Im Si-wan, also known as Yim Si-wan, [1]The Korea Herald is a South Korean singer and actor. He is a member of the 2010 South Korean boy group ‘ZE:A’ and its sub-group ‘ZE:A Five.’ In 2023, he was announced to appear in the second season of the popular Netflix South Korean survival drama series ‘Squid Game.’
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Im Si-wan was born as Yim Woong-jae [2]International Business Times on Thursday, 1 December 1988 (age 34 years; as of 2022) in Busan, South Korea. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. He went to Gudeok High School in Busan. He studied mechanical engineering at Busan National University; however, he dropped out of college in the second year of his college after he won ‘Chin Chin Song Festival.’ [3]Newsen Later, he studied at the University of East Broadcasting Arts in Seoul. He is studying at Woosong Information College in Daejeon. [4]Nate News
A childhood image of Yim Si-wan
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Weight (approx.): 65 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 40″, Waist: 30″, Biceps: 12″
Family
Parents & Siblings
Yim Si-wan has an older sister.
Yim Si-wan with his family
Wife
He is unmarried.
Relationships/Affairs
During a fan meeting in 2021, when he was asked about how many times he had dated, he used to a mathematical equation to explain it to the audience. After solving the equation, he got -2 and 0 as the answers. Ultimately, he revealed that he had actually dated 0 times. [5]Koreaboo
Im Si-wan while solving a mathematical equation on the whiteboard
In an interview, he revealed that he didn’t have the opportunity to befriend girls because his parents didn’t allow him to date during his high school years. He also shared a story when he went against his mother’s wishes in an unusual manner. He said,
My parents are the type who would always say, ‘Oh you can do whatever you want later in college.’ It was my parents’ anniversary so I decided to go shopping for a present and I happened to be with a friend who was a girl. I didn’t think much of it since I wasn’t thinking about dating so she went with me when I went to pick out the present. I came home and gave my mom the present and told her how I went shopping with my friend to get the gift. Instead of being pleased with the gift, she just focused on the fact that I went with a girl, and wasn’t happy about it. I thought to myself, ‘Fine then, I just won’t ever date.’ Now that I’m older and in the entertainment field, she keeps saying, ‘There must be nice pretty girls all around you, when are you going to date?'” [6]Allkpop
Signature/Autograph
Career
Singer
ZE:A
Im Si-wan was scouted by Star Empire while attending the ‘Chin Chin Song Festival’ in Busan. He became a trainee and joined the nine-member group called ‘Children of Empire,’ where he underwent three years of training. In 2009, the group started doing surprise performances at various locations across South Korea. On 7 January 2010, the group officially debuted with their EP titled ‘Nativity’ under the name ZE:A.
Cover of the 2010 album ‘Nativity’
Before his debut, he officially changed his name from Yim Woong-jae to Yim Si-wan. He was one of the vocalists among the nine members of the group. The album ‘Nativity’ topped both ‘Album Chart’ and ‘Artist Chart’ on Kakao on the day of its release. In March 2011, the group released their first Korean studio album titled ‘Lovability.’
Cover of the 2011 album ‘Lovability’
ZE:A Five
In 2013, he debuted as a member of the sub-unit of ZE:A called ‘ZE:A-Five,’ which had four other members including Kevin, Minwoo, Hyungsik, and Dongjun. On 25 March 2013, the group released their debut album titled ‘Voulez-Vous.’
Cover of the 2013 album ‘Voulez-Vous’
OST of TV Shows
In 2014, he lent his voice to the song ‘But Still.. So..’ from the South Korean TV series titled ‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life.’ He has recorded many songs including ‘My Heart’ from the TV show ‘The King in Love’ (2017), ‘I And You’ from ‘Run On’ (2021), and ‘Fire’ from ‘Tracer’ (2022).
Actor
Musical Theatre
In 2013, he portrayed the character of Joseph in a sung-through musical titled ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ held in Seoul.
Yim Si-wan during his performance in ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’
TV
TV Series
In 2010, he made his acting debut with the South Korean TV series ‘Prosecutor Princess’ in which he played a cameo role as a Club man.
Poster of the 2010 South Korean TV series ‘Prosecutor Princess’
In 2014, he made a special appearance as young Jeong Woo-sung in the TV series ‘A Bit of Love.’ In the 2014 TV series ‘Triangle,’ he played the youngest of three brothers who were separated during their childhood and grew up in a cold and wealthy chaebol family. In the 2014 webtoon adaptation and cable drama ‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life,’ he portrayed the character of Jang Geu-rae, a former baduk player who struggles to adapt to the corporate culture in Korea. ‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life’ was a huge success, achieving high viewership ratings with a peak of 8.4%, and it was considered a ‘cultural phenomenon.’ He has worked in many TV series including ‘Hell Is Other People’ (2019), ‘Tracer’ (2022), ‘Summer Strike’ (2022), and ‘Missing: The Other Side’ (2023).
Reality TV shows
In 2012, he appeared as a cast member in KBS2’s South Korean reality-variety TV show ‘Birth of a Family.’ In the same year, he was featured on season 2 of tvN’s variety show ‘House on Wheels.’
Film
In 2013, he made his film debut with the South Korean short film ‘Incomplete Life: Prequel.’ In the same year, Im Si-wan played a significant role as Park Jin-woo, a young student activist who was arrested and subjected to police torture on suspicion of having communist sympathies, in the courtroom drama film ‘The Attorney.’ For his outstanding performance in the film, Im Si-wan received many awards and accolades.
He appeared as Lee Min-jae, a clever conman, in the 2017 crime caper film’One Line.’ In the same year, he acted in the film ‘The Merciless,’ a crime action film in which he played an undercover cop involved with a drug-smuggling ring. His performance earned him an invitation to the 2017 Cannes Film Festival for the first time in his career. In 2021, he appeared in a South Korean disaster action thriller film titled ‘Emergency Declaration,’ which was screened at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
Web Series
In 2016, he played the role of Ji-baek in his first web series titled ‘My Catman,’ a Chinese-South Korean drama series. In 2023, he was cast in Netflix’s South Korean survival drama series ‘Squid Game 2.’
Awards, Honours, Achievements
Awards
- 2012: Best Newcomer in a Sitcom for the South Korean sitcom ‘Standby’ at the MBC Entertainment Awards
- 2014: Best Fashionista Award for the South Korean film ‘The Attorney’ at the Baeksang Arts Awards
- 2014: Popularity Award for the film ‘The Attorney’ at the Blue Dragon Film Awards
Yim Si-wan at the Blue Dragon Film Awards 2014
- 2014: Popularity Award for the film ‘The Attorney’ at the Grand Bell Awards
- 2014: Popularity Award for the film ‘The Attorney’ at the Korean Film Actor’s Association Awards
- 2014: Best New Actor for the film ‘The Attorney’ at the Max Movie Awards
- 2014: Best New Actor for the film ‘The Attorney’ at the Marie Claire Film Awards
- 2014: Best New Actor for the South Korean TV series ‘Triangle’ at the MBC Drama Awards
- 2015: Excellence Award and Actor in a Miniseries for the South Korean TV series ‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life’ at the APAN Star Awards
- 2015: Asia Special Award, Actor for the TV series ‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life’ at the Asia Model Festival
Im Si-wan at the Asia Model Festival in 2015
- 2015: Best New Actor – Television Award for the TV series ‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life’ at the Baeksang Arts Awards
- 2015: Best Actor Award for the TV series ‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life’ at the Cable TV Broadcasting Awards
- 2015: Actor Special Jury Prize for the TV series ‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life’ at the Korea Drama Awards
- 2015: Special Achievement Award by the Korea Financial Services Commission
- 2016: Best Idol Actor Award for the TV series ‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life’ at the InStyle Star Icon
- 2016: Rising Star Award at the Max Movie Awards
- 2017: Popularity Award – Actor for the South Korean film ‘The Merciless’ at The Seoul Awards
- 2022: Best Supporting Actor for the South Korean film ‘Emergency Declaration’ at the Buil Film Awards
Yim Si-wan at Builfilm Awards in 2022
- 2022: Best Supporting Actor for the film ‘Emergency Declaration’ at the Korean Film Producers Association Awards
- 2022: Buldak Rising Star Award for the film ‘Emergency Declaration’ London Asian Film Festival
Honours
- 2012: Honorary Ambassador of Korea Tourism Organization
- 2012: Brand Ambassador of Tissot Swatch Group Korea
- 2012: Brand Ambassador of Pret-a-Porter Busan (Busan Fashion Week)
- 2012: Honorary Ambassador of Woosong University of Informatics
- 2013: Brand Youth Ambassador of Gyeonggi Province
- 2014: High Ambassador of Korea International Trade Association
Im Si-wan appointed as the ambassador of the Korea International Trade Association
- 2014: Brand Ambassador of FinTech Financial Technology Group Inc
- 2023: PR Ambassador for the 2024 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan
Im Si-wan appointed as the PR Ambassador for the 2024 World Team Table Tennis Championships
Achievements
- 2015: Ranked 35th on the Korean Power Celebrity list by Forbes
Facts/Trivia
- Yim Si-wan often participates in marathons and has also won many medals at various marathon events.
Im Si-wan after winning a 10 Km marathon
- In his leisure time, he likes to cook food.
- On 11 July 2017, Im Si-wan started his mandatory military service. He was appointed as an assistant instructor for recruits because of his excellent performance. After completing his military duty, he was discharged on 27 March 2019.
- In 2019, he donated all his earnings from military service and some of his own personal money to Hyochon Elementary School in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province. [7]Soompi
- In 2020, he appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine.
Yim Si-wan on the cover of Cosmopolitan
- On 4 March 2022, he made a donation of ₩20 million to the Ukrainian Embassy in South Korea to assist the victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He also booked a 4-bed dormitory in Kyiv from 7 March 2022 to 4 April 2022, to provide support and aid to Ukrainian war victims. [8]Naver
- On 10 August 2022, he donated ₩20 million to support those impacted by the 2022 South Korean floods through the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association. [9]Naver
- On February 8, 2023, he contributed ₩10 million to aid the victims of the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake. He donated to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association to assist those affected by the natural disaster. [10]Naver
- According to Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), his personality type is ENFJ (Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging).
- Yim Si-wan follows a non-vegetarian diet.
Yim Si-wan having a non-vegetarian meal
- He is often spotted consuming alcohol in public. He likes to eat beef while drinking. [11]YouTube – GQ Korea
Yim Si-wan drinking alcohol and having a non-vegetarian meal
