Kim Ha-neul (Korean: 김하늘; February 21, 1990), known professionally as Kang Ha-neul (강하늘), is a South Korean actor. He gained early recognition through television dramas Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014) and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016), and received critical acclaim for When the Camellia Blooms (2019) which earned him the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actor. He gained international recognition for his role in the second and third seasons of Squid Game (2024–2025). Known as a prolific Chungmu-ro actor, Kang has also starred in the films Twenty (2015), Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet (2016), New Trial (2017), Midnight Runners (2017), Forgotten (2017), Love Reset (2023), and Yadang: The Snitch (2025).

Kang was born Kim Ha-neul in Busan, South Korea, the eldest of two brothers. His parents were both former theater actors; his father graduated from the Seoul Institute of the Arts, and his mother graduated from the Department of Theater and Film at Kyungsung University. His mother also previously worked as a fashion model.

Kang developed an interest in the performing arts during middle school. Although theater was a familial presence from a young age, his direct involvement began during his second year of middle school when he participated in a church theater production of A Bowl of Udon as a prop team member. He later recounted a strong emotional response, including crying, during the curtain call.

Kang's initial exposure to television entertainment occurred in 2005 when he and his father were featured on the KBS1 Morning Garden [ko], where they achieved three consecutive wins in the family singing contest. The program's host, announcer Lee Geum-hee, later remarked that their performance was particularly memorable.

Kang initially attended a regular high school, where he joined the acting club. Upon expressing his intent to pursue acting professionally, he received full support from his parents. To focus on his artistic development, he subsequently transferred to the National Traditional Arts High School [ko], where he majored in music and theater. Kang was independent from a young age, having worked part-time consistently since middle school. His need to earn his own tuition following his move from Busan made him continue as a part-timer. This experience is cited as contributing to the development of his perceptiveness.

Kang began his acting career in musical theatre using his birth name, Kim Ha-neul. His stage debut occurred in 2006 at the age of sixteen with the musical The Celestial Watch, during his first year of high school. Securing a lead role in his first musical reportedly led to the development of stage fright. A teacher advised him regarding the constraints of the stage, stating: "There is no place to hide on the stage. You either win and take control, or you lose and give up." This advice prompted Kang to relearn basic skills in acting, like walking, hand movement, and speaking to overcome his anxieties.

In 2007, at the age of seventeen, Kang secured a main lead role in the KBS Sunday drama My Mom! Super Mom! [ko]. For his first scene, which involved playing baseball—a sport he was unfamiliar with—he dedicated a week to practicing at a batting cage. His preparation resulted in a performance that garnered praise from the director. He was cast as Choi Hoon, a popular high school student noted for his academic achievement and appearance, a role for which he was selected from approximately 800 candidates.

"It was a transitional period for me. I didn't feel ready for the acting, and I didn't like being thrust into the public eye through the drama. I really wanted to learn more by doing theater. So even as I was auditioning for My Mom! Super Mom!, I kept wanting to do theater. In the end, after the audition, I called the director and politely asked them if they could let me drop out, as I didn't want to do it."