1. Kim Soo-hyun has been featured by Forbes in their Power Celebrity 40 and 30 Under 30 Asia lists.
70 Facts About Kim Soo-hyun
1. 2.
Kim Soo-hyun was selected as Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2014.
3.
Kim Soo-hyun went on to establish himself with starring roles in the television dramas Dream High, Moon Embracing the Sun, as well as in the top-grossing films The Thieves and Secretly, Greatly.
4.
Kim Soo-hyun became a top hallyu star as he gained further success with the fantasy series My Love from the Star, and the variety drama The Producers, which earned him several accolades.
5.
Kim Soo-hyun enlisted to complete his mandatory military service in October 2017, and marked his return to acting with the romantic comedy It's Okay to Not Be Okay.
6.
In March 2025, Kim Soo-hyun faced grooming allegations involving late actress Kim Soo-hyun Sae-ron, whom he later admitted to have dated, leading to widespread public and industry backlash.
7.
Kim Soo-hyun was born on February 16,1988, in Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea.
8.
Kim Soo-hyun's parents separated during his early childhood and as such considered himself an only son raised by a single mother.
9.
Kim Soo-hyun's mother encouraged him to take acting classes during his school years to help him overcome his shy and introverted personality.
10.
Kim Soo-hyun enrolled at Chung-Ang University's Film and Theater Department in 2009.
11.
In 2009, Kim Soo-hyun acted in the short film Worst Friends by Namkoong Sun, which won the Best Film in Social Drama award at the Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival and the well-received SBS drama special Father's House where he acted alongside veteran actor Choi Min-soo.
12.
In January 2010, KeyEast signed an exclusive contract with Kim Soo-hyun becoming his management company.
13.
Kim Soo-hyun became a household name in 2011 after starring in the high school musical drama Dream High.
14.
Kim Soo-hyun plays a country bumpkin who turned out to be a musical genius.
15.
Kim Soo-hyun recorded two songs for the drama's soundtrack, his solo "Dreaming" as well as the title track "Dream High" with the rest of the cast.
16.
Kim Soo-hyun's popularity skyrocketed when he starred in the hit period drama Moon Embracing the Sun as the King Leehwon.
17.
Kim Soo-hyun contributed his vocals to the soundtrack with the traditional ballad "Only You" and the more modern composition "Another Way".
18.
Kim Soo-hyun won the Best Actor award at the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards.
19.
Kim Soo-hyun made his big-screen debut in the star-studded heist film The Thieves, touted by the press as the Korean version of Ocean's Eleven.
20.
In 2013, Kim Soo-hyun was cast to play the role of a North Korean spy who infiltrated South Korea as a village idiot in the movie Secretly, Greatly, an adaptation of the popular webtoon series Covertness by Hun.
21.
Kim Soo-hyun won the Best New Actor award at the 50th Grand Bell Awards and the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards.
22.
From 2013 to early 2014, Kim Soo-hyun starred in SBS fantasy romance series My Love from the Star alongside Jun Ji-hyun.
23.
Kim Soo-hyun released two singles for the drama's soundtrack, titled "In Front of Your House" and "Promise".
24.
Kim Soo-hyun experienced explosive growth in popularity throughout Asia topping various popularity polls and became one of the most in-demand endorsers with 35 product endorsements.
25.
Kim Soo-hyun won the Daesang, the highest award for television, at the 7th Korea Drama Awards and Most Popular Actor at 50th Baeksang Arts Awards.
26.
In 2015, Kim Soo-hyun starred in KBS variety drama The Producers, written by My Love From the Star writer Park Ji-eun.
27.
Kim Soo-hyun became one of South Korea's favorite leading faces on TV according to the Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation.
28.
Kim Soo-hyun won the Daesang at the 8th Korea Drama Awards, 4th APAN Star Awards and the 2015 KBS Drama Awards for his acting performance.
29.
Kim Soo-hyun then starred in the action-noir film Real, directed by his cousin Lee Sa-rang, which premiered in June 2017.
30.
The film tanked at the box office and received negative reviews from the critics for its direction, storyline, characters' information; saying that only Kim Soo-hyun saved the movie with his acting to some extent.
31.
In 2017, Kim Soo-hyun took a hiatus from acting to complete his obligatory military service of 21 months.
32.
Kim Soo-hyun made headlines in news when he returned to his acting career through his special appearances on dramas Hotel del Luna and Crash Landing on You.
33.
In December 2019, reports surfaced that Kim Soo-hyun would be leaving KeyEast to form a new agency with his cousin.
34.
In January 2020, Kim Soo-hyun signed with newly formed entertainment agency Gold Medalist.
35.
In 2020, Kim Soo-hyun took on the role of Moon Gang-tae, an orphaned psychiatric aide in the tvN broadcast romantic comedy It's Okay to Not Be Okay.
36.
Kim Soo-hyun recorded the song "Way Home" for the soundtrack of the series; it was the first time in 10 years since he had participated in a series' soundtrack.
37.
Kim Soo-hyun was nominated for Best Drama Actor for a fourth time and won Most Popular Actor for a third time at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards.
38.
In 2024, Kim Soo-hyun was confirmed to star as Kim Soo-hyun Sung-joon, who goes from being an ordinary office worker to becoming the king of the global fake market in Disney+ black comedy series Knock-Off, slated for release in 2025.
39.
Kim Soo-hyun participated in the opening ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
40.
On December 3,2012, Kim Soo-hyun was appointed as the Public Relation Ambassador for Lotte Hotel Busan.
41.
On May 20,2014, Kim Soo-hyun was appointed as one of the Public Relations Ambassador for his alma mater, Chung-Ang University.
42.
On October 25,2015, Kim Soo-hyun was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of Seoul.
43.
In 2015, Kim Soo-hyun was the Honorary Ambassador for the Incheon International Airport.
44.
In 2016, Kim Soo-hyun is the Promotional Ambassador for Paradise City.
45.
Kim Soo-hyun has been regarded as the "King of product endorsements" by media outlets; and has been the face of variety of products ranging from food, clothing, electronics, telecoms to automobiles and more.
46.
Kim Soo-hyun started emerging as a blue chip in the advertising industry soon after he grabbed viewer's attention through his acting in Giant.
47.
Kim Soo-hyun became most in-demand advertising model after his drama My Love from the Star with appearing in more than 30 advertisements, including 10 airing in China and other Asian counties.
48.
Kim Soo-hyun has been the face of Jeju airlines and main character of a Chinese video game.
49.
In 2014, Kim Soo-hyun appeared in an ad alongside Gianna Jun for Chinese bottled water company Hengda bingquan.
50.
Kim Soo-hyun joined the Philippine retail brand Bench as a product endorser in July 2021.
51.
On September 13,2021, Kim Soo-hyun was selected as a global ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger.
52.
In March 2015, Kim Soo-hyun was awarded for being a model taxpayer by the local tax office for paying taxes every Tax Day.
53.
In July 2015, it was revealed that Kim Soo-hyun has a paternal half-sister named Kim Soo-hyun Ju-na, a singer.
54.
Kim Soo-hyun ranked 10th out of the 114 participants on his first try-out tournament but failed to make the cut on the second, falling short of the 200 points needed to qualify with only 192.3.
55.
Kim Soo-hyun showcased his bowling skills on his guest appearance on MBC's Infinite Challenge.
56.
Kim Soo-hyun began his mandatory military service on October 23,2017.
57.
Kim Soo-hyun was supposed to work in public service duty instead of active duty as he previously underwent a surgery related to his heart.
58.
Kim Soo-hyun entered a military camp in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, to complete his basic training.
59.
In late November 2017, Kim Soo-hyun's agency announced that he had completed his five weeks of basic training, placing fourth as an outstanding trainee.
60.
Kim Soo-hyun was rewarded with a vacation by the division commander and received a self deployment to the First Reconnaissance Battalion to continue his duty.
61.
In February 2019, Kim Soo-hyun received an early promotion as a Sergeant for his conduct in the military.
62.
Kim Soo-hyun was discharged from his military service on July 1,2019.
63.
On March 24,2024, Kim Soo-hyun denied dating rumors with late actress Kim Soo-hyun Sae-ron, after a close-up photo of them that she briefly posted and deleted on Instagram circulated online.
64.
In March 2025, grooming allegations were made against Kim Soo-hyun, stemming from additional statements and photos from Kim Soo-hyun Sae-ron's family.
65.
The family alleged that Kim Soo-hyun had been in a six-year-long relationship with Kim Soo-hyun Sae-ron beginning in 2015, when she was 15 and he was 27.
66.
On March 31,2025, Kim Soo-hyun held an emergency press conference in western Seoul to address the allegations, with his legal representative present, where he teared up multiple times.
67.
Kim Soo-hyun denied dating Kim Sae-ron as a minor, as well as the claims that agency pressure or his actions led to her decision to commit suicide.
68.
Kim Soo-hyun was met with widespread backlash in light of the allegations, with some calling for his removal from television programs, including MBC's variety program Good Day.
69.
Kim Soo-hyun's upcoming drama Knock-Off, which is originally slated to be released through Disney+ in April 2025, had its schedule date temporarily postponed.
70.
Kim Soo-hyun's fan meeting event in Taiwan was cancelled five days before it was scheduled to begin on March 30,2025.