He’s known as a talented actor for starring big hit box-office movies such as The Attorney (2013) and the cable series Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014), as well as his unforgettable role playing across from SNSD’s Yoona in the historical drama The King In Love (2017), as the Prince Wang Won, which did a lot to boost his fame and gain him fans. Want to know more about Im Si-wan? Let’s find out!
Full Profile of ZE:A Im Si-wan
Name : Im Si-wan Born Name / Hangul : Im Woong-jae / 임웅재 Date of Birth : December 1, 1988 Place of Birth : Busan, South Korea Age : 30 Zodiac sign : Sagitarius Chinese zodiac : Dragon Gender : Male Nationality : South Korea Education : Busan Gudeok High School, Busan National University, University of East Broadcasting Arts, Woosong Information College Occupation : singer, actor Instruments : vocals, guitar, violin Years active : 2010-2017 (now hiatus due to military duty) Agency : Plum Entertainment
Career Summary for ZE:A’s Im Si-wan
Drama Series
Movies
Variety Shows
Singles
Musical Theater
Ambassadorships
Cute Relationship With SNSD’s Yoona
Before enlisting for his military service, Im Si-wan starred the historical drama The King In Love, in 2017, as the lead role, Wang Won. This drama is set in the Goryeo dynasty. The story is about Crown Prince Wang Won, who obsessed with conquering anything. He has a childhood friend named Wang Rin, who also acted as his bodyguard. Wang Won then met a beautiful woman named Eun San and fell in love with her, but he hides his affection due to his responsibilities as a crown prince. He also doesn’t want to hurt his childhood friend’s feelings, because he finds out that Wang Rin is also in love with Eun San, but everything changes when Eun San realizes her feelings for Wang Rin and vice versa. In this epic love triangle, Im Si-wan had a chance to work with South Korean actor Hong Jong-hyun as Wang Rin, and also with one of Korea’s top beauties, SNSD’s Yoona. Many fans said that Im Si-wan and SNSD’s Yoona showed great chemistry in the drama. The story behind Im Si-wan’s involvement in this drama also no less interesting! During the broadcast of Section TV, Im Si-wan, SNSD’s Yoona, and Hong Jong-hyun were invited to be interviewed for their upcoming drama, The King In Love. Im Si-wan was asked why he chose to take a role in the drama, and he confidently replied, “Yoona”. He was also asked to choose between love and friendship, and once again he surprisingly said, “If it’s Yoona, I’ll choose love.” How cute! It seems that he’s a big Yoona fan. Yoona herself was also asked to pick between Im Si-wan and Hong Jong-hyun, she then wisely replied, “Im Siwan is pretty manly, and Hong Jong Hyun is more delicate. They’re both charming. It was a great work environment for me.” But, Im Si-wan teasingly stated, “The one that Yoona really liked was Oh Min-seok.” Yoona did another interview before that one, and shared her thoughts on her co-star Im Si-wan. She was being asked about her relationship with him, and she replied “I currently don’t have any relation to Siwan, but I think we will be able to get close fast.” She added, “I heard he’s a good person. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of person he is.”
Im Si-wan’s Military Service
Im Si-wan officially began his military duty on July 11, 2017. He is scheduled to discharge on April 10, 2019, and has been known for his good performance. He also got visited by special guest! The following are some moments from Im Si-wan’s service, let’s check it out:
Visited By SNSD’s Yoona and The King In Love Co-Stars
During The King In Love press conference before Im Si-wan’s enlistment, he showed his cute friendship with SNSD’s Yoona. When he was asked about his upcoming military enlistment, he said “I’m not scared of entering military life, because Yoona will be visiting me at the army. She’ll be the very first one to visit. I’m looking forward to it.” How cute! Yoona also commented, “I will definitely be visiting him. If our drama does well in viewership ratings, the cast members and I will go visit Im Si-wan wearing [traditional] outfits. This isn’t a [ratings] promise though.” During an interview on September 19, 2017, Yoona opened up about her visit to Im Si-wan a couple days earlier with The King In Love’s cast members. She definitely kept her promise! The idol revealed that they planned the visit themselves, without help from managers or producers. The cast members planned it through their group chat on a messaging app, making arrangements for a bus and food. She also said that Im Si-wan was healthy, cool, and energetic as usual. But, Im Si-wan was sad because he was unable to watch his work The King In Love. Yoona then told him to not worry, because many people loved his role as Wang Won. Yoona playfully revealed that she also gave him a special gift. She said, “I don’t know if it’ll give him strength, but I also gave him a signed Girls’ Generation CD.” Definitely a cute relationship!
A Special Class Soldier
Im Si-wan gained a lot of attention during his participation in the 2017 Gyeryong Military Culture Festival. One of the reasons is the special class soldier badge on the left side of his chest! He reached this status only two months after enlisting, which is very unusual. He also achieved outstanding scores in all categories such as shooting and strength. Because of his good performance, Im Si-wan was chosen to be an assistant instructor for new recruits. At his performance in the 2017 Gyeryong Military Culture Festival, Im Si-wan was also being praised because of his successful performance with Super Junior Ryeowook and his handsomeness, even in the military camp! Im Si-wan’s photos in military service become headlines because of his visual.
Im Si-wan’s Thoughts and Experience In Military So Far
Im Si-wan’s wrote about his thoughts and experience in the military recently, and it was published in The Korea Defense Daily on June 21, 2018. His essay was titled “Ups and Downs of Adjusting to the Military.” He made some heartwarming statements about his experience. He began by saying that he underestimated the military service, at first, by just thinking “I should just work hard” and then had to face the unexpected reality. He added an example of his early difficulties, using conversations about meals. “‘Please give me more meat.’, ‘No, you can’t because the food is made in fixed quantities, so the people behind you may not be able to eat.’, ‘I don’t have an appetite, so I don’t want to eat dinner.’ ‘No, you can’t. Eating a meal is also the duty of a soldier.’” Day by day, he felt his perceptions being changed for the better. He wrote, “It’s interesting that my perception changed like this within a few months. When I first enlisted and repeatedly made mistakes and was scolded, I was convinced that the military was a frustrating and difficult place. But now, I’m confident that the military is an organization that tries to guarantee individual human rights and to gather opinions as much as possible.” He added, “In other words, the days of when I was uncomfortable with getting scolded at the beginning were just a part of the transition necessary to adjust to a new environment. After adjusting, I began to notice the institution and system that I couldn’t see before and am now living with great satisfaction.” He concluded his his essay by writing by saying that he was looking forward to change and the future, and wished the best for the South Korean armed forces. It is a relief to know that Im Si-wan is doing so well in his military service. Good Job, Si-wan!
