
Kwak Do-won is a Korean musical actor who also played roles on the small and big screen. He played many notable roles in various production such as: “The Yellow Sea”, “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time”, “The Attorney”, “The Wailing”, and many more. Since his appearance in “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time”, Kwak Do-won got a lot more recognition from critics and the public. But his success also came with consequences when he was accused with sexual harassment and physical assault, although those charges were later proven wrong.
Kwak Do-won: Profile and Facts

Birth name | Kwak Byung-kyu |
---|---|
Stage name | Kwak Do-won |
Born | May 17, 1974 South Korea |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2003–present |
Agent | C-JeS Entertainment |
Height | 180cm |
Weight | 94kg |
Kwak Do-won’s Facts:
- He first worked under his birth name Kwak Byung-Kyu, and then switched to the stage name of Kwak Do-Won.
- His acting career began in 1999 on the stage, playing a soldier in King David.
- He has had a prolific career in movies, and had his first roll in a television drama on the KBS special “Discovery of the Speech: Good Years” in 2008.
- In 2012, Kwak Do Won received both the SBS Drama Awards: Special Acting Award, Actor in a Drama Special and the Korea Drama Awards: Excellence Award, Actor, for his portrayal of the hot-headed detective Kwan Hyuk Joo in Ghost.
- He revealed that he is a big fan of SNSD’s Taeyon in many of his TV appearances.
- He really wants to act with Taeyon, but since the latter doesn’t do acting, it makes Kwak Do-won sad. He sent Taeyon invitation to come to his movie premiere instead.
- In an interview, he said that he had to end his adoration toward Taeyon since the latter didn’t seem to return his feelings. He said that he even asked Taeyon for her number several times, but got no answer.
Who is Kwak Do-won’s Wife?

Kwak Do-won isn’t married yet. But he has had several relationships. The last one known to the public was his relationship with actress Jang So-yeon. In 2015, it was revealed that actors Kwak Do Won and Jang So Yeon were in a relationship. They met on the set of the movie “The Wailing”. Soon after, the two began dating.
The news outlet Sports Seoul even reported that the two actors were in a relationship and will soon be married. They reported that the couple were thinking of moving to Jeju Island after getting married, and were in the process of scouting for a home on the island.
Sadly, in 2017, the couple decided to end their relationship although it was already so close to marriage. Kwak Do Won’s agency, C-JeS Entertainment, confirmed that Kwak Do-won and Jang So-yeon broke up because of their busy schedules.
Kwak Do-won’s Sexual Harassment Issue

Earlier this year, Kwak Do-won was accused of sexual harassment and physical assault towards his fellow actress on set. Since more people were participating in the “Me Too” movement, and came forward about sexual harassment in the Korean entertainment industry, Kwak Do-won become one of the targets.
On February 25 2018, an anonymous person uploaded a post detailing their experience with the accused on an online community about plays and musicals. Kwak Do Won was involved in a #MeToo investigation for theater director Lee Youn Taek. Kwak Do Won has been accused of harassing members of the now disbanded Yeonhee Street Theatre Troupe, where Lee Youn Taek directed performances. Lee Yoon Taek, the artistic director of Yeonheedan, was also accused of sexual harassment and assault, as well as rape and forcing his victim to receive an abortion. The director recently admitted to all but the rape and forced abortion in a press conference.
According to OSEN, Kwak Do-won’s agency made a statement dismissing the accusations as groundless and untrue. A spokesperson for the agency remarked, “A post was uploaded online at around 2 a.m. this morning that made it seem as though Kwak Do Won habitually engaged in sexual harassment and physical assault. However, the post was deleted an hour later. The suspicions that Kwak Do Won engaged in sexual harassment and assault are actually unfounded.”
The spokesperson continued, “The post’s assertion that Kwak Do Won appeared in several plays after leaving the Yeonheedan theater company is different from the truth. He left Yeonheedan in 2007, after which he only appeared in one play, “King Lear”. The claims of the person who wrote the post do not match up with Kwak Do Won filmography.”
The anonymous post in question has since been deleted.
Kwak Do-won’s Movies, Television Dramas, and Awards

Kwak Do-won debuted as a musical actor in 2009. But for the time being, he is most known for his roles on the small and big screen. He’s been working since 2003, with a minor role in the movie “If You Were Me”. From then until now, Kwak Do-won has received many awards for his skills.
Here is the full list of Kwak Do-won’s movies, television dramas, and awards!
Movies
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | If You Were Me | Yeokdobu director | |
Ogu | Byung-gu | ||
2007 | The Obese Family | Son-in-law Kwok | short film |
Passionate People | Broadcasting PD | short film | |
2008 | The Good, the Bad, the Weird | Gangster at traditional market | |
2009 | The Great Player | Lee Dong-shik | short film |
Jin-Wie | Jin-wie | ||
Handphone | Lead detective | ||
Sisters on the Road | Truck driver 1 / Radio DJ (voice) | ||
Mother | Charcoal fire man | ||
Too Fragile to Be Loved | President Kim | short film | |
2010 | The Man From Nowhere | Detective Kim | |
Midnight FM | Reporter Jang | ||
Hero | PE teacher | ||
심장이 필요한 남자 | Detective Park | ||
The Yellow Sea | Prof. Kim Seung-hyun | ||
2011 | Head | Jung seonbae | |
Double Clutch | short film | ||
2012 | Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time | Jo Beom-seok | |
Love Fiction | Director Hwang | ||
The Fantastic Duo | Deok-gyu | short film | |
Ghost Sweepers | Monk Shim-in | ||
A Company Man | Kwon Jong-tae | ||
2013 | The Berlin File | Chung Wa-dae | |
An Ethics Lesson | Soo-taek | ||
The Great Player | short film | ||
The Attorney | Cha Dong-young | ||
2014 | Man in Love | Young-il | |
Mad Sad Bad | segment “Ghost” | ||
Tazza: The Hidden Card | Jang Dong-sik | ||
2015 | The Shameless | Moon Ki-beom | |
The Magician | Gwi-mol | ||
2016 | The Wailing | Jong-gu | |
Asura: The City of Madness | Kim Cha-in | ||
2017 | The Mayor | Shim Hyeok-soo | |
Steel Rain | Kwak Chul-woo | ||
2018 | The Package |
Television Dramas
Year | Title | Role | Network |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Discovery of the Speech: Good Years | KBS1 | |
2009 | Strange Stories and Legends: The Third Story |
Jung Yoon-seok | E Channel |
2010 | Mister M | Ha-na’s father | EBS |
2011 | My Mom Audrey | Ki-tae | EBS |
2012 | Phantom | Kwon Hyuk-joo | SBS |
2013 | Good Doctor | Kang Hyun-tae | KBS2 |
The Suspicious Housekeeper | Park Bok-nyeo’s late husband (cameo) | SBS |
Theater
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1999 | King David | Israel’s soldier |
2001 | Hamlet | |
Rural Scholar Jo Nam-myung | ||
2003 | Samyeong Daesa | Tokugawa Ieyasu |
Citizens of Seoul 1919 | ||
Deceived by Money, Despaired by Love | Kwang-ho byeonsa | |
이랑 나비되어 | Joo-ki | |
2004 | The Wandering Troupe | |
울 밑에선 봉선이야 | ||
King Lear | Edgar | |
2005 | Cain | Gwang-dae |
2006 | The Dummy Bride | Police substation head |
Beautiful Men | Kim Kyung-son | |
2007 | Edward Bond’s Lear | Tom, the Duke of North |
Awards and Nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | 21st Buil Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time | Nominated |
33rd Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||
5th Korea Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actor | Phantom | Won | |
20th SBS Drama Awards | Special Acting Award, Actor in a Drama Special | Won | ||
2014 | 9th Max Movie Awards | Best Supporting Actor | The Attorney | Won |
50th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Supporting Actor (Film) | Nominated | ||
23rd Buil Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Won | ||
34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Won | ||
51st Grand Bell Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||
35th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||
2016 | 25th Buil Film Awards | Best Actor | The Wailing | Nominated |
37th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
53rd Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
The Korea Film Actors Association | Korea’s Top Star | Won | ||
BloodGuts UK Horror Awards | Best Actor in an International Film | Won | ||
2017 | 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | Nominated | |
22nd Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
37th Golden Cinema Festival | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Won | ||
54th Grand Bell Awards | Best Supporting Actor | The Mayor | Nominated |