Song Kang-ho

To me, Song Kang-ho is something like the conscience of contemporary Asian cinema. His path from a working-class start in Gimhae to a Best Actor prize at Cannes reads like a film in itself. What floors me is his refusal to play handsome heroes; instead he pours the sorrow and absurd humor of ordinary men into every role, carrying the body temperature of regular people. Grand Bell, Blue Dragon, the Order of Cultural Merit, he helped push Korean film onto the world stage, yet he never stops looking like someone you'd meet on the street. That humility is his greatness.

Name (English)

Song Kang-ho

Name (Japanese)

ソン・ガンホ

Reading

そん・がんほ

Born

January 17, 1967 (age 59)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Capricorn / Goat

Origin

Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, South Korea

Occupation

actor / film actor / stage actor

University

Busan Kyungsang College

Awards & achievements

• 2007 Asian Film Award for Best Actor
• Grand Bell Awards
• Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Actor
• Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor
• Order of Cultural Merit

• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song%20Kang-ho
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%BD%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3%E3%83%9B
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q484400

Tags

• South Gyeongsang
• actor
• film actor
• stage actor

Last updated

2026-06-17

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.