim Jun-won, and Lee Dae-il, who played Austin older brother Lee. According to Interpark, the play ranked first for theater ticket sales at the same time as ticket sales was opened. It was performed at the University Road A Art Hall from August 13 to November 1. Also in 2015, he played Valentin in Korean stage adaptation of Manuel Puig's play Kiss of the Spider Woman at the Art One Theater, Seoul. Kim found minor success and earned the nickname "theater idol".
In 2016, Kim auditioned for multiple roles in Theater Ganda's production of John Cariani's Almost, Maine and was cast after overcoming a 200-to-1 competition ratio, performing as part of the second team from April 2012. He also participated in two back-to-back plays with Aligator Theater Company, reprising his role as Austin in a Korean encore of Sam Shepard's play True West Return. Then, he appeared in the revival of Patrick Marber's Closer, directed by Roh Deok, alongside Bae Seong-woo, Seo Hyun-woo, Kim So-jin, and Park So-dam, earning critical acclaim for his onstage energy. In November, he joined Park Dong-wook's play Voice of Millenium, produced by Space to Create and directed by Park Seon-hee.
Kim made his screen debut at the beginning of 2017 in the KBS2 office drama Good Manager, after auditioning at the suggestion of producer Lee Eun-jin [ko] who watched his performance in the play Closer. Kim's next project Strongest Deliveryman, for which he initially auditioned for a supporting role, marked his first appearance in a main role onscreen. Both roles earned him nomination for Best New Actor Award at the 2017 KBS Drama Awards. Later in 2017, Kim starred opposite Jo Jung-suk and Lee Hye-ri in MBC action comedy Two Cops as a sly conman. He originally auditioned for a supporting role, however the director upgraded him to second lead. For his performance, Kim earned two awards at the 2017 MBC Drama Awards. While the drama was still airing, he reprised his role onstage as Valentin in encore performance of Kiss of the Spider Woman.
In 2018, Kim portrayed the lead role of a painter in the drama special You Drive Me Crazy, which aired for four episodes in May. In April of the same year, he also starred in the historical drama 100 Days My Prince, as Jung Jae-yoon, a genius yangban with a lower status as the illegitimate son of a concubine. His character also suffered from prosopagnosia. This marked his first historical and preproduction drama, and the series became one of the highest-rated series in Korean cable television history. In September that year, Kim joined S.A.L.T. Entertainment [ko] after the termination of his contract with Aligator Theater Company.
In March 2019 Kim played an aspiring singer in the JTBC comedy series Welcome to Waikiki 2. He joined the new cast members Shin Hyun-soo, Ahn So-hee, Moon Ga-young, and Kim Ye-won. Additionally, Lee Yi-kyung from the season 1 also joined the second season. Later in October 2019, Kim starred in the tvN investigative crime drama Catch the Ghost opposite veteran actress Moon Geun-young. This marked his second leading role in a full-length series following Welcome to Waikiki 2. On November 5, 2019, Kim joined the cast of the fourth season of the KBS2 reality show 2 Days & 1 Night; and received the Rookie Award at the 2020 KBS Entertainment Awards for his work on the show. In his final project of 2019, Kim appeared in the play Memory in dream [sic]. Kim performed a total of 33 shows, attracting approximately 4,700 theater audiences.
Kim returned to the small screen in October 2020 through the tvN drama Start-Up. Kim's portrayal of Han Ji-pyeong, a start-up investor with a tragic past, was well received by viewers. During the airing of Start-Up, Kim topped the monthly brand reputation ranking index by the Korean Business Research Institute and experienced a surge in popularity domestically and internationally. He received critical acclaim and won 2021 Baeksang Arts Award for Most Popular Actor and nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Television. Han Ji-pyeong was also selected as one of the 2021 Seoul Drama Awards' character of the year. Han Ji-pyeong also praised for challenging stereotypes about aging out youth. The Beautiful Foundation expressed their appreciation by sending a personal letter and gift to Kim. In 2022, Han Ji-pyeong was awarded 2nd place in the foundation's Eighteen Adults Award, which honors the best aging-out youth character in Korean drama.
He made his comeback to theatre, in January 2021 in Jang Jin's two-hander play Ice, in which he played a detective trying to inculpate a young man in a murder case. The play performed at S Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. It was reported that at the same time as the ticket opening date, all of Kim's appearances were sold out. Kim collaborated with Epitone Project [ko] to release the single "Reason" on May 8, 2021, which he sang and co-wrote, having previously appeared in the latter's music video. It was a surprise gift for Kim prepared for his fans, expressing his feelings through the lyric and music video. On May 16, 2021, Kim reprised his role as Detective Lee Jong-ryeol, opposite veteran actor Jung Woong-in, in special encore play Ice, as second performance of "2021 Play Ten Thousand Won Series", at Seongnam Arts Center.
In August 2021, he starred in the tvN drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha alongside Shin Min-a, where he played an officially unemployed but all-around handyman in a seaside village of Gongjin. Aired on tvN and Netflix, the series was both a domestic and international hit with audience ratings peaking at 13.322% and went on to become one of the highest-rated television series in Korean cable television history. In September 2021, during Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha's airing, Kim once again topped Korean Business Research Institute's brand reputation ranking index. According to Good Data Corporation, Kim topped actor category in TV Topicality from 3rd week of August to the 4th week of September, from 1st to 2nd week of October, and ranked second in the 5th week of September 2021. The series garnered positive reviews from critiques.
In December 2021, he ranked first place in Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year. He also started to film his first debut feature film, directed by Park Hoon-jung, The Childe. The first script reading was held on December 3, 2021 and principal photography began on December 10, 2021. Kim departed for Thailand on March 31, 2022, for the shooting of the film. Kim was announced to make a comeback to the theater in May 2022, participating in the third installment of The 9th Best Plays Festival, Touching the Void by David Greig. It is based on the true story of the survival of two British mountain climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates. Kim was triple casts with Shin Sung-min and Lee Hwi-jong in the role of Joe Simpson. The Korean premiere, directed by Kim Dong-yeon, was performed at Art One Theater 2 in Daehangno from July 8 to September 18, 2022. According to reports from Interpark, tickets for Kim's performances in the 250-seat theater were completely sold out. For his performance, Kim received a nomination for Best Actor in a play at Interpark Golden Ticket Awards [ko] in April 2023. Later, Kim donated the full amount of his theater fee to a disaster relief organization.
Acemaker Movieworks, a film distributor, announced in January 2023 that the principal photography of neo-noir action film Tyrant had begun on January 2. This marks the second collaboration of Kim with Director Park Hoon-jung and actor Kim Kang-woo, and his first with actor Cha Seung-won. In June 2023, Kim made a return to small screen acting by starring in a new series tentatively titled "Mangnaein" (translated literally as "In the Net"), directed by renowned director Kim Jee-woon and Park Bo-ram. The series had concluded its script reading and was scheduled to finish filming by the end of June. The series is an adaptation of the crime novel 'Second Sister' by Hong Kong writer Chan Ho Kei. Yong Film is producing the series in collaboration with Anthology Studio and SK Global Entertainment.
Within the same month, the film The Childe was released theatrically in South Korea on June 21, 2023, as well as in Indonesia and Taiwan. Kim's portrayal of the nobleman in his debut film earned critical acclaim, leading to his win of the New Actor Award at the Buil Film Awards and the 59th Grand Bell Awards respectively. In December 2023, Kim was nominated in the New Actor Award category and also received the Chung Chung Won Popular Star Award at the 44th Blue Dragon Film Awards, alongside actors Zo In-sung, Song Joong-ki, and Park Bo-young. He also earned nominations in the Most Popular Actor and Best New Actor categories at the subsequent year 60th Baeksang Arts Awards.
Kim reprised his role to in the play Realise Happiness. On October 20, 2023, Content Haap revealed that Kim, Lee Dong-ha [ko], and Ahn Woo-yeon, were triple-cast as Kim Woo-jin, an aspiring photographer. Kim previously played Eden in the original version of the play, titled Memory in dream [sic], before it was localized to Korean. The cast also featured Kim Seul-gi and Kim Na-young as Lee Eun-soo; Im Chul-soo, Lee Si-hyung [ko], and Choi Jeong-heon as Jeong Ji-yong; as well as Lee Ji-hae, and Oh Se-mi as Seo Tae-young. It was performed from December 5, 2023 to February 18, 2024. Kim's episodes were sold out, highlighting his box-office appeal.
On February 19, 2024, The Tyrant starring Kim was unveiled as Disney+ 2024 lineup for release in the second half of 2024. The Tyrant was originally planned for a theatrical release but was later re-edited into a four-part series. On February 26, 2024, R&D Company (D-Label) announced Daesung's single "Falling Slowly" set for release in March. Kim and Moon Ga-young starred in the music video directed by Hong Jong-chan, with teaser images of the actors shared on Daesung's social media.
On February 28, 2024, S.A.L.T. announced that Kim would be a guest on Season 2 of the Mukbo Bro [ko]. Before the announcement, Kim and the show's team and crews were seen in Thailand. The show, hosted by Kim Jun-hyun and Moon Se-yoon, is a collaboration between E Channel [ko] and SBS Plus and premiered on March 25. Kim appeared in the first four episodes of the show, where they explored Chiang Mai and Chiang Dao, indulging in local cuisine, visiting night markets, and trying on traditional Thai attire while touring the palace. The next day, they met Sangduen "Lek" Chailert [simple] co-founder of the Elephant Nature Park, and had the chance to interact with elephants. On their final day, Kim and Kim Jun-hyun had lunch with Thai celebrities Mawin Thaweephon [th] and Piyawadee Maleenont [th].
On April 12, Kim surprised fans by appearing at The Childe's Japan premiere, joining Korean culture journalist Masayuki Furuya [jp] for a stage greeting attended by around 600 people. Additionally, an exhibition featuring Kim's film costumes was held at Marunouchi Piccadilly in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and Namba Parks Cinema in Osaka from April 12 to coincide with the film's theatrical release. On April 30, S.A.L.T. announced that Kim would release his new song "Miracle". The lyrics, expressing gratitude to fans, were co-written by Kim and lyricist Kim Ji-hyang, with composition by Seo Jeong-jin [ko], Gold Doo-hyun [ko], and Keeproots [ko]. Kim surprised fans by performing "Miracle" during his "2024 Kim Seon-ho Asia Tour Color+Full" in Bangkok, Thailand on February 3, 2024, and the song received positive responses during performances in Tokyo, Osaka, and Manila in April. In June 2024, Kim was confirmed as the male lead in Can This Love Be Translated? alongside Go Youn-jung. Directed by Yoo Young-eun and written by Hong sisters, the series is set to premiere on Netflix in 2025. Filming started from June 2024. Kim went to Japan for filming on June 24, 2024 and returning to Korea on July 10.
On August 9, Kim participated in promotional activities for The Tyrant, at Megabox COEX. After the screening, a GV with the main cast of the series, including Kim, Cha Seung-won, Kim Kang-woo, and Jo Yoon-su, took place. Additionally, the 'Tyrant Sample Chasing Competition' fan event was held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas on the same day.
In September, 2024, Kim went to Canada for the filming of Can This Love Be Translated? Shooting locations for the series included Calgary, Canmore, Banff, and Lake Louise. In a November 23, Kim departed to Rome, Italy. Local media reported that Kim was filming at historic center of Siena such as Piazza del Campo, Teatro dei Rozzi, Torre del Mangia, Loggia dei Nove, and Contrada della Torre. Filming also took place on December2, 3 and 4. The next filming locations were in the historic center of Perugia, such as Piazza Italia and Via Alessi, on December 5, 6, and 9. In February 2025, Kim became a free agent and the following month signed an exclusive contract with agency Fantagio.
On October 17, 2021, a user who identified herself as the ex-girlfriend of "Actor K" (later revealed to be Kim) made allegations on a Korean internet forum that the actor had coerced her into getting an abortion while the two were dating. On October 20, 2021, in light of his ex-girlfriend's claims, Kim issued a public apology through his agency. As reports of the ex-girlfriend's claims spread, multiple advertisers halted campaigns that featured Kim, which according to Korea's Daily included popular international brands such as an American pizza restaurant chain and a Japanese camera brand. Kim stepped down from the permanent cast of the KBS variety show 2 Days & 1 Night, and subsequently withdrew from film projects Dog Days and Pretty Crazy.
On October 20, 2021, Kim's ex-girlfriend issued a new statement revealing that Kim had apologised to her personally; she also stated that there had been misunderstandings between them and expressed remorse at causing unintentional damage. On October 26, 2021, a South Korean media outlet published evidence challenging the accusations of Kim's ex-girlfriend, citing sources from close acquaintances of both parties; the report concluded that the decision to abort was mutual, that Kim had been supportive throughout the process, and that the pair had broken up the following year due to questionable circumstances involving the ex-girlfriend. Following the new reports, seven companies resumed advertisements featuring Kim, despite boycotts. The production team of the film The Childe also announced their decision to retain Kim as a main cast member.
Following his rise in popularity in 2020, Kim has been chosen as the face of various brands in South Korea and Southeast Asia. His endorsements have included clothing, electronics, cosmetics, food, e-commerce and more. Some of the brands endorsed by Kim achieved record sales in 2021; this has been labelled "The Kim Seon-Ho Effect", attributed to his rapid rise in popularity both in South Korea and internationally.
In May 2021, Kim appeared in a special video for the "2021 P4G Seoul Summit," which was South Korea's first environmental multilateral summit. In the video, he introduced a solar panel support project in Africa initiated by a venture company. The video was released on Naver TV, KakaoTV and YouTube Channel of Korea Blue House.
In fall 2022, Kim Seon-ho participated in a fan signing event for the Miima Mask brand, held on November 12 in Gangnam. Fans applied online in October, with 100 winners selected to attend. In April 2023, he became the exclusive model for Ballop's "Always with Me" campaign. The following month, he signed with Thai kombucha brand Teacha, hosting a special event in Bangkok on May 5 to meet the press and fans. Later that month, Kim was appointed as a global ambassador for Philippine fashion brand Bench, participating in a July 22 event that attracted over 6,000 fans. The clothing he wore were sold out, and his related contents became a trending topic on social media platforms.
In February 2024, NutriAsia's UFC announced a new line of Korean-inspired meal mixes with Kim as the endorser. He also collaborated with UFC for his "Color+Full" Asia Tour in Manila on April 13. In May 2024, he became the first brand presenter for Thai skincare brand Dr. Pong, attending a meet-and-greet event in Bangkok on September 8. By fall 2024, Kim was appointed ambassador for the SC Johnson Malaysia and Philippines. He became ambassador for Mr. Muscle campaign in both countries, as well as for Duck Thailand, inviting customers to participate in a contest for a trip to South Korea.
In June 2018, Kim participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge, a fundraising campaign by ALS Association to develop treatments for ALS patients. On January 27, 2021, Kim's agency S.A.L.T. Entertainment [ko] confirmed that he donated ₩100 million to the Korea Childhood Leukemia Foundation (KCLF). In September 2021, Kim partnered with Marco Rojo for the "Happy Bean Special Funding Project," raising funds for improved residential conditions for the elderly. Just three days after its launch on September 3, the fundraising exceeded ₩100 million, surpassing the target by 3600%. In February 2022, it was reported that Kim donated ₩50 million to the KCLF in mid-December 2012, initially keeping the donation undisclosed at his request.
In September 2022, through the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association, Kim donated the full amount of his theater fee from play Touching the Void to help the victims of Typhoon Hinnamnor. In December 2022, Kim Seon-ho hosted the "2022 Kim Seon-ho Fan Meeting: One, Two, Three, Smile" at Daeyang Hall, Sejong University in Seoul on December 10 and 11. The Korean Red Cross announced that Kim donated ₩100 million from the event's proceeds to support aging out youth. This donation was made on May 8, 2023, coinciding with Kim's birthday and World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, and was allocated based on a vote among his fans. The funds assisted 146 aging out youth with daily necessities, learning devices, exam fees, medical expenses, improvements to their living environment, and a healing camp program.
Kim completed the "2023 Kim Seon-ho Asia Tour: One, Two, Three, Smile," meeting over 40,000 international fans from February to September, 2023 in cities including Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taipei, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. On May 8, 2024, the Korean Red Cross announced that Kim donated ₩100 million from the tour's proceeds to help aging out youth, to provide practical assistance for their self-reliance preparations. In November, Kim also donated his personal belongings for the 2024 Anseong Pyeonggang Princess Shelter Benefit Bazaar.