Kim Kang-Hoon
Also known as Kang Pil-Gu from the KBS drama When The Camellia Blooms. A short profile of his cinematography and personality.
Short Profile
Kim Kang-Hoon is a child actor born in June 7th, 2009 in North Chungcheon, Cheongju. Before Kang-Hoon's debut in the Korean Drama Pride and Prejudice, he spent his childhood doing modeling and took part in a variety show called 오늘부터 엄마아빠 in the year 2013, one year before his debut in Pride and Prejudice.
From information I could find, he used to be under T1 Entertainment, and is now not represented by any agency. He usually introduces himself as 'Dongbaek's son, Pil-Gu,' in interviews or variety shows.
do you have a list of what dramas he appears iN?
Of course i do! Click the button below to see what dramas he is in with screenshots included.
What was his first drama?
From what I can track down, his first drama was Pride and Prejudice, which aired in 2014. He was a mute child with the name of Chan.
What was his breakthrough drama?
In my opinion, it was When The Camellia Blooms. where he acted as Kang Pil-Gu, Dong-Baek's 8 year old son. Although he has appeared on numerous dramas which were popular (i.e Hotel Del Luna, Mr. Sunshine).
Kim kang-hoon and variety shows
He also appears in variety shows, these shows include Knowing Brothers, Problem Child in the House, and Happy Together. He even has his own mukbang show, which is available to watch here.
Pride and Prejucide (2014, MBC) as Chan:
Please Come Back, Mister (2016, SBS) as Cha Yeong-Chan:
My Wife's Having An Affair This Week (2016, JTBC) as Do Jun-Soo:
Screenshot TBD
Chief Kim (2017) as young Kim Sung-Ryeong:
Screenshot TBD
Bad Thief, Good Thief (2017) as young Jang Dol-Mok:
Criminal Minds (2017, TVN) as Kang Han-Byeol:
A Person You May Know (2017, JTBC Web Drama) Cameo Appearance:
Doubtful Victory (2017) young Kim Jong-Sam:
Screenshot TBD
Mr. Sunshine (2018) young Choi Eugene:
Screenshot TBD
Ambergris (2018, Samsung Web Drama) Son:
Screenshot TBD
Children of Nobody (2018, MBC) Han Si-Wan:
Clean With Passion For Now (2018, JTBC) Ye-Joon:
Romance is a Bonus Book (2019, TVN) young Cha Eun-Ho:
Screenshot TBD
Hotel Del Luna (2019, TVN) young Go Chan-Sung:
Screenshot TBD
When The Camellia Blooms (2019, KBS) Kang Pil-Gu:
My Country: The New Age (2019, JTBC) young Nam Seon-Ho:
Screenshot TBD
The Game: Towards Zero (2020, MBC) young Goo Do Kyung:
Kingdom 2 (2020, Netflix) unknown name:
Startup/Sandbox (2020, TVN), young Nam Do-San, awaiting release.
Kang-Hoon in Pride and Prejudice
Chan first appeared in episode 2-3 (I forgot), when the cast had to investigate a murder of a little girl in a daycare center. Chan refuses to speak and only communicates with non-verbal language such as groaning, nodding, and crying. Han Yeol-Mu (a prosecutor) suspects that Chan and the girl (who is his sister) was abused by the daycare owner, and after gathering enough evidence manages to indict her with the murder of Chan's older sister.
In the end of the episode, Chan is taken in by the cast to live in the same boarding house they live in. Chan frequently appears on other episodes.
Kang-hoon as Kang-Pilgu
Kang Pil-Gu is Dongbaek's 8 year old son. This was his best role as a child actor, which led him to win Best Youth Actor in the KBS Drama Awards 2019 last year.
Pil-Gu is protective of Dongbaek because he knows that people hate his mom, which leads him to lash out at adults who try to flirt with her or yell at her. He may seem like an annoying character at first, but who can blame him?
A glance at Kang-Hoon's Personality
You'd be surprised to see how polite and well spoken Kang-Hoon is in real life. I recommend watching the variety shows he appears in if you want to have a glimpse of how he acts in real life. Don't worry, he's still as cute in these shows.
I've noticed that the cast in the variety shows often adore him for his cuteness, and even some idols are tempted to pinch his cheeks (cough Rowon cough).
4 year old Kang-Hoon was the most adorable kid I've ever seen. It's too bad his parents weren't celebrities, because if so, he'd be a great addition to the cast of The Return of Superman. I had to ask someone to grab the show for me since full episodes weren't available anywhere on the internet, the show was that obscure!
He's as cute as Aciel/Gunhoo is!
Fun Facts: (these are subject to change or edits)
Kang-Hoon seems to be afraid of rats. (Happy Together, E. 62)Kang-Hoon has a girlfriend whose name is Min-Seo who he claims to look like Irene from Red Velvet. (Knowing Brothers, E. 212)Kang-Hoon's favorite groups are Red Velvet and BTS. He admitted in MAMA 2019's Thank You Stage that he does not like TWICE. (not like as in does not stan TWICE, it is unknown whether he listens to TWICE or not)Kang Hoon's favorite Red Velvet member is Irene.He is called choco-mushroom by his friends because of his bowl cut. (Knowing Brothers, E. 212)He has a brother named Kim Ju-Won. Pictures of Ju-Won are occasionally posted in his Instagram.He says that he does acting practice with his mom. (Problem Child in the House, E.62)He says he wishes to pursue acting as his dream. (Knowing Brothers, E.212)He used to be afraid of dogs back in 2013, during the variety show 오늘부터 엄마아빠. He is still a bit uncomfortable around dogs in the variety show, What About My Age?Kang-Hoon had a short hair cut during the shooting of the 2017 movie Lucid Dream. This was a rare case as Kang-Hoon usually styles his hair in a bowl cut or has a hair cut which covers his forehead.He seems to like karaoke, and confidently sings out.He used to have the habit of picking his nose and eating his nose boogers. (오늘부터 엄마아빠)He is embarrassed of his own acting and visibly cringes when a clip of him is shown. (Happy Together, E.59)Kang-Hoon seems to be timid.He has not been to any acting schools. (source: https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/081/0003057446)