List of Famous people born in South Korea
Kai
Kim Jong-in, better known as Kai (Korean: 카이), is a South Korean singer, model, actor, and dancer. He is a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo, its sub unit Exo-K, and South Korean supergroup SuperM. He debuted as a soloist in November 2020 with the release of his extended-play, Kai (开). Apart from his musical career, Kai has also starred in various television dramas such as Choco Bank (2016), Andante (2017), and Spring Has Come (2018). Kai is widely considered to be one of the best dancers of South Korea and K-pop.
Lee Jong-suk
Lee Jong-suk is a South Korean actor and model. He debuted in 2005 as a runway model, becoming the youngest male model ever to participate in Seoul Fashion Week. Lee's breakout role was in School 2013 (2012) and he is also well known for his roles in I Can Hear Your Voice (2013), Doctor Stranger (2014), Pinocchio (2014), W (2016), While You Were Sleeping (2017), The Hymn of Death (2018) and Romance Is a Bonus Book (2019).
Lee Sang-hyeok
Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as Faker, is a South Korean professional League of Legends player for T1. Formerly known as GoJeonPa on the Korean server, he was picked up by LCK team SK Telecom T1 in 2013 and has played as the team's mid laner since. He is widely considered to be the best League of Legends player of all time.
Suga
Min Yoon-gi, better known by his stage names Suga and Agust D, is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Managed by Big Hit Entertainment, he debuted as a member of the South Korean pop idol group BTS in 2013. In 2016, he released his first solo mixtape, Agust D. In 2018, he re-released the mixtape for digital purchase and streaming. The reissue reached number three on Billboard's World Albums Chart. In 2020, he released his second solo mixtape, D-2. Commercially, the mixtape peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard 200, number seven on the UK Albums Chart, and number two on Australia's ARIA Album Chart. The Korea Music Copyright Association attributes over 100 songs to Suga as a songwriter and producer, including Suran's "Wine" which peaked at number two on the Gaon Music Chart and won best Soul/R&B track of the year at the 2017 Melon Music Awards.
Moon Jae-in
Moon Jae-in is the current president of South Korea, having taken office in 2017. He previously served as chief of staff to then-president Roh Moo-hyun (2007–2008), leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (2015–2016) and a member of the 19th National Assembly (2012–2016).
D.O.
Doh Kyung-soo, better known by his stage name D.O., is a South Korean singer and actor. He is best known as a member and one of the main vocalists of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo. Apart from his group's activities, D.O. has also starred in various television dramas and movies such as Pure Love (2016), My Annoying Brother (2016), Positive Physique (2016), Room No.7 (2017), 100 Days My Prince (2018), Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, and Swing Kids (2018).
Joachim Son-Forget
Joachim Jean-Marie Forget, known as Joachim Son-Forget, is a South Korean-born French politician serving as the member of the National Assembly for the 6th constituency for French residents overseas since 2017. His constituency covers Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In 2020, he announced his candidacy for the 2022 presidential election.
Chung Hyeon
Chung Hyeon is a South Korean professional tennis player. He is currently the second highest ranked South Korean and also the 2017 Next Gen Finals champion. As an unseeded player, he became the first Korean player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal at the 2018 Australian Open.
Namkoong Min
Namkoong Min is a South Korean actor, director and screenwriter. He first gained recognition with neo-noir film A Dirty Carnival (2006), and has since received praise for his performances in Remember: War of the Son (2015–2016), Beautiful Gong Shim (2016), Good Manager (2017), Falsify (2017), Doctor Prisoner (2019) and Hot Stove League (2019–2020), and Awaken (2020–2021).
Ahn Hyo-seop
Ahn Hyo-seop is a South Korean actor and singer. He gained recognition for his main roles in the Korean dramas Still 17 (2018), Abyss (2019), and Dr. Romantic 2 (2020).