A MODERN
BIOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
THE COLLECTION / Film & TVARCHIVE № 303
1967 —   ACTOR

SULKYUNG-GU

May 1, 1967South Korea

What happened at what age?
Where were they at your age?

The year he turned 26, he debuted in the play Simbasaemae.

The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 33, he played the lead, Kim Yeong-ho, in Lee Chang-dong’s film Peppermint Candy. The film opened at midnight on the first day of the new millennium, and that year he won best new actor at the Grand Bell Awards and best actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.

In 2002, he appeared in Public Enemy and Oasis, and at the end of the year he won the Blue Dragon best actor award again for Public Enemy. In December 2003, Silmido opened. In February 2004, Silmido became the first Korean film to pass 10 million admissions. In January 2005, Another Public Enemy opened.

In May 2009, he married the actress Song Yoon-ah, and in August Haeundae passed 10 million admissions, making him the first actor in Korean film history to star in two 10-million films, after Silmido.

In 2013, Hope was released. In 2014, he was appointed a distinguished visiting professor in the Department of Theater and Film at Hanyang University. In 2016, it was announced that he would host the Busan International Film Festival opening ceremony. In May 2017, he went to the Cannes Film Festival with The Merciless, and in September Memoir of a Murderer opened.

In 2021, he played Jeong Yak-jeon in The Book of Fish. In January 2022, Kingmaker opened, and in April he worked with Netflix for the first time on the film Yaksha: Ruthless Operations. In 2023, the Netflix film Kill Boksoon was released. The year he turned 57, he took his first lead role in a drama, in the series The Whirlwind.

In September 2025, he made a special appearance in Mantis, and in October the Netflix film Good News was released. In August 2026, the Netflix drama Mousetrap was released.

Sul Kyung-gu (born May 1, 1967) debuted in 1993, the year he turned 26, in the play Simbasaemae, and became known when the film Peppermint Candy opened on Jan 1, 2000, the year he turned 33. His first 10-million film, Silmido, came in 2004, the year he turned 37.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.

Full timeline · 25 records1993 — 2026   ＋
AGE / YEAR

  1. 26 · 1993
  2. 33 · 2000
  3. 33 · 2000
  4. 35 · 2002
  5. 35 · 2002
  6. 35 · 2002
  7. 36 · 2003
  8. 37 · 2004
  9. 38 · 2005
  10. 42 · 2009
  11. 42 · 2009
    Key moment

    Haeundae passes 10 million admissions, his second 10-million film

    It was the fifth Korean film to pass 10 million. With Silmido before it, he became the first actor in Korean film history to star in two 10-million films.

    Source 14 · Newsen (Korean) · Haeundae plaque of appreciation · opens in a new tab The article says it passed 10 million on Aug. 23, 33 days after release, but its account of the opening date and the date it passed 10 million is unclear, so only the month is given.
  12. 46 · 2013
  13. 47 · 2014
  14. 49 · 2016
  15. 50 · 2017
  16. 50 · 2017
  17. 54 · 2021
  18. 55 · 2022
  19. 55 · 2022
  20. 56 · 2023
  21. 57 · 2024
  22. 58 · 2025
  23. 58 · 2025
  24. 59 · 2026

END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1993–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.

02 / QUICK ANSWERS

Q & AFrequently asked

How old was Sul Kyung-gu when he debuted?
In 1993, the year he turned 26. He debuted in the play Simbasaemae.
How old was Sul Kyung-gu when he became famous?
In 2000, the year he turned 33, he became known as the lead of the film Peppermint Candy. That year he won best new actor at the Grand Bell Awards and best actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.
Which 10-million films has Sul Kyung-gu starred in?
Silmido in 2004 and Haeundae in 2009. Newsen reported that with Haeundae he became the first actor in Korean film history to star in two 10-million films.
Which Netflix works has Sul Kyung-gu appeared in?
Yaksha: Ruthless Operations in 2022, Kill Boksoon in 2023, The Whirlwind in 2024, Good News in 2025 and Mousetrap in 2026. He made a special appearance in Mantis in 2025. OhmyNews counts Mousetrap as his sixth Netflix work, including the special appearance.
How old is Sul Kyung-gu?
Born in 1967, he turns 59 in 2026 (59 as of Oct 2, 2026).
04 / ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

A LIFE,
IN CHAPTERS.

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.

COLLECTION303Sul Kyung-gu / SUL KYUNG-GU

Film & TV · South Korea
May 1, 1967 —

Sources and method26 SOURCES   ＋

Ages are counted from the birth year 1967: the year of the event minus 1967, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.

  1. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · New film Peppermint Candy ↗Dec. 23, 1999: opens at midnight on the first day of the new millennium; introduces the cast as made up of up-and-coming actors
  2. The Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · 37th Grand Bell Awards ↗Ceremony Apr. 18, 2000: Peppermint Candy won five categories; best new actor Sul Kyung-gu
  3. Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · 21st Blue Dragon Film Awards ↗Ceremony Dec. 1, 2000: best actor Sul Kyung-gu for Peppermint Candy
  4. Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Film actor Sul Kyung-gu ↗Dec. 11, 2000: Sul Kyung-gu (33), film opens Jan. 1. This article gives the Blue Dragon award as best new actor, which conflicts with Dong-A Ilbo
  5. Kookmin Ilbo (Korean) · The Book of Fish interview ↗Mar. 25, 2021: debuted in 1993 with the play Simbasaemae
  6. University News Network (Korean) · Hanyang University distinguished visiting professor ↗Mar. 10, 2014: says Peppermint Candy made his face known; distinguished visiting professor in Hanyang University’s Department of Theater and Film
  7. OhmyNews (Korean) · Netflix’s eldest son ↗Aug. 27, 2026: says he rose rapidly through Peppermint Candy; his leading roles in 2002, Silmido, and his Netflix credits
  8. Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Lunar New Year holiday theaters ↗Feb. 8, 2002: Public Enemy is Kang Woo-suk’s first film in four years, opened in late January
  9. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Request to re-rate Oasis ↗Sept. 15, 2002: won the best director award and the best new actor award at the Venice Film Festival; Jong-du (Sul Kyung-gu)
  10. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · 23rd Blue Dragon Film Awards ↗Ceremony Dec. 12, 2002: best actor Sul Kyung-gu for Public Enemy
  11. The Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · Silmido passes 10 million ↗Feb. 19, 2004: opened Dec. 24, 2003; 10 million admissions in 58 days, a first
  12. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Sul Kyung-gu in a romance film ↗Aug. 22, 2005: Another Public Enemy opened in late January; he went straight into the next film after Rikidozan
  13. Star News (Korean) · Sul Kyung-gu and Song Yoon-ah marry ↗May 28, 2009: nuptial Mass at 5 p.m. at a Catholic church in Bangbae-dong, Seoul
  14. Newsen (Korean) · Haeundae plaque of appreciation ↗Aug. 28, 2009: the fifth Korean film to pass 10 million; Sul Kyung-gu is the first actor in Korean film history to star in two 10-million films, Silmido and Haeundae
  15. Sports Chosun (Korean) · Busan International Film Festival opening ceremony hosts ↗Sept. 7, 2016: Sul Kyung-gu and Han Hyo-joo to host the opening ceremony of the 21st Busan International Film Festival
  16. Sports Chosun (Korean) · The Merciless shown at Cannes ↗May 25, 2017: official screening at 11 p.m. on the 24th (local time); the 70th Cannes Film Festival Midnight Screenings
  17. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Weekend theaters ↗Sept. 15, 2017: Memoir of a Murderer opened on the 6th, No. 1 on its ninth day, 1,579,884 cumulative admissions
  18. Star News (Korean) · Hope sales ↗Oct. 10, 2013: opened on the 3rd; stars Sul Kyung-gu, Uhm Ji-won and Lee Re; passed one million admissions
  19. Newsis (Korean) · The Book of Fish filming location ↗Apr. 2, 2021: opened Mar. 31; Sul Kyung-gu as Jeong Yak-jeon
  20. Newsis (Korean) · Yaksha No. 3 on Netflix ↗Apr. 12, 2022: released on the 8th; role of Ji Kang-in
  21. SWTV (Korean) · Kill Boksoon director Byun Sung-hyun ↗Apr. 19, 2023: released on the 31st of last month (March). Ilgan Sports gave Mar. 30
  22. Newsis (Korean) · The Whirlwind interview with Sul Kyung-gu ↗July 4, 2024: released June 28; role of Park Dong-ho
  23. Chosun Ilbo (Korean) · Good News and Sul Kyung-gu ↗Oct. 20, 2025: released worldwide on Netflix on the 17th; his fourth film with director Byun Sung-hyun
  24. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Moon So-ri interview ↗Sept. 9, 2002: Moon So-ri, new actor award at the Venice Film Festival
  25. Kukje Shinmun (Korean) · Mantis and Yim Si-wan ↗Oct. 14, 2025: released on the 26th of last month (September); a spinoff of Kill Boksoon, with special appearances by Sul Kyung-gu and Jeon Do-yeon
  26. Star News (Korean) · Behind the scenes of Kingmaker ↗Jan. 31, 2022: opened on the 26th; the politician Kim Woon-beom (played by Sul Kyung-gu); the film reunites the team behind The Merciless

Fact-checked: 2026.10.02 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.