Son Woo-hyeon

2.1. Birth and Upbringing

Son Woo-hyeon was born Son Hyeon-seok on November 30, 1989, in the Seo district of Daejeon, the fifth-largest city in South Korea. He is the youngest of four children in his family. For his elementary education, he attended Seowon Elementary School in Daejeon. He then continued his schooling at Daejeon Samcheon Middle School and Chungnam High School for his secondary education.

2.2. Education

Following his secondary education, Son Woo-hyeon successfully enrolled in Kookmin University. He pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Department of Theater and Film, within the Faculty of Performing Arts.

3.1. Music Debut and Early Group Activities

Son Woo-hyeon began his professional career in the music industry. In 2009, he debuted as a member of the trio band "Three Musketeers" under Open World Entertainment, using the stage name Hwarang. In early March 2010, the group rebranded with a nursery rhyme dance concept, releasing the title song "먹어 먹어_{Meogeo Meogeo}^Korean" (Eat Eat). This track became widely recognized and was frequently used as background music in various South Korean reality shows, notably in Up To The King and Delicious Guys, particularly during scenes involving performers eating on-air.

In 2011, Open World Entertainment merged and rebranded the trio, leading to Son's debut as the leader of the K-pop idol group X-5 on April 19, 2011. Under the stage name Ghun, X-5 quickly gained attention and was known as "Tall Idols" due to the members' height. The group also received significant support as a "sibling-group" to The Boss, another boy band from the same agency. On April 22, 2011, X-5 released their single Xenos, featuring the title song "Shohajima," which they performed while wearing sunglasses, leaving a strong impression on audiences. Six months later, on December 9, 2011, they released the mini-album Dangerous, with the title track of the same name.

3.2. Military Service

On December 4, 2012, Son Woo-hyeon quietly enlisted in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces to fulfill his mandatory military service, aiming to avoid any disruptions to his career. During his conscription, he served as a sergeant in Air Force Flight 722 of the Republic of Korea Air Force. He was honorably discharged from service on December 4, 2014.

3.3. Acting Career

Following his military discharge, Son Woo-hyeon shifted his primary career focus to acting, taking on diverse roles in both film and television projects.

He secured multiple high-level endorsement deals starting in 2015, featuring in product launches and advertisements for major global brands such as Apple, Samsung, LG, Kia, and Nivea. Additionally, he played a leading role in the South Korean government's "X-project" campaign, managed by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.

In 2016, Son made his return to television with a role in Blow Breeze, a romance-comedy drama about a North Korean defector. The series, which aired on MBC, achieved an average nationwide viewership rating of 15% over its 50-episode run. Later that year, he transitioned to the silver screen, taking on a leading role in the short film Butterfly Effect.

His first feature film debut came in 2017 with a supporting role in Excavator, a war film depicting events during the Gwangju Uprising of May 18, 1980. The same year, he took on a leading role in the office-romance web series Love Intern Choi Woo Sung, portraying an intern confronting the realities of modern society. He also appeared in another 2017 web series, No Bad Days, which explored the life of a woman in her twenties balancing work, love, and relationships.

2018 saw Son's continued rise in the acting industry. He appeared in Live, a television series directed by Kim Kyu-tae and starring Lee Kwang-soo, which gained significant attention through its release on both Netflix and cable television. His portrayal of a patrol police officer in the series garnered positive feedback from viewers. A few months later, Son featured in Just Dance, a life and sport drama based on a documentary. He also reprised his role in No Bad Days 2, a sequel to the 2017 web series.

From 2019 onwards, Son's career saw an elevation in public recognition and role opportunities, particularly through increased participation in mainstream television series produced by leading South Korean broadcasters like MBC, SBS, and TvN. These productions often achieve high viewership and global interest through the Hallyu phenomenon. He starred in Nokdu Flower, an SBS historical series focusing on the Donghak Peasant Revolution of 1894. In this series, Son portrayed Lee Gyu-tae, a righteous and sympathetic commander of the Joseon Imperial Guard who aids the uprising peasants despite their opposing stances. The series achieved strong ratings, with 13.2% in the Seoul metropolitan area and 11.5% nationwide.

In the same year, Son was cast in TvN's Drama Stage Season 3 in the segment "Woman with a Bleeding Ear," playing the boyfriend of the character Kim Soo Hee. He also starred in the YouTube-exclusive web series About Youth (2019), which depicted the inspiring stories of four young individuals pursuing their dreams against social and cultural stigmas. In film, he took on a supporting role in Crazy Romance (2019), a commercial film directed by Kim Han Gyeol. In 2020, Son starred as Hae-sung in the youth action film Justice High, directed by Chae Yeo-jun.

In 2021, Son Woo-hyeon signed an exclusive contract with King Kong by Starship, a subsidiary of Starship Entertainment, a prominent entity in the K-pop industry. This move marked a significant step in his career, aligning him with a major entertainment agency.

3.4. Music and Songwriting Career

Beyond his acting endeavors, Son Woo-hyeon has maintained an active presence in the music industry as both a singer and a songwriter. He has contributed his vocals to original soundtracks for various dramas and has been credited for writing and composing several songs. His musical contributions often complement his acting projects, particularly for the series in which he stars.

3.5. Stage Performances

Son Woo-hyeon has also performed on stage in both theatrical plays and musical productions.

3.6. Commercials and Endorsements

Son Woo-hyeon has been featured in various advertising campaigns and brand promotions for a range of companies, showcasing his presence in the commercial sector.

• 2015: Nivea Hand Cream - "A Mother's Heart Sending Her Son to the Military" campaign (Soldier's Story)
• 2015: Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning's X-Project - Launch campaign
• 2016: DL E&C e-Pyeonhan Sesang
• 2017: LG Uplus - iPhone 7 campaign
• 2017: Kia - All New Morning (print advertisement)
• 2018: KT - Pyeongchang 5G Olympics "Achievement" campaign
• 2020: Samsung Electronics - Grande AI Dryer
• 2021: Shinyoung Securities - Family Heritage Service "No Matter What Anyone Says, My Son" campaign

4.1. Soundtrack Appearances

4.2. Music Video Appearances