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Yim Si-wan

Yim Si-wan

Actor · Born December 1, 1988 (37) · Busan, South Korea

Yim Si-wan (born Yim Woong-jae, December 1, 1988) is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as a member of the South Korean boy group ZE:A and its sub-group ZE:A Five. As an actor, he is known for starring in the film The Attorney (2013) as well as the television series Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014) and Run On (2020). He gained international recognition for his role in the second and third seasons of Squid Game (2024–2025).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 1, 1988 (37)
From
Busan, South Korea
Works as
Actor
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Up 47% in 30 days

What are Yim Si-wan's films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Genres

Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile
: 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
Self
30%
Morality
17%
Bonds
16%
Power
15%
Survival
12%
Society
7%
Ideas
4%
Purpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 0 · Dark 7

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

Grounded 6 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 5

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

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

A split, not a type: Casual 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 4

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

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 6

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

11 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 6 of 11 analyzed roles.

Hero
6 of 11
Trickster
2 of 11
Herald
1 of 11
Shapeshifter
1 of 11
Shadow
1 of 11
Show the 11 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Dread
5
Hopeful
5
Melancholic
7
Thrilling
4
Other
12

How their films linger

Hopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous4
  • Cyclical1

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 Yim Si-wan's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Yim Si-wan'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

38 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page; 17 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Love in Disguise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 12 episodes · as Yoon Yi-jun

  • Mantis(2025)

    as Lee Han-wool / Mantis

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Getaway and Go with Jangdobari (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Once Upon a Boyhood(2023)

    Show 10 episodes · as Jang Byung-tae

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Road to Boston(2023)

    as Seo Yoon-bok

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Honey Sweet(2023)

    as Serenade Man

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Unlocked(2023)

    as Oh Jun-yeong

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Summer Strike (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 12 episodes · as Ahn Dae-beom

  • Lean on Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Emergency Declaration(2021)

    as Ryu Jin-seok

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Thirty Nine(2022)

    Show 1 episode · as Yim Si-wan

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Tracer(2022)

    Show 16 episodes · as Hwang Dong-joo

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Squid Game(2021)

    Show 13 episodes · as Lee Myung-gi / Player 333

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Run On(2020)

    Show 16 episodes · as Ki Seon-gyeom

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Missing: The Other Side(2020)

    Show 1 episode · as merry-go-round man

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Hell Is Other People(2019)

    Show 10 episodes · as Yoon Jong-woo

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • My Catman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 10 episodes · as Ji-baek

  • The King in Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 40 episodes · as Wang Won

  • The Merciless(2017)

    as Jo Hyun-su

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • One-Line(2017)

    as Min-jae

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • A Melody to Remember(2016)

    as Han Sang-yeol

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • ZE:A JAPAN TOUR My Sweety (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Actor

  • Incomplete Life(2014)

    Show 20 episodes · as Jang Geu-rae

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Triangle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 26 episodes · as Yoon Yang-ha / Jang Dong-woo

  • MY K-STAR ZE:A (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Actor

  • The Attorney(2013)

    as Park Jin-woo

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Waiting for Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 2 episodes · as Jung Jin Gook

  • Incomplete Life: Prequel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Actor

  • ZE:A PHOENIX LIVE TOUR 2012 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Actor

  • Reply 1997(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as ROTC chatmate

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Dream Concert 2012 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as MC

  • The Man from the Equator (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 20 episodes · as teenage Jang-il

  • Moon Embracing the Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 20 episodes · as Heo Yeom (young)

  • Law of the Jungle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 11 episodes · Actor

  • Ronin Pop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Lee

  • Running Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 3 episodes · Actor

  • Prosecutor Princess(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as Club man

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • 모둡 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 38 titles, 37 of them dated from 2010 to 2026; peak year 2016.

Biggest box office

The Attorney (2013)

$79M worldwide

Highest rated

Incomplete Life (2014)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Squid Game (2021)

Film career

20102026

Peak 2016 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 8 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.

  • 2012Screen debut· Moon Embracing the Sun
  • 2013First film· The Attorney
  • 2016First top-billed film· A Melody to Remember
  • 2025Best so far· Mantis

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting38 of 38: 38 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score81st

By decade

2010s22 · acting2020s15 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 43% of 7 roles

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.

How do Yim Si-wan's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 79th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 82nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

A Melody to Remember (2016)

64th percentile spread · 10% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Incomplete Life (2014)

Midcredits 98th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the acting 78/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 50. 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 Yim Si-wan's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles65–91 · median 82 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles5–39 · median 13 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles38–64 · median 46 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles34–41 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles73–92 · median 83 · severeheavier 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 Yim Si-wan work with?

People who share at least 2 of Yim Si-wan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kim Hee-won shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Producers