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Song Kang-ho

Song Kang-ho

Actor · Born January 17, 1967 (59) · Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, South Korea

Song Kang-ho (Korean: 송강호; born 17 January 1967) is a South Korean actor. Regarded as one of the most influential actors in Korean cinema, he has appeared in critically acclaimed films across various genres. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award, three Baeksang Arts Awards, four Blue Dragon Film Awards, and five Grand Bell Awards. In 2020, The New York Times named him one of the greatest actors of the 21st century. Song first gained recognition with the crime thriller No. 3 (1997), and later rose to prominence with Park Chan-wook's critically acclaimed film Joint Security Area (2000). He is known for his collaborations with filmmaker Bong Joon-ho in Memories of Murder (2003), The Host (2006), Snowpiercer (2013), and Parasite (2019). Song rose to wider international prominence for his performance in Parasite, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Picture. He has also worked extensively with director Kim Jee-woon, starring in five of his films: The Quiet Family (1998), The Foul King (2000), The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008), The Age of Shadows (2016), and Cobweb (2023). His other notable films include Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Secret Sunshine (2007), Thirst (2009), The Attorney (2013), The Throne (2015), A Taxi Driver (2017), and Broker (2022). Song has been named Gallup Korea's Film Actor of the Year four times (2013, 2017, 2019 and 2020). Description above from the Wikipedia article Song Kang-ho, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 17, 1967 (59)
From
Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, South Korea
Works as
Actor
Titles
31 on MovieCove · 46 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 13% in 30 days

What are Song Kang-ho's films like?

Across their 28 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Action11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 95th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
25%
Morality
23%
Self
18%
Power
13%
Survival
10%
Society
9%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 27 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 7 · Serious 2 · Dark 18

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 10 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 5

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 9 · Intense 17

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 14 · Whiplash 9

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 17 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 15 · Relentless 5

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 19 · Full focus 5

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 14

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 15 · Open-ended 9 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

26 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 16 of 26 analyzed roles.

Hero
16 of 26
Ally
3 of 26
Shadow
3 of 26
Mentor
2 of 26
Trickster
1 of 26
Shapeshifter
1 of 26
Show the 26 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
24
Melancholic
14
Absurd
6
Warm
5
Dread
6
Other
25

How their films linger

Haunting11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet14
  • Tragic6
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Song Kang-ho's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 31 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Song Kang-ho's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

46 credits, 31 with a MovieCove page; 16 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • One Win(2023)

    as Kim Woo-jin

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Uncle Samsik(2024)

    Show 16 episodes · as Park Doo-chill / Uncle Samsik

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all shows

  • Cobweb(2023)

    as Director Kim

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Beef(2023)

    Show 8 episodes · as Dr. Kim

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Emergency Declaration(2021)

    as Gu In-ho

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Broker(2022)

    as Sang-hyun

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The King's Letters(2019)

    as King Sejong

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Parasite(2019)

    as Kim Ki-taek

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Drug King(2018)

    as Lee Doo-sam

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • A Taxi Driver(2017)

    as Kim Man-seob

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Decades Apart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Sgt. Oh Kyeong-pil

  • The Age of Shadows(2016)

    as Lee Jung-chool

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Throne(2015)

    as King Yeongjo

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Interview(2014)

    as Soldier Watching the Interview (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Attorney(2013)

    as Song Woo-seok

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Face Reader(2013)

    as Nae-kyung

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Snowpiercer(2013)

    as Namgoong Minsu

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Day Trip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Teacher

  • Howling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Jo Sang-gil

  • Hindsight(2011)

    as Du-heon

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Making of Thirst (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Actor

  • A Little Pond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Police officer

  • Secret Reunion(2010)

    as Lee Han-kyu

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Thirst(2009)

    as Priest Sang-hyeon

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Good, the Bad, the Weird(2008)

    as Yoon Tae-goo

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Secret Sunshine(2007)

    as Kim Jong-chan

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Show Must Go On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Kang In-goo

  • The Host(2006)

    as Park Gang-du

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Sympathy for Lady Vengeance(2005)

    as Assassin 1

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Antarctic Journal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Choi Do-hyung

  • The Power of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Actor

  • The President's Barber (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Seong Han-mo

  • Memories of Murder(2003)

    as Detective Park Doo-man

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • YMCA Baseball Team (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Lee Ho-chang

  • Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance(2002)

    as Dong-jin

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Joint Security Area(2000)

    as Sgt. Oh Kyeong-pil

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Foul King(2000)

    as Lim Dae-ho

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Shiri(1999)

    as Lee Jang-gil

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Quiet Family(1998)

    as Young-min

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • No. 3 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Jo-pil

  • Timeless Bottomless Bad Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Big Eyes

  • Green Fish(1997)

    as Pan-su

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well(1996)

    as Dong-suk

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Drishyam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Gardeners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Choi Young-il

  • Reunion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Seong-jun

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 46 titles, 43 of them dated from 1996 to 2024; peak year 2023.

Biggest box office

Parasite (2019)

$263M worldwide

Highest rated

Parasite (2019)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

19962024

Peak 2023 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 14 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1996Screen debut· The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well
  • 2000First top-billed film· The Foul King
  • 2019Career best· Parasite
  • 2023Career best· BEEF

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting45 of 46: 45 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score85thProducing1 of 46: 1 only producing, 0 with another role

By decade

1990s6 · acting2000s14 · acting2010s17 · acting2020s6 · acting

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 68% of 31 roles
9601061116

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Song Kang-ho's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 85th percentile, the median of all 29; across their 27 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 85th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 27

Approval · how many liked their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 27

Reach · how many have seen their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 27

Midcredits score across 31 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up22
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 31 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

The King's Letters (2019)

88th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Parasite (2019)

Midcredits 99th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the acting 81/100 in their films, across 26 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 59. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Song Kang-ho's work okay for kids?

Across up to 15 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore13 titles45–94 · median 78 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity15 titles5–72 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity12 titles34–68 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs12 titles28–64 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense13 titles62–84 · median 74 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Song Kang-ho work with?

People who share at least 2 of Song Kang-ho's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kim Sang-beom shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles