Seo In Guk | 서인국 | About

Seo In Guk grew up in Ulsan with his parents and a younger sister, in poverty — his mother collected recyclables and his father worked as a welder. He decided at ten that he wanted to sing, after seeing the rock musician Kim Jung Min perform "Sad Promise", and practised at family gatherings and school events. At twenty he moved to Seoul alone, against his father's wishes.

While studying applied music at Daebul University he auditioned for agencies including JYP Entertainment and DSP Media without success, was repeatedly told to lose weight, and struggled with bulimia for a period. He won the first season of Mnet's Superstar K in 2009 and debuted as a singer that year.

Acting followed in 2012 with a supporting part in Love Rain, which he has said renewed his appetite for the work, and later that year Reply 1997 gave him his first lead and his breakthrough. He went on to High School King of Savvy (2014), The King's Face (2014), Hello Monster (2015), Shopping King Louie (2016), The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018), Doom at Your Service (2021), Cafe Minamdang (2022) and Death's Game (2023). His films include No Breathing (2013), Pipeline (2021) and Project Wolf Hunting (2022).

He has sung for many of his own productions, among them "All For You" with Jung Eun Ji for Reply 1997, "No Matter What" for Master's Sun and "Distant Fate" for Doom at Your Service.

He was due to enlist for military service in March 2017 but was released four days in after fracturing an ankle; a re-examination diagnosed osteochondritis dissecans, and he was given a Grade 5 rating and exempted.