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Sul Kyung-gu
South Korean actor (born 1967)
South Korean actor (born 1967)
| Field | Value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| name | Sul Kyung-gu | ||||
| image | Sol Kyung-gu-9435.jpg | ||||
| caption | Sul in 2019 | ||||
| birth_date | |||||
| birth_place | Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea | ||||
| occupation | Actor | ||||
| education | Hanyang University (Theater and Film) | ||||
| agent | C-JeS Studios | ||||
| years_active | 1993–present | ||||
| spouse | {{plainlist | ||||
| * {{marriage | Unknown | 1996 | 2006 | reason | divorced}} |
| children | 2 | ||||
| height_cm | 180 | ||||
| module | {{Infobox Korean name/auto | child=yes | headercolor=transparent | ||
| hangul | %설경구 | ||||
| hanja | 薛景求 |
Sul Kyung-gu (; born May 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Upon his graduation in 1994, he appeared in numerous theatrical productions, such as the hit Korean adaptation of the German rock musical Subway Line 1, and productions of Sam Shepard's True West and A. R. Gurney's Love Letters.
Sul is considered one of the leading actors representing Korean cinema in the 2000s, alongside Choi Min-sik and Song Kang-ho. He is best known for his collaborations with director Lee Chang-dong in Peppermint Candy (1999) and Oasis (2002), Public Enemy film series (2002–2008) for which he won the Baeksang Arts Award Grand Prize, and Silmido (2003) which became the highest-grossing film in South Korea at the time of release. He also won Best Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards for his performances in Hope (2013) and Kingmaker (2022).
His other notable films include Jail Breakers (2002), Voice of a Murderer (2007), Tidal Wave (2009), The Tower (2012), Cold Eyes (2013), The Spy: Undercover Operation (2013), The Merciless (2017), Memoir of a Murderer (2017), and The Book of Fish (2021).
Early life and education
Sul was born in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province, on May 1, 1968. He is the second son, with one younger sister. He and his family moved to Dohwa-dong, Mapo District, Seoul when his father, who was a civil servant, transferred to the Mapo District Office. Sul attended and then enrolled in and .
Sul's parents wanted him to go to an engineering college, thus guaranteeing him a stable job. However, Sul entered the Department of Theater and Film of Hanyang University with the idea of becoming a film director.
Career
1993–1997: Early career
Sul studied theater and film at Hanyang University (Class of '86). In May 1993, When Sul was in his 4th year of college, he directed a play for the 1st Young Theatre Festival, **. At that time, Sul planned to enter the 3rd KBS Talent Recruitment, but he had no choice but to give up the recruitment due to his professor's request. He was also active in Dongsung-dong since the second semester of his senior year, including guest directing play Bison, a performance for the drama class at , as a part-time job. Gradually, he naturally gave up his dream of becoming a film director, and debuted in 1993 with the play Simbasame as Sul joined Hanyang Theater Company, a theater company with alumni of the Department of Theater and Film at Hanyang University as the majority of its members.
When Sul was in his 4th year of college, Sul received a full scholarship with straight-A credits and went up to the department at once. Before graduating from Hanyang University, he received invitations from his advisor to study master at Hanyang University graduate school or Korea National University of Arts, but he refused. Sul continued his theatre activities in Hanyang Theater Company, however Sul didn't want to be under the shadow of his school. After graduating, Sul left the company.
In May 1994, Sul asked a college senior who was the head of the planning department at the theater company ** for a part-time job. He met Kim Min-ki and was cast in the hit Korean adaptation of the German rock musical **. Sul participated in this production from the premiere in 1994 to 1996, playing all but two of the 80 roles, accumulating various experiences and acting skills and achieving great success. In addition, he has been active as a theater actor and musical actor in Daehakro, appearing in plays such as Korean productions of Sam Shepard's True West and musical **.
Since 1988, Sul began taking on minor roles in television. On stage, he was a star actor who played 14 roles, but in television dramas, he was just an aspiring actor. In the mid-1990s, Sul began taking on minor roles in feature films. In 1996, Sul made his screen debut in his first film A Petal, playing the role of Woo-ri, a college student who is chasing the whereabouts of the female lead (Lee Jung-hyun), on the recommendation of director Shim Kwang-jin, a college classmate who was taking directing lessons from director Jang Seon-woo.
1998–2002: Career breakthrough
In 1997, Sul met Cha Seung-jae, the CEO of Sidus FNH, the producer of the film Girls' Night Out, which was released in 1998. Sul had a minor role, and his name was featured in the credits as an actor. Sul played a cartoonist who spends a night with Yeon (Jin Hee-kyung), a hotel employee in the play, and his acting was short but impressive. He then signed management contracts with Sidus HQ and made his breakthrough, with major roles in Rainbow Trout, Phantom: The Submarine, and The Bird That Stops in the Air (1999).
In early 1999, Sul was selected for the lead role through an audition for director Lee Chang-dong's film Peppermint Candy. Initially, Sul failed in the first audition, but the director's wife, known as the playwright of the production Confession, saw him in the audition film she saw in the living room by chance, and recommended him, saying, "Here's Kim Young-ho", recognizing him as famous.
In addition, director Lee Chang-dong revealed the reason for casting Sul Kyung-gu: Unlike other actors, I rather liked that he hesitated and said that he had no confidence. He looked weak in charisma with an ordinary mask, but his face was different every time I saw him, and that seemed to enable him to express various colors as well as good and evil, so he was cast.
In film Peppermint Candy, Sul played Kim Yeong-ho, a suicidal man devastated by the two-decades of historical change his country undergoes. After shooting for six months from mid-May to the end of September, the film debuted on October 14 of that year as the opening film at the 4th Busan International Film Festival. The film was acclaimed and Sul received rave reviews. He swept 10 New Actor Awards and Best Actor Awards at the Korean Film Critics Association Award, Chunsa Film Art Awards, Blue Dragon Film Awards, Daejong Awards, and Baeksang Arts Awards.
Sul next appeared in the romantic comedy I Wish I Had a Wife with Jeon Do-yeon in 2001, playing the role of Bong-su, an ordinary old bachelor bank clerk who yearns for romance. Then acted in a Japanese TV drama produced by NHK.
In 2002, Sul starred in three major films. As a violent and unscrupulous police detective in Public Enemy, he won Best Actor at the Grand Bell Awards and Blue Dragon Film Awards respectively. In August, he starred in Lee Chang-dong's acclaimed third film Oasis, which won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival. Sul's portrayal of a mildly mentally disabled outcast with sociopathic inclinations won him Best Actor at the Chunsa Film Art Awards, Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, Korean Film Awards, Director's Cut Awards, and 29th Seattle International Film Festival. In November, he acted together with Cha Seung-won in a box office hit Jail Breakers by director Kim Sang-jin.
2003–2011: Success as a box-office actor
In 2003, Sul starred in Silmido, directed by Cinema Service founder Kang Woo-suk. The film is based on Baek Dong-ho's 1999 novel of the same name, which in turn is based on the true story of Unit 684. Silmido was the first Korean film in history to surpass 10 million viewers, with a total of 11.081 million admissions. This success earned Sul a spot in the "Ten Million Club (천만클럽)," a term for actors who have starred in a film with over 10 million admissions.
His next role was as the title character in Rikidōzan, about the legendary ethnic Korean pro wrestler who became a national hero in Japan in the 1950s. Sul gained 20 kilograms for the role and also delivered 95% of his lines in Japanese. Although his performance was acclaimed, the film vastly underperformed on its local release.
In 2005, Sul starred in the sequel Another Public Enemy, which surpassed the original film in box office gross. A second sequel, Public Enemy Returns followed in 2008. Both films were directed by Kang Woo-suk. In October 2005, Sul played the role of the male protagonist Andy in A. R. Gurney's Love Letters by the theatre company Hanyang Repertory. It was directed Professor , his acting teacher. It was his comeback onstage for the first time in years since his latest the musical Subway Line 1.
His next role was in Yoon Je-kyun's 2009 film Haeundae (2009). Sul played Man-sik, a local from Busan's Haeundae District who, years earlier, unexpectedly lost the father of Yeon-hee (Ha Ji-won), during the 2004 tsunami. For his performance, Sul won the Grand Prize at the 2009 . Haeundae also became a massive box office success, attracting 11.083 million viewers. This made Sul the first actor to have two films as actor of the "Ten Million Club."
He went on to win the Best Actor award at the 18th Chunsa Film Art Awards for his performance in 2010 film No Mercy. His other films The Tower (2012) and Cold Eyes (2013) have also been box office hits.,
2012–2015: Career resurgence
Sul Kyung-gu returned to the big screen after about a year and a half with the disaster film The Tower in December 2012. In 2013, Sul appeared in three movies, Cold Eyes, The Spy: Undercover Operation, and Hope and mobilised a total of 1681 million viewers in 2013. He ranked 2nd after Song Kang-ho in the box office actor. In director Lee Jun-ik's family drama Hope, which is based on the child sexual assault case known as the Cho Doo-soon case, Sul played the role of Dong-hoon, expressing the desperate need of a father to watch his daughter's pain and suffering, and resonating with the audience. He received favorable reviews for his excellent acting, and won the Best Actor at the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards.
In a media interview, director Lee Jun-ik commented on Sul:He was a very respectable actor. Before filming, he came to the scene with a lot of emotion and only looked at the wall, but when the filming started, he poured out his emotions terribly. Because of Sul Kyung-gu, he was able to complete 'Wish'. He is a great learner.The following year, Sul starred in My Dictator, as an aspiring actor who is forced to impersonate North Korean leader. For his performance in My Dictator, he won Best Actor at the 35th Golden Cinematography Awards.
Sul began teaching acting in 2014 at his alma mater Hanyang University, as an adjunct professor in the College of Performing Arts.
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In 2015, Sul starred in the war drama film The Long Way Home alongside Yeo Jin-goo. Sul played the role of Jang Nam-bok, a farmer who is suddenly dragged to the battlefield with a newborn baby in the war film Western Front, the directorial debut of playwright Cheon Seong-il. The film depicts the story of the confrontation between Jang Nam-bok of the South Korean Army and Kim Yeong-gwang (Yeo Jin-goo) of the North Korean Army ahead of the armistice agreement in July 1953. With this film, he took on the role of a soldier for the third time following the previous films Peppermint Candy and Silmido.
2017–2022: Film comeback and other ventures
In 2017, Sul starred opposite Yim Si-wan in The Merciless. It was shown out of competition in the Midnight Screenings section at the 70th Cannes Film Festival on May 24, 2017. The film brought Sul to win Best Actor awards at the 54th Grand Bell Awards and 37th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards. He next starred in thriller film Memoir of a Murderer, as a retired serial killer with Alzheimer's disease. For his performance in Memoir of a Murderer, Sul received Best Actor awards at the 17th Director's Cut Awards in 2017 and the 9th Korea Film Reporters Association Film Awards (KOFRA) in 2018. has been postponed indefinitely following the scandal of actor Oh Dal-su.
Sul next starred in a 2019 film Idol opposite Han Suk-kyu and Chun Woo-hee, which opened in March. In April 2019, Sul reunited with Jeon Do-yeon, eighteen years after I Wish I Had a Wife, in the film Birthday. The film had its international premiere at the 2019 Far East Film Festival in Udine. The same year, Sul starred in the human comedy film Man to Men with Cho Jin-woong.
Sul has reunited with The Merciless director Byun Sung-hyun for the film Kingmaker. It was released in December 2021.
In 2022 Sul was honoured by 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival by hosting an actor special exhibition 'The Actor, Sul Kyung-gu' focusing on actor Sul Kyung-gu's 29-year acting career along with various events such as the publication of a commemorative booklet entitled 'Sul Kyung-gu is Snow Gyeong-gu', and mega talk during the festival.
2023–present: Streaming series
In 2023, Sul reunited once again with director Byun Sung-hyun and Jeon Do-yeon for Netflix action thriller film Kill Boksoon. is a 2023 South Korean. Also starring Kim Si-a, Esom, and Koo Kyo-hwan, the film premiered on Netflix on March 31, 2023.
Returning to the small screen after decades, Sol starred in the political drama series The Whirlwind, which premiered on Netflix on June 28, 2024. This marked his first time in an OTT drama series. He stars opposite Kim Hee-ae. Directed by Park Kyung-soo, directed by , the series features Sol as Park Dong-ho, who serves as Prime Minister, Acting President, and eventually President of South Korea.
In 2025, Sul starred in streaming series Hyper Knife, directed by Kim Jung-hyun and written by Kim Sun-hee. The series explores his complex relationship with her former mentee, played by Park Eun-bin. Disney+ confirmed the release date of the series to be on March 19, 2025. In May 2025, Netflix announced that Sul will be one of the main characters of their new drama The Rat, alongside Ryu Jun-yeol.
Other activities
Philanthropy
Sul Kyung-gu and his wife Song Yoon-ah, are known for their philanthropic efforts. In July 2010, they covered the entire surgical expenses for a child with congenital heart disease and personally visited her at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. They later donated through the Korean Committee for UNICEF to assist victims of the sinking of MV Sewol in April 2014. Sul expressed deep sympathy for the tragedy, stating, "I felt indescribable pain witnessing the Sewol ferry disaster. I sincerely wish for recovery." More recently, on February 13, 2023, the couple contributed another to Korea's UNICEF Committee to support children affected by the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes.
Personal life
Relationships
Sul married Ahn Nae-sang’s younger sister in 1996, and they have one daughter together. After four years of separation, they divorced on July 21, 2006. Few years later Sul remarried. He and actress Song Yoon-ah had their wedding ceremony on May 28, 2009, in a Catholic church in Bangbae-dong, followed by a reception at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in Seoul. Both are graduates of Hanyang University and have shared the screen in Jail Breakers (2002) and Lost in Love (2006). Their son, Sul Seung-yoon, was born on August 3, 2010. In 2014, Song Yoon-ah filed a defamation suit against 57 netizens who spread online rumors about an alleged extramarital affair with Sul in 2002 during his first marriage, which reportedly contributed to his divorce in 2006. Both Sul and Song have denied these claims, asserting that their relationship began in 2007.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Note | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | A Petal | Girl's brother | |||||||||
| Love Story | Young-ho | ||||||||||
| 1998 | Girls' Night Out | Gyu-sik | Bit part | ||||||||
| 1999 | The Bird That Stops in the Air | Kim | |||||||||
| Phantom: The Submarine | Number 432 | ||||||||||
| Rainbow Trout | Min-soo | ||||||||||
| Peppermint Candy | Kim Yong-ho | ||||||||||
| 2000 | The Legend of Gingko | Juk | |||||||||
| 2001 | I Wish I Had a Wife | Kim Bong-soo | |||||||||
| 2002 | Public Enemy | Kang Chul-joong | |||||||||
| Oasis | Hong Jong-du | ||||||||||
| Jail Breakers | Yoo Jae-pil | ||||||||||
| 2003 | Silmido | Kang In-chan | |||||||||
| 2004 | Rikidōzan | Rikidōzan / Kim Sin-rak | |||||||||
| 2005 | Another Public Enemy | Kang Chul-joong | |||||||||
| 2006 | Lost in Love | Woo-jae | |||||||||
| Cruel Winter Blues | Shim Jae-mun | ||||||||||
| 2007 | Voice of a Murderer | Han Kyung-bae | |||||||||
| Venus and Mars | Kim Sang-min | ||||||||||
| 2008 | Public Enemy Returns | Kang Chul-joong | |||||||||
| 2009 | Tidal Wave | Choi Man-sik | |||||||||
| Closer to Heaven | Kim Jong-do | Cameo | |||||||||
| A Brand New Life | Jin-hee's father | Cameo | |||||||||
| 2010 | No Mercy | Kang Min-ho | |||||||||
| Troubleshooter | Kang Tae-sik | ||||||||||
| Camellia | Yong-soo | Segment: "Kamome" | |||||||||
| 2012 | The Tower | Kang Young-ki | |||||||||
| 2013 | Cold Eyes | Chief Detective Hwang | |||||||||
| The Spy: Undercover Operation | Chul-soo | ||||||||||
| Hope | Im Dong-hoon | url=http://screenanarchy.com/2014/07/ny-asian-2014-hope-korean-acting-legend-sol-kyung-gu-tackles-family-devastation.html | title=NY Asian 2014: Hope, Korean Acting Legend Sol Kyung-gu Tackles Family Devastation | date=July 22, 2014 | website=Screen Daily | access-date=March 21, 2018 | archive-date=January 27, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127052637/https://screenanarchy.com/2014/07/ny-asian-2014-hope-korean-acting-legend-sol-kyung-gu-tackles-family-devastation.html | url-status=live}} | ||
| 2014 | My Dictator | Kim Sung-geun | |||||||||
| 2015 | The Long Way Home | Nam-bok | url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=4&blbdComCd=601006&seq=3145&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | title=Seol Kyung-gu and Yeo Jin-gu Team for Korean War Film | date=August 25, 2014 | website=Korean Film Biz Zone | access-date=March 21, 2018 | archive-date=May 21, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521231310/http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=4&blbdComCd=601006&seq=3145&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | url-status=live}} | |
| 2017 | Lucid Dream | Bang-seop | |||||||||
| The Merciless | Jae-ho | url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=3 | title=Sul Kyung-gu & IM Si-wan Wrap Hoodlum | date=December 22, 2016 | website=Korean Film Biz Zone | access-date=March 21, 2018 | archive-date=May 21, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521231306/http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=3 | url-status=live}} | ||
| Memoir of a Murderer | Byeong-soo | url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=4&blbdComCd=601006&seq=3565&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | title=SUL Kyung-gu, KIM Nam-gil Board New Thriller | date=September 1, 2015 | website=Korean Film Biz Zone | access-date=March 21, 2018 | archive-date=May 21, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521231307/http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=4&blbdComCd=601006&seq=3565&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | url-status=live}} | ||
| 1987: When the Day Comes | Kim Jeong-nam | Cameo | |||||||||
| 2019 | Idol | Yoo Joong-sik | url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=4530&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | title=Idol Begins Filming with Han Suk-kyu, Sul Kyung-gu and Chun Woo-hee | date=November 6, 2017 | website=Korean Film Biz Zone | access-date=March 21, 2018 | archive-date=June 10, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610173003/http://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=4530&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | url-status=live}} | |
| Birthday | Jung-il | url=http://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=4773&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | title=Jeon Do-yeon and Sul Kyung-gu to Celebrate Birthday | date=April 9, 2018 | website=Korean Film Biz Zone | access-date=April 9, 2018 | archive-date=April 10, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410220502/http://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=4773&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | url-status=live}} | ||
| Man of Men | Jang-su | url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=5225&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | title=Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Jin-woong Face Off in Man of Men | date=September 10, 2019 | website=Korean Film Biz Zone | access-date=September 18, 2019 | archive-date=July 29, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729182447/http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=5225&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | url-status=live}} | ||
| 2021 | The Book of Fish | Jeong Yak Jeon | |||||||||
| 2022 | Kingmaker | Kim Woon-beom | |||||||||
| Yaksha: Ruthless Operations | Kang-inn | ||||||||||
| I Want to Know Your Parents | Kang Ho-chang | ||||||||||
| The Boys | Hwang Jun-cheol | ||||||||||
| 2023 | Phantom | Junji Murayama | |||||||||
| Kill Boksoon | Cha Min-kyu | ||||||||||
| The Moon | Kim Jae-guk | ||||||||||
| A Normal Family | Yang Jae-wan | ||||||||||
| 2025 | Good News | "Nobody" / Choi Go-myung | |||||||||
| Mantis | Cha Min-kyu | Cameo |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Note | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Oldest Sister | alumni | Morning soap opera | |
| 1995 | Puberty | Music Teacher | episodes 111–112 | |
| Korea Gate | Gujeonggil | episode 4 | ||
| 2001 | Prince Shōtoku | Shin Line Musa Lee Jin | Two-part Japanese drama | |
| 2024 | The Whirlwind | Park Dong-ho | ||
| 2025 | Hyper Knife | Choi Deok-hee | ||
| The Rat |
Music videos
| Year | Song title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "I Loved You to Death" | SG Wannabe |
| 2015 | "How Much Love Do You Have in Your Wallet?" | Park Yoo-chun |
Stage credit
Musical
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | English | Korean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Porgy and Bess | 포기와 베스 | |||
| 1994–1996 | ** | 지하철 1호선 | Multiple roles including withdrawal of mixed-race orphans, spectacles, crackdown squad | Hakjeon Blue Small Theater | |
| 1996 | ** | 모스키토 | A bakery man, a drunk, a parent singer, a secretary to a member of the National Assembly, and many other roles | Hakjeon Blue Small Theater | |
| 1997–1998 | ** | 지하철 1호선 | Pointer and many others | Hakjeon Blue Small Theater | |
| 2001 | ** | 지하철 1호선 | Chulsoo, Passenger, Evangelist and many other roles | Hakjeon Blue Small Theater | |
| April 3–5 Berlin Performance |
Theater
| Year | Title | Role | Note | English | Korean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | ** | 달아 달아 밝은 달아 | Production | ||
| Simbasame (Barbara at night and Mary at dawn) | 심바새메 () | Daehangno Information Small Theater | |||
| 1994 | This Song | 이런 노래 | Son, Jo Gyeong-hoon | Small theater performance at Dongsung-dong Cultural Center | |
| 1995–1996 | Simbasame (Barbara at night and Mary at dawn) | 심바새메 () | gay alex | Daehangno Information Small Theater | |
| 1996 | The serpentine groom and his bride | 구렁이신랑과 그의 신부 | |||
| True West | 트루웨스트 | Lee | Daehangno Seongjwa small theater performance | ||
| 2005 | Love Letter | 러브레터 | Andy | Daehangno Hanyang Repertory Theater |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 28th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actor in Theater | |||||||||
| 1999 | 7th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best New Actor | Rainbow Trout | ||||||||
| 20th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best New Actor | ||||||||||
| 2000 | 10th Oslo International Film Festival | Special Mention Award | Peppermint Candy | ||||||||
| 36th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actor (Film) | ||||||||||
| 8th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| 2nd International Film Festival Bratislava | |||||||||||
| 37th Grand Bell Awards | |||||||||||
| Best New Actor | |||||||||||
| 20th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | |||||||||||
| 23rd Golden Cinematography Awards | |||||||||||
| 21st Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actor | ||||||||||
| Cine 21 Awards | Best Actor | Peppermint Candy, The Legend of Gingko | |||||||||
| 2002 | 38th Baeksang Arts Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) for Film | Public Enemy | ||||||||
| Best Actor (Film) | |||||||||||
| 23rd Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actor | ||||||||||
| 39th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| Cine 21 Awards | Public Enemy, Oasis, Jail Breakers | ||||||||||
| 10th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Oasis | ||||||||||
| 3rd Busan Film Critics Awards | |||||||||||
| 22nd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | |||||||||||
| 1st Korean Film Awards | |||||||||||
| 5th Director's Cut Awards | |||||||||||
| 2003 | 29th Seattle International Film Festival | ||||||||||
| 39th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | ||||||||||
| 26th Golden Cinematography Awards | Most Popular Actor | ||||||||||
| 3rd Korea World Youth Film Festival | Favorite Actor | ||||||||||
| 2004 | 40th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | Silmido | ||||||||
| 2005 | 42nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | Rikidōzan | ||||||||
| Another Public Enemy | |||||||||||
| 2006 | 3rd Max Movie Awards | ||||||||||
| 2007 | 44th Grand Bell Awards | Voice of a Murderer | |||||||||
| 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actor | ||||||||||
| 6th Korean Film Awards | Best Actor | Cruel Winter Blues | |||||||||
| 15th Chunsa Film Art Awards | |||||||||||
| 2008 | 16th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Public Enemy Returns | |||||||||
| 29th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actor | ||||||||||
| Popular Star Award | |||||||||||
| 2009 | 45th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | |||||||||
| 17th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) for Film | Haeundae | |||||||||
| 46th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| 2010 | 18th Chunsa Film Art Awards | No Mercy | |||||||||
| 2013 | 33rd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Hope | |||||||||
| 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actor | ||||||||||
| Popular Star Award | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 50th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | |||||||||
| 13th New York Asian Film Festival | Star Asia Award | ||||||||||
| 22nd Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) for Film | My Dictator | |||||||||
| 1st Korean Film Producers Association Awards | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| 2015 | url=https://www.hancinema.net/kim-hye-soo-and-sul-kyung-gu-to-be-awarded-the-best-actress-and-actor-86793.html | title=Kim Hye-soo and Sul Kyung-gu to be awarded the Best Actress and Actor | date=September 20, 2015 | newspaper=HanCinema | access-date=March 21, 2018 | archive-date=December 12, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212043836/https://www.hancinema.net/kim-hye-soo-and-sul-kyung-gu-to-be-awarded-the-best-actress-and-actor-86793.html | url-status=live}} | |||
| 51st Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | ||||||||||
| 2017 | Korean Film Shining Star Awards | Star Award | The Merciless, Lucid Dream | ||||||||
| 1st The Seoul Awards | Best Actor | The Merciless, Memoir of a Murderer | |||||||||
| 54th Grand Bell Awards | The Merciless | ||||||||||
| 37th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | |||||||||||
| 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Popular Star Award | ||||||||||
| Best Leading Actor | |||||||||||
| Cine 21 Awards | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=4605&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | title=Bong Joon-ho Scores 4th DGK Award for OKJA | date=December 15, 2017 | website=Korean Film Biz Zone | access-date=March 21, 2018 | archive-date=June 1, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601012906/http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=4605&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | url-status=live}} | Memoir of a Murderer | |||
| 2018 | url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=4692&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | title=1987 Tops Korean Film Reporters Association Awards | date=February 9, 2018 | website=Korean Film Biz Zone | access-date=March 21, 2018 | archive-date=April 6, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406000448/http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=4692&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword= | url-status=live}} | |||
| 54th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | The Merciless | |||||||||
| 23rd Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| 2019 | 23rd Fantasia International Film Festival | Idol | |||||||||
| 28th Buil Film Awards | Birthday | ||||||||||
| 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actor | ||||||||||
| 2020 | 56th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | |||||||||
| 2021 | 57th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | The Book of Fish | ||||||||
| Chunsa Film Art Awards 2021 | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| 30th Buil Film Awards | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| 41st Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| 42nd Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Leading Actor | ||||||||||
| 41st Golden Cinematography Awards | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| Korea University Film Festival | |||||||||||
| 8th Korean Film Producers Association Awards | |||||||||||
| Cine 21 Awards | |||||||||||
| 2022 | 20th Director's Cut Awards | Best Actor in film | |||||||||
| 58th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor – Film | Kingmaker | |||||||||
| 27th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| 58th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | ||||||||||
| 2025 | 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | A Normal Family |
Listicles
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. | Forbes | JoyNews24 | Korean Film Council | The Screen | Sisa Journal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | ||||||||
| 2008 | Most Favourite Male Movie Character | ||||||||
| 2021 | Korean Actors 200 | ||||||||
| 2005 | Most Influential Actor | ||||||||
| 2009 | 1984–2008 Top Box Office Powerhouse Actors in Korean Movies | ||||||||
| 2019 | 2009–2019 Top Box Office Powerhouse Actors in Korean Movies | ||||||||
| 2008 | Next Generation Leader — Film Industry | ||||||||
| 2009 | Next Generation Leader — Film Industry |
Notes
References
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