Even though he only made his debut in 2017, Song Kang has found his way into the hearts of K-drama fans all over the world. He has even been dubbed the “Son of Netflix” by the Korean media, having gotten his big breakthrough playing lead roles on the popular streaming platform’s dramas.
platform’s dramas.
Here are 22 facts about the young actor to accompany you as you binge-watch the freshly released Sweet Home Season 2.
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Song Kang was born in Suwon, South Korea on 23 April 1994. Song Kang is his real name. His family includes his parents and a younger brother born in 1998.
He told Cosmopolitan Korea in an interview that, growing up, he wanted to be an architect or furniture designer after seeing “cool pictures” of the occupations. Luckily for fans of his dramas, he eventually gave up on the dream as he had “no idea where [he] needed to start”.
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If you needed another reason to love the acclaimed movie, Song Kang has shared that he was first inspired to act after watching Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic (1997).
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Aside from LDC, the star’s list of acting role models also includes Hospital Playlist’s Jung Kyung Ho. The pair were co-stars in When the Devil Calls Your Name (2019). More recently, he expressed his admiration for English actor Tom Hardy after watching him in the movie Legend (2015).
Unsurprisingly, given Song Kang’s good looks and tall height of 1.86m, he was asked to be an idol (a term commonly used to refer to K-pop singers, especially those in groups) before his acting debut.
However, he rejected the offers as he wanted to focus on studying to become an actor.
Image courtesy of Netflix
Song Kang made his debut playing the supporting role of Baek Jin Woo in the romantic comedy The Liar and His Lover (2017).
His character is the childhood friend and bandmate of protagonist So Rim (played by Red Velvet’s Joy), and has a crush on her.
Four years on, Song Kang has been elevated to top billing status, with 2 leading roles under his belt and a third one on the way.
Song Kang (extreme right) interviewing BTS during an episode of Inkigayo alongside co-hosts
Mingyu from Seventeen and Jung Chae Yeon from I.O.I
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Song Kang co-emceed Korean broadcasting network SBS’ music chart show, Inkigayo, from 19 February to 28 October 2018.
During his time as the MC for the show, he met many idol groups, one of them being BTS. He shared in an interview with SPOTV News that his “heart especially fluttered” when he met BTS and that he “fell in love with their stage”.
We feel you, Song Kang.
Fun fact: Both Song Kang and Jin attended Konkuk University’s Department of Film Arts. This makes Jin Song Kang’s sunbae (“school senior” in Korean).
The actor even had an encounter with Jin in the school’s hallway and remarked to his friend how handsome the singer was. Jin biases, don’t be too envious!
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While he primarily acts, Song Kang doesn’t need a script to show off his charisma. In addition to hosting Inkigayo, he was also a cast member on both seasons of SBS’ variety show Village Survival, the Eight. BLACKPINK’s Jennie Kim also appeared in its first season. During the show, Song Kang demonstrated his wit by captivating viewers with his goofy answers during their speed quiz segments.
For his work on Inkigayo and Village Survival, Song Kang was nominated as Best Male Rookie during the 2018 SBS Entertainment Awards.
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Song Kang was catapulted to fame when he scored a leading role in Netflix’s Love Alarm in 2019. He plays Hwang Sun Oh, a former model who competes with his best friend, Lee Hye Young (Jung Ga Rum), for the affection of Kim Jo Jo (Kim So Hyun).
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His leading-man status was cemented when he was cast in Netflix’s horror thriller, Sweet Home, a year later. Song Kang plays Cha Hyun Soo, a teenage loner who develops supernatural powers as the world begins to be overrun by monsters.
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Love Alarm, Sweet Home, and Navillera happen to be based on webtoons, an online comic format popular in South Korea.
Image courtesy of Netflix
In a press conference for Love Alarm Season 2, Song Kang shared that he would not download an app like the one seen in the series. He believes that while the app adds “convenience” as we wouldn’t need to express our feelings if we have it, he thinks that confessing your love in your own words is “more true for [him]”.
Love Alarm fans can even try the app out for themselves in order to make their viewing experience truly immersive. Unfortunately the real-life app on the Google Play store is only available for Android users in Korea.
After watching Song Kang play Sun Oh so convincingly in Love Alarm, it’s hard to believe that anybody else could have taken on the part. However, Song Kang had to face immense competition from around 900 applicants to land the role. Love Alarm’s director, Lee Na Jung shared with Hype Malaysia that it was Song Kang’s “innocent and sentimental aura” that won her over.
As a testament to the actor’s talent, Lee Na Jung recommended Sweet Home’s director, Lee Eung Bok, to bring in Song Kang for an audition.
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With a hefty budget of ₩30 billion (~S$35 million), Sweet Home Season 1 was one of Netflix’s most expensive K-drama productions.
Song Kang had no idea about the show’s huge price tag when he was first cast in Sweet Home. He said in an interview with Sports Chosun that “he suddenly felt a lot of pressure” and thought about how he could “better lead the show”.
His efforts certainly paid off. Sweet Home was well received globally. The horror thriller hit Netflix’s Top 10 list in multiple countries including the U.S., an unusual feat for a Korean production.
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If you have watched 18 Again (2020) on Netflix, then you will be familiar with Lee Do Hyun. In Sweet Home, he plays Lee Eun Hyuk, a medical student who becomes the leader of the Green Home residences survivors.
Song Kang and Do Hyun have a lot in common. Both actors are around the same age (Do Hyun is just 1 year younger) and both made their acting debut in 2017. This might be why they get along swimmingly.
Song Kang was full of compliments for his Sweet Home co-star during his interview with Sports Chosun. He feels that as actors, they have a “good and strong connection”. Song Kang has also expressed his desire to work with Do Hyun again, wishing to portray close friends that work together as partners. This is contrary to their relationship in Sweet Home where their characters make use of each other.
Sweet Home might be a horror series, but Song Kang himself has no stomach for the genre. He revealed in an interview with ELLE Korea that he has never finished a single horror movie, as he thinks doing so will make him scared when leaving sets late at night. Similarly, he had to try to read the Sweet Home webtoon in the day to prepare for filming to avoid getting scared.
One look at the hunk’s sculpted figure and you can already tell athleticism runs in his blood. Song Kang enjoys working out, opting to go to the gym for a run on the treadmill whenever he feels upset. He also begins each day with stretches on a yoga mat in the morning.
At his heaviest, the actor packed so much muscle that he weighed 78kg. He was even too fit to portray his role in Sweet Home accurately and had to lose his bulk so that he could shed his weight to 65kg.
Song Kang is not the only one in his family who leads an active lifestyle. His father used to be a gymnast, and his grandfather currently does wrestling. The men in the Song family are truly absolute fitspos.
Brains and brawn join hands when it comes to Song Kang. The actor has been very open about his love for reading. He enjoys reading mystery novels as a form of relaxation to help him sleep as the stories enable him to get his mind off things.
His love for reading also extends to his craft. While others would improve their acting skills through watching movies and television, Song Kang prefers to do so through books. By reading novels, he is able to use his imagination to interpret the writing, something that he feels makes him more expressive.
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At this point, you might wonder if there is anything Song Kang can’t do (other than watching horror movies, of course). The answer is: very little.
The actor has dabbled in many activities. These include Kendo (a Japanese martial art) and playing the piano. He has also expressed interest in mountain climbing. And, as if all that wasn’t enough, Song Kang even picked up ballet for his drama, Navillera.
Despite his many talents, the handsome oppa still gets the jitters when it comes to love. In a promotional interview for Love Alarm on The Swoon, Song Kang revealed that he had a crush that lasted for 2 to 3 months in high school. The crush never amounted to anything as he was unable to ask her out. In the same video, he also shared that once, he had to get drunk in order to confess to a girl.
Ironically, the man who gets sheepish when it comes to confessions more than welcomes public proposals (as long as he’s on the receiving end).
Song Kang’s ideal confession from a girl is a public declaration of love surrounded by a large crowd with 100 roses. The actor also believes in love at first sight and his ideal type is someone with a warm and kind first impression.
Ladies, it seems like the way to Song Kang’s heart is to be brave, outgoing and to make the first move.
Song Kang has a history of dating older women. When describing a drunk dial he made to his then girlfriend on Village Survival, the Eight, he used the term noona (used by guys when casually referring to an older woman).
In addition, during a speed round Q&A with content production company, Studio Lululala (owned by broadcasting network JTBC), he answered that he prefers an older woman over a younger one.
Currently, Song Kang is not married and his ex-girlfriends and former relationships are unknown.
Like most Korean celebrities, Song Kang has a keen sense of fashion and his own personal style. Speaking to W Korea, he commented that he usually opts for something simple and nothing too “dazzling”.
He also cited Park Seo Joon’s Itaewon Class character Park Sae Ro Yi’s overfit style as his fashion inspiration.
Image courtesy of Netflix
In Navillera, Song Kang stars as 23-year-old ballet dancer, Lee Chae Rok. Chae Rok is about to give up on ballet until he meets 70-year-old Shim Deok Chul, a retired mailman who wishes to fulfil his lifelong dream of becoming a ballet dancer. The 2 form an unlikely friendship as they motivate each other to pursue their dreams.
Also starring in the show are Hong Seung Hee and veteran actors, Park In Hwan and Na Moon Hee.
You can view the trailer for Navillera here.
On 16 November 2023, three years after Sweet Home Season 1 was aired, Netflix announced the return of the drama starring Song Kang and the OG cast once again. Available on Netflix on 1 December 2023, more adrenaline-inducing episodes of the apocalyptic horror series are now read for fans to binge-watch.
You can view the trailer for Sweet Home 2 here.
With his drop-dead good looks and impressive acting talent from Love Alarm to Nevertheless to Forecasting Love and Weather, Song Kang is definitely one of Korea’s up-and-coming actors to watch out for. Make sure to catch all of the versatile actor’s new works and follow his Instagram account.
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This article was first published on 18 March 2021 and last updated on 19 November 2023.
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