Seo In-guk

Seo In-guk (born October 23, 1987) is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actor.

Seo was born on October 23, 1987, in Ulsan, where he lived with his parents and younger sister.

He grew up in relative poverty; his mother worked as a recyclables collector and his father as a welder.

Seo trained as a ssireum wrestler, learnt boxing and mixed martial arts in school and is a Hapkido 2nd dan.

He decided to become a singer at the age of ten, after being inspired by the Korean rock musician Kim Jung-min and watching him perform Sad Promise.

Seo performed at family gatherings and school events, and moved to Seoul alone at the age of 20 to pursue his dream of becoming a singer despite his father's objections.

While studying Applied Music at Daebul University, Seo auditioned for various record agencies such as JYP Entertainment and DSP Media but to no success.

After repeatedly being rejected and told to lose weight, he struggled with bulimia for a time.

Seo later enrolled at Kyung Hee Cyber University, Department of Information and Communication.

He also pursued Master's degrees in Performing Arts at Dongguk University and Practical Music (Composition) at Baekseok University.

He landed his first leading role later that year, in cable channel tvN's '90s nostalgic hit drama Reply 1997.

Seo's portrayal of a teenage boy in unrequited love with his childhood best friend won praise from both audiences and critics.

Yonhap News praised, "It's hard to believe he's a rookie, from acting in his eyes, to handling lines and expressing emotions".

As part of the drama's soundtrack, Seo recorded two duets with co-star Jung Eun-ji.

The first duet "All For You", a remake of the song by Cool, topped weekly and monthly music charts and became one of the best-selling singles of the year on the Gaon Digital Chart.

The single also won the Best OST award at the Melon Music Awards and Mnet Asian Music Awards that year.

Seo appeared in MBC's weekend drama The Sons (also known as Rascal Sons) in the same year, and also signed with Japanese agency Irving Entertainment.

He launched his singing career after winning the talent reality show Superstar K in 2009, and made his acting breakthrough in Reply 1997 (2012).

In 2009, Seo competed in the Mnet singing competition program Superstar K, winning the show's first season.

On October 27, 2009, he released his debut extended play Calling, with the same-title lead single composed by Bang Si-hyuk topping multiple music sites on its release day.

Seo signed with Jellyfish Entertainment in the same year and won the Male Newcomer of the Year Award at the 2009 Cyworld Digital Music Awards.

In May 2010, Seo released his first single album Just Beginning with the lead single "I Love U".

Seo made a brief foray into acting for the single's music video, to which he described his first acting experience as "awkward", saying, "I felt my hands and feet shrivel."

The album reached number seven on the Gaon Album Chart, while the single peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart.

A repackage edition of the album titled My Baby U was released three months later.

Having lost over 33 pounds (15 kg) since his debut through exercise and strict diet control, Seo's changes in his physical appearance brought about rumors of plastic surgery.

In 2011, shifting his sound, Seo released the single Broken incorporating choreography into his performance, as well as summer dance track Shake It Up in which he penned the lyrics for.

Despite a successful debut, Seo reportedly received the "cold shoulder" treatment from the three major Korean public networks, as he was a cable television star.

In 2012, Seo was part of the cast of the jukebox musical Gwanghwamun Love Song and made his onscreen acting debut with a supporting role in KBS's Love Rain.

According to Seo, his role in Love Rain came at a time when he was feeling anxious about the life of an entertainer, and fueled his desire for acting.

Since then, he has starred in television series Master's Sun (2013), High School King of Savvy (2014), Hello Monster (2015), Squad 38 (2016), Shopping King Louie (2016), The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018), Doom At Your Service (2021), Café Minamdang (2022), and Death's Game (2023).

Seo joined the newly launched reality/variety show I Live Alone from January to June 2013.

He returned to the music scene in April 2013 with the single With Laughter or with Tears, the first soulful ballad from his discography.

Several weeks later, the song was followed by his Japanese debut with the release of the single Fly Away.

In June 2013, he was cast in Master's Sun, a drama series written by the Hong sisters, playing a former soldier who served in the Zaytun Division who becomes the head of security for a shopping mall company.

In October 2013, he starred in his first big-screen leading role in No Breathing, a coming-of-age film about two swimming rivals, alongside Lee Jong-suk and Kwon Yuri.

He then played a dual role in Another Parting, a five-episode miniseries about a man and a woman who meet in the final moment of their lives and spend one special day together.

In 2014, Seo released his first Japanese album titled Everlasting, which comprises his previously released singles "Fly Away" and "We Can Dance Tonight".

The album also features a new track titled "Everlasting Love" with a total of 12 tracks.

The album debuted at number nine on the Oricon Daily Chart.