Sul Kyung-gu (설경구; 薛景求) is a South Korean actor born on May 14, 1967, in Seocheon. A graduate of Hanyang University’s theater and film program, he made his stage debut in the early 1990s, notably in the musical Subway Line 1, before establishing himself as one of the most respected figures in Korean cinema.
His revelation comes with Peppermint Candy (1999) by Lee Chang-dong, in which he plays a broken man whose life is told in reverse. This performance launched a career marked by intense and complex roles. He reunited with the director in Oasis (2002), and went on to enjoy great popular success with Public Enemy, Silmido, Tidal Wave, The Tower and Cold Eyes.
Sul Kyung-gu stands out for his ability to switch from a brutal police officer to a distraught father, and from a gangster to a historical figure. In particular, he has received major awards for Hope, The Merciless, Memoir of a Murderer, The Book of Fish and Kingmaker. His filmography also includes Birthday, Kill Boksoon, The Moon, A Normal Family and Good News.
Long associated primarily with film, he made a notable return to television in 2024 with The Whirlwind. In it, he plays Park Dong-ho, a prime minister determined to overthrow a corrupt political system. In 2025, he plays neurosurgeon Choi Deok-hee in Hyper Knife, opposite Park Eun-bin, in a mentoring relationship that has become deeply conflicted.
In 2026, he played the lead role of No-ja, also known as Lao Tzu, in Mousetrap. He is also set to appear in a supporting role in Moving Season 2.
Married to actress Song Yoon-ah since 2009, Sul Kyung-gu remains a leading figure in South Korean cinema, renowned for the power, restraint, and precision of his acting.
