Birth Name: Kim Yoon-Hwan (김윤환)
Stage Name: Kang Tae-Oh
Hangul: 강태오
Born: June 20, 1994
Birthplace: Incheon, South Korea
Height: 179 cm
Blood Type: B
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
In 2013, Kang made his acting debut in the web series After School: Lucky or Not together with the members of 5urprise – actor group formed by talent agency Fantagio. He then played a supporting role in MBC weekend drama Flower of Queen in 2015.
He also made his name in Vietnam by playing the lead role in the Korean-Vietnamese joint drama Forever Young.
In 2019, Kang joined the KBS historical drama The Tale of Nokdu, which earned him critical acclaim for acting in historical dramas; in the same year, he made a special appearance in the MBC drama Love with Flaws playing the role of Oh Yeon-seo’s ex-boyfriend. He later appeared in the Netflix original series My First First Love.
In 2020, Kang appeared in the JTBC drama Run On where he played an art student alongside Choi Soo-young. Later that same year, his contract with Fantagio expired and he moved to Man of Creation (M.O.C), an agency established by his former agency’s managers.
In 2021, Kang appeared in the drama Doom at Your Service and the one-act drama Drama Special – The Effect of One Night on Farewell.
In 2022, Kang made a special appearance in the drama Thirty-Nine as a friend of Lee Tae-hwan’s character. Later in the same year, he played one of the main characters in the drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
On August 31, 2022, Kang announced at a fan meeting that he would enlist for his mandatory military service on September 20, 2022. He conducted basic military training at the 37th Infantry Division Jeungpyeong-gun, North Chungcheong Province and then served as an assistant training instructor with the same division. Kang was discharged on March 19, 2024 after serving as an active duty soldier for 18 months.
The actor first studied film at Konkuk University.
He earned his nickname “Prince of Vietnam” through his work as Lee Jun-su in Forever Young, a two-part series produced between Vietnam and South Korea. He plays a character who’s a trainee in one of the country’s top entertainment companies, so it makes sense he looks TV-worthy with that side-swept fringe!
For a spread in Marie Claire Korea’s October 2019 issue, Tae Oh opened up that he’s always had a deep-rooted desire to step in front of the camera. “I have never thought about anything else since I decided to be an actor in elementary school,” he shares, adding that he wants “to be an actor who stays with people for a moment.”
Whereas most K-pop idols try out acting after releasing a record or two, Tae Oh and his After School castmates (minus So Eun) did the opposite. Their first song, Hey U Come On, was part of their show’s OST. A year later, the quintuplet made their official debut as 5urprise by releasing the single From My Heart. In 2020, all of them left their original agency Fantagio, and collectively moved to Man of Creation.
Tae Oh’s personal MBTI results are always a toss between INFP and INFJ.
Tae Oh donated ₩20.0 million KRW (about $14,900 USD) through the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association to help those affected by the recent heavy floods in Korea. He hoped his donation would help some victims return to normal circumstances through the restoration of damages.
Kang Tae Oh preferred to work out at home instead of in a fitness club or gym. He loved using the Phoenix Horizontal Bar installed in front of the bathroom in his home.
He loved to sleep and took advantage of his spare time to catch up on resting. When he doesn’t have a schedule the following day, he sleeps all day and doesn’t go out. He said sleeping is his only joy.
He wanted his mom to stop working before he went away for his military enlistment. With the tremendous success of Extraordinary Attorney Woo, he made his mom quit her job and provided funds for the rehabilitation of her back.