Kang Dong-won

Kang Dong-won (born 18 January 1981) is a South Korean actor.

Early life

Kang Dong-won was born in Busan to a privileged background. His father Kang Cheol-woo is the vice president of SPP Heavy Industries, ranked among the top ten shipping companies worldwide. Kang's family moved to Changwon when he was seven years old. Academically gifted since a young age with an IQ of 137, Kang was accepted at Hanyang University, one of the top universities in the country. He graduated with honors with a degree in Mechanical engineering.

Career

2003-2009: Debut and career breakthrough

In 2000 when Kang 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).

After being cast in the music video for Jo Sung-mo's "I Swear," the experience intrigued Kang that he decided to take some acting classes. Realizing that acting was what he had been looking for his entire life, the revelation meant a change of career. He quit modeling and 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 1% of Anything.