Son Seung-won

Son Seung-won (born June 29, 1990) is a South Korean former actor and musical theatre performer.^[1][2] He debuted in the entertainment industry in 2009, initially focusing on musicals and stage productions before transitioning to film and television.^[3] Son gained prominence for his versatile supporting roles in popular K-dramas, including the antagonist in Healer (2014), a key character in Hello Monster (also known as I Remember You, 2015), the shy resident in Welcome to Waikiki (2018), and the endearing housemate in Age of Youth season 2 (2017).^[1][4] He was particularly noted in the theatre community as the youngest Korean actor to star in the lead role of the Korean staging of Hedwig and the Angry Inch in 2013.^[2] His career effectively ended in 2019 following a series of driving under the influence (DUI) offenses, including a fourth incident in December 2018 that involved hit-and-run and driving without a license, for which he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.^[5][4] Since his release, Son has not returned to acting or public performances, marking his retirement from the industry.^[6]

Early life and education

Upbringing

Son Seung-won was born on June 29, 1990, in Seoul, South Korea.^[7] Raised in Seoul's urban environment, Son experienced a childhood shaped by the city's cultural and social dynamics, though public details on his family background, including parents and siblings, remain limited.^[3] His early personal profile includes a height of 177 cm, weight of 63 kg, and blood type AB.^[7] Son's initial interest in the performing arts emerged from personal experiences in his youth, including school-related activities that introduced him to stage performances and ignited his passion for acting.^[8]

Academic background

Son Seung-won attended Kaywon Arts High School, where he majored in the Department of Theater and Film.^[8] Initially lacking interest in acting or musicals despite his fondness for singing, he entered the school drawn by its relaxed dress code but soon became immersed in the performing arts after watching senior students perform the musical Fame, which inspired him to pursue musical theater as a career.^[8] During his time there, he took on the lead role in a school production of The Man Who Broke the Wall, an experience that honed his stage presence and acting skills.^[8] Following high school, Son enrolled at Seoul Institute of the Arts in the Acting Department, graduating from the program.^[9] After finishing his first semester, he took a leave of absence to prepare for military service but instead auditioned for and debuted in the musical Spring Awakening in 2009; he later returned to complete his studies.^[10] His university training, guided by seniors such as Song Chang-ui, emphasized acting techniques, vocal performance, and theatrical expression, building on his high school foundation to develop versatile skills in singing and character portrayal essential for musical theater.^[11] This formal education in the arts provided the structured groundwork that shaped his professional abilities in stage dynamics and emotional delivery.^[10]

Career

Musical theatre debut

Son Seung-won made his professional musical theatre debut in 2009 at the age of 19, portraying a supporting role in the Korean production of Spring Awakening at the Doosan Art Center Yonkang Hall. The production, a Korean adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical exploring adolescent turmoil in 19th-century Germany, received positive reception for its bold themes and youthful cast, with Son's performance contributing to the ensemble's recognition, including a win for Best Ensemble at the 15th Korean Musical Awards.^[12] Building on his debut, Son took on a series of early roles in 2010–2012 that showcased his versatility in supporting and lead parts. In 2010, he appeared in A Person Who Dreams (Dreamer), a musical about aspiring artists navigating personal and professional challenges. The following year, he played Him Chan in Welcome Mom, a family comedy-drama that highlighted his comedic timing during its run at the LG Arts Center. Also in 2011, he starred in Spirited, a production blending fantasy and historical elements, before taking on the role of Nathan Leopold in Thrill Me from late 2011 to 2012. In this two-hander musical based on the infamous Leopold and Loeb case, Son portrayed the intellectually driven accomplice opposite Lee Jung-hoon's Richard Loeb, earning praise for his intense dramatic delivery in the intimate staging at the Art One Theater. These roles helped establish Son as a promising talent in Seoul's musical scene, allowing him to hone his singing, acting, and stage presence amid a growing repertoire of contemporary and biographical works. A pivotal breakthrough came in 2013 when, at age 23, Son became the youngest Korean actor to lead as Hedwig in the Korean revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Myeongdong Theater. The cult classic, chronicling the life of a genderqueer rock singer, demanded raw emotional depth and vocal power, which Son delivered to critical acclaim, with reviewers lauding his transformative portrayal and androgynous charisma as a career-defining achievement that elevated his status from rising star to marquee name. The production's success, running through 2014, significantly boosted his visibility and fanbase in the theatre community. That same year, Son expanded his profile with the role of Koo Bon-ha in Trace U, a thriller musical about obsession and identity, and performed at the Seoul Musical Awards, further solidifying his prominence as one of Korea's emerging musical theatre leads.

Television and film roles

Son Seung-won made his screen debut in the 2011 sports drama film Glove, directed by Woo Min-ho, where he portrayed Park Choong-nam, a minor supporting character as part of the Gunsan commercial high school cheering squad.^[13] This credited role marked his initial foray into cinema following years focused on musical theatre.^[14] Transitioning to television, Son gained prominence with his supporting role in the 2014 action-romance series Healer, playing the young Kim Moon-sik, a truck driver central to the story's pivotal flashback sequences involving political intrigue and personal betrayals.^[15] Aired on KBS2, the drama's success, with ratings peaking at 11.2% and widespread acclaim for its plot twists and chemistry among leads, elevated Son's profile as a versatile supporting actor capable of intense dramatic moments.^[16] His performance in these youth-oriented flashbacks contributed significantly to his rising recognition in the industry.^[17] That year, he also appeared as Han Jin-woo, a medical student and talented singer, in the family melodrama Love & Secret (KBS2). Between 2015 and 2018, Son secured a series of key television roles that highlighted his adeptness at portraying youthful, often comedic or awkwardly endearing characters, solidifying his screen presence. In the 2015 mystery thriller I Remember You (also titled Hello Monster), he played Choi Eun-bok, a quirky rookie detective assisting in profiling a serial killer, bringing levity to the tense narrative. In 2016, he had a guest role as Byun Seung-mo in the legal drama My Lawyer, Mr. Jo (SBS). Later that year, Son starred as Lee Gun-woo in the MBC family-oriented series Person Who Gives Happiness, depicting a young man navigating relationships and personal growth amid everyday challenges, which allowed him to explore more grounded, relatable dynamics.^[18] He followed this with the role of Im Sung-min in JTBC's Age of Youth, a college friend and newspaper editor harboring subtle affections for lead character Song Ji-won, emphasizing his charm in slice-of-life scenarios.^[19] Reprising the character in Age of Youth 2 (2017), Son expanded Im Sung-min's arc to include deeper emotional conflicts and budding romance, earning praise for his nuanced portrayal of vulnerability.^[20] His standout comedic turn came in 2018's Welcome to Waikiki, where he embodied Bong Doo-sik, a shy, hapless freelance writer managing a guesthouse, whose timid antics and heartfelt sincerity became a highlight of the sitcom's humor.^[21] This phase of Son's career reflected a deliberate pivot from stage to screen, where his theatre roots enhanced his expressive timing, though he frequently encountered typecasting in lighthearted, youthful roles that leveraged his approachable demeanor and comic flair, culminating in heightened fan appeal by late 2018.^[22]

Filmography

Television series

Son Seung-won appeared in several South Korean television series from 2014 to 2018, in supporting and leading roles across drama and comedy genres. He had no television credits after 2018 due to a career interruption stemming from legal issues.^[3]

Films

Son Seung-won's limited film work primarily consists of a single supporting role in a feature film.

Legal issues

Drunk driving incidents

Son Seung-won had a documented history of drunk driving offenses that demonstrated a pattern of recidivism. He was convicted twice for DUI prior to 2018, receiving fines on both occasions without further imprisonment.^[30] In August 2018, he was caught driving under the influence for a third time, an incident that resulted in the revocation of his driver's license on November 18, 2018.^[4] The culminating incident occurred on December 26, 2018, around 4:20 a.m. in Seoul's Cheongdam-dong neighborhood, where Son, then a rising actor known for his role in the television series Welcome to Waikiki, was driving his father's Mercedes-Benz despite his revoked license. His blood alcohol concentration was measured at 0.206%, well above the legal limit, when he collided with an oncoming vehicle, injuring two men inside.^[31] Son attempted to flee the scene, but was apprehended by police shortly after, leading to his immediate arrest for drunk driving, hit-and-run, and operating a vehicle without a license. The case was prosecuted under the recently enacted Yoon Chang-ho Act, which imposes stringent penalties on repeat DUI offenders, including potential imprisonment of up to 15 years for incidents causing bodily injury.^[32] During the initial police questioning, Son falsely claimed that his passenger, fellow actor Jeong Hwi, had been the driver, in an apparent attempt to evade responsibility, though this was quickly disproven.^[33]

Imprisonment and release

In April 2019, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Son Seung-won to 18 months in prison after convicting him of driving under the influence, fleeing the scene of an accident, and operating a vehicle without a valid license.^[5] The court applied aggravated penalties under South Korea's special DUI laws, which impose harsher punishments for repeat offenses involving hit-and-run and unlicensed driving.^[34] Son appealed the verdict, but the Seoul High Court upheld the 18-month sentence in its ruling during the second trial in August 2019.^[35] Prosecutors did not file a separate appeal, confirming the original term without further legal challenges.^[36] Son began his incarceration in 2019 following the initial sentencing and was released on May 29, 2020, after serving approximately 13 months, with credit applied for pre-trial detention time.^[37] The prison term's length, exceeding 1.5 years, resulted in his exemption from mandatory military service as stipulated by South Korean military law for individuals receiving such sentences.^[36]

Aftermath

Career impact

Following his arrest in December 2018, Son Seung-won's acting projects were immediately halted, with ongoing promotional activities for his prior works, including Welcome to Waikiki, being abruptly terminated by broadcasters and agencies amid the unfolding scandal.^[6] This swift response from the industry reflected the severity of the charges, leading to his removal from all public-facing engagements and effectively pausing any potential new opportunities at the height of his rising popularity from 2016 to 2018.^[4] Son's screen career concluded definitively with no subsequent television or film roles after Welcome to Waikiki, as he faced de facto blacklisting within the Korean entertainment sector due to the scandal's repercussions.^[5] This blacklist extended to his established musical theatre presence, where despite prior acclaim in productions like Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The Days, he received no further casting opportunities, resulting in a complete loss of roles in the genre.^[6] The 2019 trials amplified public backlash, with widespread media coverage portraying Son as a repeat offender, which eroded his reputation and solidified his permanent professional hiatus.^[38] Netizens and outlets criticized his attempts to mitigate the situation, such as referencing military service for reflection, further alienating fans and stakeholders who had previously supported his versatile performances across theatre and screen.^[34] This intense scrutiny contributed to an industry-wide aversion, ensuring his absence from entertainment circles even after his release in May 2020.^[6]

Current activities

Following his release from prison on May 29, 2020, Son Seung-won has maintained a high degree of privacy and has not returned to the entertainment industry in any capacity.^[37][6] In the immediate aftermath, he made brief social media posts expressing remorse and reflections on his family, but these were met with significant public backlash, after which he deleted his Instagram account and ceased online activity.^[37][6] No confirmed non-acting pursuits, such as business ventures or public engagements, have been reported for him up to November 2025, with only minor, unverified sightings noted in media without further details.^[6] As of November 2025, Son is living privately in South Korea, and his career in acting and musical theatre is widely regarded as permanently ended.^[6] His situation underscores the broader implications for recidivist celebrities in the Korean entertainment industry, where repeated legal violations like drunk driving often lead to indefinite blacklisting and exclusion from professional opportunities, as seen in similar high-profile cases.^[39]