A guide to birthday boy Kim Jae Wook: Everything you need to know about the talented actor

Who knows a 37-year-old who is extremely charming, unafraid of cross-dressing, can act, sing, model, adventurous enough to take on any role? We do. Kim Jae Wook! He entered the world on April 2, 1983 and the world of South Korean entertainment in 2002. He’s been a part of some amazing series and safe to say, he’s one of our favourite Korean celebrities! 

Birthdays are really just an excuse for us to indulge deeper into our celebs lives! While some of you might know things about the gifted star, there are some facts that you might not know or would have forgotten! And if you’re a newbie who wants to know more about Kim Jae Wook, this is the guide for you! 

‘Her Private Life’ is the actor’s first leading role in a romcom

Kim Jae Wook has been a part of a fair share of romantic dramas - from ‘Coffee Prince’ (2007) to ‘Mary Stayed Out All Night’ (2010) to ‘Temperature Love’ (2017). He’s known to give many fans a second lead syndrome and we were waiting with bated breath to have the actor be in an actual leading role since quite a long time! And our wishes were answered with the release of the hit series ‘Her Private Life’ in 2019, where the gorgeous actor played the leading role of Ryan Gold opposite the talented Park Min Young as Sung Deok Mi. Some other shows he has played a main role (not necessarily lead roles) are the thriller/mystery ‘The Guest’ (2018) ‘Sweet Temptation’ (2015) and ‘Who Are You’ (2013). ‘Who Are You’ was his comeback after serving in the military where he played the role of a ghost and can we say, we never thought we can never fall in love with a ghost, but we did!

Not just dramas or movies, he loves musicals too! 

Kim Jae Wook has been a part of incredibly great musicals that have showcased his ability and talent to act on stage. He’s known as a formidable actor on screen, but a theatrical drama isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. But the model-turned-actor reigns on stage too. He played the character of Mozart in the 2018 musical ‘Amadeus’. Before this, he had played his most applauded role  - that of Hedwig, a fictional Greek transgender singer - in the 2011 musical ‘Hedwig and The Angry Inch’ based on the rock musical by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask.

Creator of ‘My Margiela’, a 5-episodes series inspired by the Belgian fashion designer, Martin Margiela

When we say ‘multi-faceted’, you say Kim Jae Wook. The actor’s knowledge in the art industry knows no bounds. He’s an ardent fan of the globally renowned Belgian fashion designer, Martin Margiela, whose works precede the boundaries of fashion designing to inspire art and culture across the world. Before Margiela’s documentary release in South Korea, Kim Jae Wook created an interview series with five prominent faces in South Korea to talk about their inspiration from the works of Martin Margiela, titled, “My Margiela”. These celebrities include the Burning star, Yoo Ah In, the indie rock band Hyukoh’s Oh Hyuk, the celebrity stylist Han Hye Yeon, Master’s Sun actress Gong Hyo Jin and another stylist, Son Yabi. Till the time of writing this article, the actor/model has released four episodes. You can check them out below. 

He is fluent in Japanese

We’re all aware of the bilingual or milti-lingual woes. It’s not really the case with our talented actor! He was born in Seoul, South Korea but he lived for seven years in Japan, before returning to Korea. His father was a journalist and worked as a foreign correspondent in Japan for a few years. They then returned to South Korea. Due to his formidable building years spent in Japan, he is pretty fluent in Japanese. 

He formed the indie rock band, Walrus

While he was studying in the Seoul Institute of Arts, he formed a great friendship with Kim Tae Hyun and Yu Sung Bum. They then decided to form a band called ‘Walrus’ in 2011. The inspiration behind the name was The Beatles single track called ‘I Am The Walrus’. However, as time passed, Jae Wook focused more on acting and modelling and the other members played as a part of other bands. But even then, Jae Wook can’t imagine playing with anybody else! 

Doesn’t knowing that he’s talented in so many areas really make you fall in love with him more? 

Also Read: Kim Seon Ho of Start Up fame to make his screen comeback alongside Shin Min Ah in upcoming romantic drama

Well, while we get back to binge-watching ‘Her Private Life’, send the actor your birthday wishes in the comments below!