The year he turned 26, he was one of eight finalists chosen from 1,400 Gag Concert applicants and became a comedian through KBS’s 30th open recruitment. In 2016, he drew attention in the Gag Concert segment “One on One” as a character parodying the actor Yoo Ah-in.
In 2018, he appeared in the Gag Concert segment “Da It-Show,” playing music with his body. In 2019, he appeared in the segment “Omok Goshiwon.” In 2020, Gag Concert ended and he lost his TV stage. The year he turned 32, he started the YouTube channel Shortbox with fellow comedians Jo Jin-se and Eom Ji-yun.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 33, the Shortbox video “Long-term Relationship – Should We Go to a Motel?” saw its views surge, and the channel became known. That August, he married a non-celebrity he had met at his university.
In 2023, he won the Popularity Award in the male variety category at the Asia Model Awards and appeared on KBS’s The Seasons with Jo Jin-se and Eom Ji-yun. In 2024, he appeared on ENA’s Nae Gwie Ttinggok.
In 2025, he appeared in Coupang Play’s Jikjangindeul season 1 and SNL Korea season 7, and on SBS’s My Turn and ENA’s Gilchirado Gwaenchana. That December, he won the Male Rookie Award at the SBS Entertainment Awards.
In 2026, he became a new MC of the YouTube show Yeongeopjung and released the Netflix variety show Sergeant Kim at Military. In July, he won Best Male Entertainer at the Blue Dragon Series Awards for his work in SNL Korea season 8. In September, he won two awards at the 2026 Brand of the Year Awards.
Kim Won-hoon (born Jan 1989) debuted as a comedian through KBS’s 30th open recruitment in 2015, the year he turned 26. He became known on Jan 13, 2022, the year he turned 33, when the Shortbox video “Long-term Relationship – Should We Go to a Motel?” drew a surge of views. In 2026, the year he turned 37, he won Best Male Entertainer at the Blue Dragon Series Awards.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Was one of eight finalists chosen from 1,400 applicants to Gag Concert and became a comedian through KBS’s open recruitment. He said he was encouraged by Yoo Jae-suk at that year’s KBS entertainment awards.
Source 01 · Mydaily (Korean) · You Quiz on the Block · opens in a new tabSource 02 · Newsen (Korean) · Debut with KBS’s 30th open recruitment · opens in a new tabIn a segment with Lee Se-jin, played Yoo Wa-in, a character parodying the actor Yoo Ah-in.
Source 03 · TV Daily (Korean) · “One on One” segment · opens in a new tabTook part in the team Momkestra, which plays music with their bodies instead of instruments.
Source 04 · Herald Muse (Korean) · Da It-Show · opens in a new tabAppeared with Jo Jin-se, Hwang Jeong-hye and others.
Source 05 · Electronic Times (Korean) · Omok Goshiwon · opens in a new tabHe lost his TV stage. He said he stayed at home for about three to four months afterward.
Source 06 · MK Sports (Korean) · Hard times after Gag Concert ended · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Mydaily (Korean) · You Quiz on the Block · opens in a new tabStarted the channel with fellow comedians Jo Jin-se and Eom Ji-yun. It did not draw much attention at first, and he said earnings were small for the first two years or so.
Source 07 · Gukje News (Korean) · Shortbox reaches 2 million subscribers · opens in a new tabSource 06 · MK Sports (Korean) · Hard times after Gag Concert ended · opens in a new tabViews surged as the video was picked up by YouTube’s algorithm, and Shortbox became known. In that year’s year-end roundup, the video ranked fifth among popular videos and Shortbox was named the most popular YouTube creator.
Married a non-celebrity six years his junior, whom he had met as a fellow student at his university, after eight years together.
Source 09 · Star News (Korean) · Yeonae Jeonjaeng · opens in a new tabSource 19 · Geumgang Ilbo (Korean) · April Fools’ Day wedding for “Long-term Relationship” · opens in a new tabAlso threw the ceremonial first pitch at an SSG Landers opening game and a semi-playoff game.
Source 11 · Edaily (Korean) · An all-round charmer · opens in a new tabAppeared with Jo Jin-se and Eom Ji-yun and performed live.
Source 10 · OSEN (Korean) · The Seasons · opens in a new tabAppeared on the Jan. 13 and 20 broadcasts and performed songs.
Source 11 · Edaily (Korean) · An all-round charmer · opens in a new tabPlayed a junior staff member in an office comedy set at the fictional marketing company DY Planning.
Source 12 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · Jikjangindeul season 3 · opens in a new tabSource 13 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · SNL Korea season 7 · opens in a new tabRejoined as a crew member of SNL Korea, where he had been since season 2.
Source 13 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · SNL Korea season 7 · opens in a new tabAppeared as the youngest manager of the fictional team Trotdol 5.
Source 14 · Sports Donga (Korean) · My Turn · opens in a new tabCo-hosted with Song Hae-na.
Source 15 · TV Daily (Korean) · Gilchirado Gwaenchana · opens in a new tabWon it for My Turn. He said he had debuted in 2015 and was marking his tenth year.
Source 16 · Hankook Ilbo (Korean) · 2025 SBS Entertainment Awards · opens in a new tabIn his first episode, took part in a skit and a balance-game segment.
Source 17 · Sports Donga (Korean) · Joins Yeongeopjung · opens in a new tabA variety show built around him, in which he re-enlists in the army as its premise and tries out various military posts.
Source 18 · Topstar News (Korean) · Sergeant Kim at Military · opens in a new tabAppeared as a core crew member in the new season, whose first host was Tak Jae-hoon.
Source 22 · Newspim (Korean) · SNL Korea season 8 · opens in a new tabIn an April Fools’ Day event with a fake wedding to Eom Ji-yun, the long-running couple setup was brought to an end. Kim Won-hoon had actually married a non-celebrity in 2022.
Source 19 · Geumgang Ilbo (Korean) · April Fools’ Day wedding for “Long-term Relationship” · opens in a new tabSource 25 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · 30th open recruitment and the “Long-term Relationship” event · opens in a new tabIn a reality show following Lee So-ra and Hong Jin-kyung’s runway challenge, took his first regular MC role in an MBC variety show since debut. The actor Lee Dong-hwi joined him.
Source 20 · TenAsia (Korean) · Sora and Jin-kyung · opens in a new tabAppeared in the “Why Not?” campaign, which leans on deliberately cheesy humor.
Source 21 · Financial Review (Korean) · Terra Zero ad · opens in a new tabWon it for his work in SNL Korea season 8.
Source 23 · YTN (Korean) · Blue Dragon Series Awards win · opens in a new tabA variety show in which he invests 30 million won of his own money in stocks.
Source 23 · YTN (Korean) · Blue Dragon Series Awards win · opens in a new tabWon for Shortbox in the YouTube channel category and Yeongeopjung in the web variety category.
Source 24 · Star News (Korean) · 2026 Brand of the Year Awards · opens in a new tab The date is when he posted the news of the awards on social media; the date of the ceremony was not confirmed in news reports.END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2015–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.
Comedy · South Korea
Jan 1989 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1989: the year of the event minus 1989, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.29 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.