Kang Ha-neul (born Kim Ha-neul on February 21, 1990) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in television dramas ''
The Heirs
''The Heirs'' (Korean: ), also known as ''The Inheritors'', is a South Korean television series starring Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, and Kim Woo-bin. Written by Kim Eun-sook, the drama is set in a high school populated by the privileged and ub ...
'' (2013), ''
Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014)'', ''
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo'' (2016), ''
When the Camellia Blooms'' (2019), and ''
Insider
''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German pub ...
'' (2022) ; and the films ''
Mourning Grave'' (2014), ''
Twenty'' (2015), ''
Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet'' (2016), ''
New Trial
A new trial or retrial is a recurrence of a court case. A new trial may potentially be ordered for some or all of the matters at issue in the original trial. Depending upon the rules of the jurisdiction and the decision of the court that ordered ...
'' (2017), ''
Midnight Runners'' (2017), ''
Forgotten'' (2017), and ''
The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure'' (2022).
In 2020, Kang received the
Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actor – Television and ranked 23rd in
Forbes Korea Power Celebrity annual list.
Career
Kang began his career in
musical theatre, notably in ''
Thrill Me
''Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story'' is a musical theater, musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Stephen Dolginoff. It is based on the true story of Leopold and Loeb, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, the so-called "thrill killers" who murder ...
'' (2010), ''Prince Puzzle'' (2011),
''Black Mary Poppins'' (2012),
and ''
Assassins
An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder.
Assassin may also refer to:
Origin of term
* Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins
Animals and insects
* Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviid ...
'' (2012).
He later shifted to the screen, starring in the
television dramas ''
To the Beautiful You
''To the Beautiful You'' () is a 2012 South Korean television drama series starring Sulli, Choi Min-ho, and Lee Hyun-woo. It aired on SBS from 15 August to 4 October 2012 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 ( KST) for 16 episodes.
It is bas ...
'' (2012),
''
The Heirs
''The Heirs'' (Korean: ), also known as ''The Inheritors'', is a South Korean television series starring Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, and Kim Woo-bin. Written by Kim Eun-sook, the drama is set in a high school populated by the privileged and ub ...
'' (2013) and ''
Misaeng: Incomplete Life'' (2014).
2015 was a busy year for Kang as he appeared in three films;
musical film ''
C'est si bon'',
period film
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...
''
Empire of Lust
''Empire of Lust'' (; lit. "The Age of Innocence") is a 2015 South Korean period film starring Shin Ha-kyun, Jang Hyuk, Kang Han-na and Kang Ha-neul.
Plot
Kim Min-jae (Shin Ha-kyun), is a brilliant general who's distinguished himself by protec ...
'',
and
coming-of-age film
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
''
Twenty'',
for which he managed to clinch several Best New Actor awards and nominations.

In 2016, Kang starred in the
black and white
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
biographical period film
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...
''
Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet'', where he played the titular role of poet
Yun Dong-ju.
His role as Yun Dong-ju earned him Best Actor nominations at the
25th Buil Film Awards and
4th Wildflower Film Awards. He also appeared in the
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...
film ''
Like for Likes
''Like for Likes'' ( Korean: 좋아해줘) is a 2016 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Park Hyun-jin. It was released in South Korea on February 17, 2016, by CJ Entertainment.
Plot
The movie follows three couples relying on social m ...
'', playing a young songwriter who suffers a hearing disability.
The same year, he co-starred in the
historical drama
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...
''
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo'', playing the role of
8th Prince Wang Wook,
which earned him an Excellence Award at the
2016 SBS Drama Awards.
In 2017, Kang starred in the film
''New Trial'', acting as a young man who spent a decade in prison after an abusive investigation for a crime he did not commit.
He then starred alongside
Park Seo-joon
Park Seo-joon (born Park Yong-kyu; December 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his starring roles in the television series ''Kill Me, Heal Me'' (2015), ''She Was Pretty'' (2015), '' Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth'' (2016� ...
in the
action comedy
Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre.
Film
The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of act ...
film ''
Midnight Runners'', playing a nerdy student of the
Korean National Police University.
The film was a success, becoming the
4th highest-grossing South Korean film in 2017. In the same year, he also appeared in
mystery thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
film ''
Forgotten'' alongside
Kim Mu-yeol
Kim Mu-yeol (born May 22, 1982) is a South Korean actor. Following a successful career in musical theatre, Kim was first cast in minor parts on film and television. But after getting good reviews in his supporting roles in '' The Scam'' (2009) an ...
.
In September 2018, Kang co-starred with fellow actor
Ji Chang-wook and
K-Pop
K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, g ...
idol
Kim Sung-kyu
Kim Sung-kyu (born April 28, 1989), referred to as Sunggyu or Sungkyu, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is the leader and main vocalist of South Korean boy band Infinite.
In November 2012, Kim began his solo career with his first extend ...
from
Infinite
Infinite may refer to:
Mathematics
*Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set
*Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit
Music
*Infinite (group)
Infinite ( ko, 인피니트; stylized as INFINITE) is a South Ko ...
in military musical ''Shinheung Military Academy''. The musical is regarded as one of the largest productions of the
Republic of Korea Army
The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國 陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...
, with cumulative audiences recorded totaling to 110,000 viewers. Kang's performance as Paldo has earned him a nomination for Best Actor at the 7th Yegreen Musical Awards.
In 2019, Kang made a comeback in the entertainment industry in the KBS2 TV series ''
When the Camellia Blooms'' alongside
Gong Hyo-jin. The drama achieved impressive ratings, and was the highest-rated miniseries in 2019. It also led to numerous accolades and critical acclaim for Kang, including the
Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actor – Television.
In November 2019, Kang's contract with SEM Company, his agency since 2010 expired and he joined his former manager in the newly established entertainment agency, TH Company. In January 2020, Kang returned to theater in ''Fantasy Tale'', which marked his comeback performance after ''Harold and Maude'' in 2015.
In 2021, Kang made his comeback to the silver screen with ''
Waiting for Rain'', playing the role of Young Ho, a man who lives his life aimlessly while exchanging letters with his lover. The same year he was confirmed to star in the mystery thriller film ''Streaming'' in which Kang's character runs a popular
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
channel based on criminal profiling. The story follows him live streaming as he solves a murder case.
In 2022, Kang starred in the period adventure film ''
The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure'', a sequel to the blockbuster hit ''
The Pirates''. Later the same year, he starred in the
JTBC
JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTBC ...
series ''
Insider
''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German pub ...
'', playing a judicial trainee who goes undercover in prison to catch a gang leader.
Personal life
Kang began his
mandatory military service
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...
on September 11, 2017, at Nonsan Korean Army Training Center. The completion ceremony took place on October 24 wherein Kang was recognized for his exemplary performance during basic training. On February 22, 2019, Kang was appointed as honorary ambassador of the Military Manpower Administration (MMA). The ceremony took place at the Air Force Hall in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. As an honorary ambassador, Kang participated in events organized by the MMA until December 2019. Kang was discharged on May 23, 2019.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Television show
Web show
Music video appearances
Stage
Discography
Awards and nominations
State honors
Listicles
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kang, Ha-neul
21st-century South Korean male actors
South Korean male musical theatre actors
South Korean male stage actors
South Korean male television actors
South Korean male film actors
Chung-Ang University alumni
Living people
1990 births
Male actors from Busan