Im Si-wan

Yim Si-wan, born Yim Woong-jae on December 1, 1988, is a South Korean actor and singer. He initially entered the entertainment industry as a member of the idol group ZE:A and its sub-unit ZE:A-Five. He subsequently established a major acting career, earning widespread recognition for his roles in the film The Attorney and the television series Misaeng: Incomplete Life, Run On, and the second and third seasons of Squid Game.

A native of Busan, South Korea, Yim pursued education at Busan Gudeok High School, Pusan National University, the University of East Broadcasting Arts, and Woosong Information College, legally changing his name before his debut. He was recruited by Star Empire at the Chin Chin Song Festival in Busan and trained for three years in the group Children of Empire. Following a series of nationwide guerrilla performances, the nine-member ensemble officially debuted as ZE:A in January 2010 with the extended play Nativity.

Yim transitioned into acting in 2012, appearing in the television series Moon Embracing the Sun, Man from the Equator, Standby, and Waiting for Love. His film debut in the 2013 courtroom drama The Attorney, playing a tortured student activist, became a major critical and box office success, earning him multiple Best New Actor awards. He returned to television with roles in Triangle and the 2014 workplace drama Misaeng: Incomplete Life, winning an APAN Star Award and a Baeksang Arts Award for his portrayal of a former baduk player navigating corporate culture.

Over the following years, Yim broadened his film projects, starring in the war film A Melody to Remember, the Chinese-South Korean web drama My Catman, and the crime films One Line and The Merciless, the latter bringing him to the Cannes Film Festival. After starring in the historical drama The King in Love, he served active military duty in the 25th Infantry Division as an assistant instructor from July 2017 to March 2019. His post-military projects included the thriller series Hell Is Other People, the period sports film Boston 1947, and the disaster film Emergency Declaration, which earned him supporting actor awards at the Buil Film Awards and Korean Film Producers Association Awards.

Yim continued starring in prominent television projects, including the romance series Run On—for which he co-wrote and recorded a soundtrack song—the tax drama Tracer, Summer Strike, and the teen comedy Boyhood. In 2023, he held a solo fan concert and joined the cast of Squid Game. He announced a return to music in October 2025 with plans for a solo debut under SMart, an affiliate of SM Entertainment, and signed with the management agency The Black Label in November 2025.

Alongside his creative work, Yim has taken on promotional and ambassador roles for entities such as the Korea Tourism Organization, Nongshim, and the 2024 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan. He has also engaged in philanthropic endeavors, donating funds to aid South Korean flood relief, earthquake recovery in Turkey and Syria, Ukrainian war victims, and the construction of South Korea's first Lou Gehrig care hospital.