Song Kang
South Korean actor (born 1994)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Song Kang (Korean: 송강; born April 23, 1994) is a South Korean actor. He is known for starring in the dramas Love Alarm (2019–2021), Sweet Home (2020–2024), Nevertheless (2021), Forecasting Love and Weather (2022), and My Demon (2023–2024). He has been called the "Son of Netflix" because the majority of the series he has starred in were streamed on the platform.[2]
Song Kang | |
|---|---|
Song in November 2023 | |
| Born | April 23, 1994 Suwon, South Korea |
| Alma mater | Konkuk University (Department of Film Arts)[1] |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Agent | Namoo Actors |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 송강 |
| RR | Song Gang |
| MR | Song Kang |
| Signature | |
 | |
Career
2016–2018: Beginnings
Song first appeared under Namoo Actors in December 2016.[3]
Song made his acting debut with a supporting role in the 2017, romantic comedy television series The Liar and His Lover.[4] The same year, he was cast in the family drama Man in the Kitchen.[5] He also appeared in two music videos: "Sweet Summer Night" by acoustic duo The Ade and "Love Story" by Suran.[6][7]
Song hosted the SBS music program Inkigayo from February to October 2018 along with Seventeen member Mingyu and DIA member Jung Chae-yeon.[8] He also joined as a fixed cast member on the variety show Village Survival, the Eight.[9] For the two works, he was nominated for the "Rookie Award" at the 2018 SBS Entertainment Awards.[10] In July 2018, Song made his big-screen debut with the fantasy film Beautiful Vampire.[11]
2019–present: Rising popularity, leading roles, and military enlistment
In 2019, Song played the supporting role of Jung Kyung-ho's assistant in tvN fantasy melodrama When the Devil Calls Your Name.[12] He next starred in the Netflix original romantic series Love Alarm, based on the popular webtoon of the same name.[13] Song was cast in his first major role through auditions out of 900 people;[14] he played the role of a handsome high-school student who falls in love with a girl played by Kim So-hyun who was his best friend's secret crush.[15] Love Alarm was ranked as one of Netflix's top releases of the year and was renewed for a second season. His final appearance that year was in the music video of Vibe's "Call Me Back".[16]
Song was propelled to stardom in 2020 when he starred in apocalyptic horror Netflix original Sweet Home, based on the eponymous webtoon.[17] He went to auditions after Love Alarm's director recommended him to the director of Sweet Home, Lee Eung-bok.[17] His role was Cha Hyun-su, a suicidal high school boy who, along with a group of fellow apartment residents, tries to survive a "monsterization" apocalypse.[18] Critical responses of the series were mixed,[19] but gathered a wide international audience.[20] A month after the release of the series, Variety revealed that it had been viewed by 22 million member households of Netflix.[21] At the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards Song received a nomination for Best New Actor – Television.[22]
In 2021, Song reprised his role as Hwang Sun-oh in the second season of Love Alarm which was released on Netflix on March 12. He also appeared in the TVN series Navillera, adapted from the eponymous webtoon.[23] He played a ballet student who struggles due to unresolved issues about his father and tries to support himself by working as a part-timer. Song took ballet lessons for six months in order to portray his character.[24] Later the same year, Song starred in another webtoon adaptation, Nevertheless, JTBC's romance drama, alongside Han So-hee.[25]
In terms of viewership record, 2021 was considered a success for Song as Sweet Home, Love Alarm, and Nevertheless respectively ranked as fifth, sixth, and eighth most watched K-dramas in Netflix worldwide, respectively.[26]
In 2022, Song starred in another JTBC drama, Forecasting Love and Weather, alongside Park Min-young.[27] On March 4, 2022, In 2023, Song took on a role in the Netflix series My Demon, where he played the lead character alongside Kim You-jung.[28]
Personal life
Military service
On February 29, 2024, Namoo Actors announced that Song will enlist to fulfill his mandatory military service as an active duty soldier on April 2, 2024.[29] He was discharged on October 1, 2025.[30]
Endorsements
In 2020, Song was selected as brand ambassador for South Korean cosmetics brand Banila Co..[31] In 2021, Italian luxury fashion house Prada announced that Song was selected as a brand ambassador.[32][33][34] In 2022, he was also selected as the brand ambassador for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics in the Asia-Pacific region.[35][36] The same year, Song was named as Penshoppe's global ambassador.[37]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Beautiful Vampire | Lee So-nyeon | Web film | [11] |
| 2024 | Escape | Seon Woo-min | Cameo | [38] |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Liar and His Lover | Baek Jin-woo | [4] | |
| 2017–2018 | Man in the Kitchen | Kim Woo-joo | [5] | |
| 2019 | Touch Your Heart | Deliveryman | Cameo (Ep. 13) | [39] |
| When the Devil Calls Your Name | Luka | [12] | ||
| 2019–2021 | Love Alarm | Hwang Sun-oh | Season 1–2 | [13] |
| 2020–2024 | Sweet Home | Cha Hyun-soo | Season 1–3 | [18][40] |
| 2021 | Navillera | Lee Chae-rok | [23] | |
| Nevertheless | Park Jae-eon | [25] | ||
| 2022 | Forecasting Love and Weather | Lee Shi-woo | [27] | |
| 2023–2024 | My Demon | Jeong Gu-won | [28] | |
| 2026 | Four Hands | Kang Bi-o | [41] | |
| TBA | White Scandal | Dan Yi-hyuk | [42] |
Television shows
Web shows
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | I Oppa Don't Know | Cast Member | Studio Lulu Lala | [44] |
Music video appearances
Accolades
Awards and nominations
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee(s)/work(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Contents Awards | 2021 | Newcomer Actor | Navillera | Nominated | [45][46] |
| ACA Excellence Award | Sweet Home | Won | [47] | ||
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2021 | Best New Actor – Television | Nominated | [22] | |
| Brand Customer Loyalty Award | 2021 | Male actor – Rising Star | Song Kang | Won | [48] |
| Brand of the Year Awards | 2021 | Rising Star Actor | Nominated | ||
| SBS Drama Awards | 2023 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Romance/Comedy Drama | My Demon | Won | [49] |
| Best Couple Award | My Demon (with Kim You-jung) |
Won | [50] | ||
| SBS Entertainment Awards | 2018 | Male Rookie Award | Village Survival, the Eight, Inkigayo | Nominated | [10] |
| Seoul International Drama Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Korean Actor | Sweet Home | Nominated | [51][52] |
| Character of the Year | Won | [53] |
Honors
Listicles
Notes
- Established in 2019 and co-sponsored by Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korea Creative Content Agency, Seoul Metropolitan Council and the Seoul Tourism Organization, it awards cultural icons, businesses, and individuals who have contributed greatly to Hallyu, the Korean wave.
- mentioned together with Kim Seon-ho, Wi Ha-joon, Rowoon, Byeon Woo-seok, Lee Jun-young
