Im Si-wan

Some Lesser Known Facts About Im Si-wan

• Im Si-wan, also known as Yim Si-wan, is a South Korean singer and actor, who is known for being a member of the popular South Korean boy band ‘ZE:A’ and its sub-group ‘ZE:A Five.’ In 2023, it was announced that he would act in the second season of the popular Netflix South Korean survival drama series ‘Squid Game.’

• Star Empire, a South Korean entertainment company, discovered Im Si-wan during his participation in the ‘Chin Chin Song Festival’ held at his college in Busan.

  

• When he was studying at Busan National University, he left college during his second year after winning the ‘Chin Chin Song Festival’ to pursue his career in music.

• He joined a nine-member group named ‘Children of Empire’ as a trainee, and he trained with them for three years. In 2009, the group began giving surprise performances in different places around South Korea.

• He legally changed his name from Yim Woong-jae to Yim Si-wan before he debuted as a singer. ^[5]International Business Times

• On 7 January 2010, he made his debut as one of the vocalists in the K-pop group named ‘ZE:A,’ managed by Star Empire. The group consisted of eight other members named Kevin, Hwang Kwang-hee, Lee Hoo, Kim Tae-heon, Jung Hee-chul, Ha Min-woo, Park Hyung-sik, and Kim Dong-jun.

  

• On the day of its release, their debut album ‘Nativity’ reached the top positions on both the ‘Album Chart’ and ‘Artist Chart’ on Kakao.

• In July 2012, ZE:A released its second studio album titled ‘Spectacular.’

• In 2012, he joined the cast of KBS2’s South Korean reality-variety TV show ‘Birth of a Family.’ Later, in 2021, he was part of season 2 of tvN’s variety show ‘House on Wheels.’

• He portrayed the character of Joseph in a sung-through musical titled ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ performed in Seoul in 2013.

  

• In 2013, Im Si-wan was featured in a major role as Park Jin-woo, a young student activist who was arrested and subjected to police torture due to suspected communist sympathies, in the courtroom drama film ‘The Attorney.’ His exceptional acting in the movie earned him numerous awards and recognition.

• In 2014, he recorded the song ‘But Still.. So..,’ which was featured in the South Korean TV series titled ‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life.’ He has lent his voice to several original soundtracks, such as ‘My Heart’ from the TV show ‘The King in Love’ (2017), ‘I And You’ from ‘Run On’ (2021), and ‘Fire’ from ‘Tracer’ (2022).

• He appeared as Jang Dong-woo, the youngest brother among three siblings who were separated in their childhood and raised in a wealthy and distant chaebol family, in the 2014 South Korean TV series ‘Triangle.’

• In the 2014 webtoon-based series ‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life,’ he portrayed the character of Jang Geu-rae, a former baduk player navigating the challenges of Korean corporate culture. The show was a major hit, reaching high viewer ratings of up to 8.4%, and it reportedly gained recognition as a ‘cultural phenomenon.’

  

• Some of the notable South Korean TV series in which he has appeared include ‘Hell Is Other People’ (2019), ‘Tracer’ (2022), ‘Summer Strike’ (2022), and ‘Missing: The Other Side’ (2023).

• In 2017, he played the role of Lee Min-jae, a skilled conman, in a South Korean crime caper movie titled ‘One Line.’

• On 11 July 2017, Im Si-wan began his mandatory military service. Due to his outstanding performance, he was chosen as an assistant instructor for new recruits. He finished his military duty and was officially discharged on 27 March 2019.

• In 2017, he was featured in the film ‘The Merciless,’ a crime action movie where he took on the character of an undercover police officer linked to a drug-smuggling group. His impressive acting led to his first-ever invitation to the Cannes Film Festival in 2017.

  

• In 2019, he gave all the money he earned during his military service and some of his own money to Hyochon Elementary School in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, as a donation. ^[6]Soompi

• In 2020, he was featured on the cover of the fashion and entertainment magazine Cosmopolitan.

  

• In 2021, he starred in a South Korean disaster action thriller film called ‘Emergency Declaration,’ which was showcased at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

• During a fan meeting in 2021, he was questioned about his dating history. To respond, he used a math equation, which resulted in -2 and 0. He overrode the mathematical solution provided by the equation and came up with his own answer. Finally, he shared that he had actually dated 0 times.^[7]Koreaboo

  

• In an interview, he discussed his lack of experience with girls due to parental restrictions during high school. He also shared an anecdote where he playfully went against his mother’s wishes. He said,
  

  My parents are the type who would always say, ‘Oh you can do whatever you want later in college.’ It was my parents’ anniversary so I decided to go shopping for a present and I happened to be with a friend who was a girl. I didn’t think much of it since I wasn’t thinking about dating so she went with me when I went to pick out the present. I came home and gave my mom the present and told her how I went shopping with my friend to get the gift. Instead of being pleased with the gift, she just focused on the fact that I went with a girl, and wasn’t happy about it. I thought to myself, ‘Fine then, I just won’t ever date.’ Now that I’m older and in the entertainment field, she keeps saying, ‘There must be nice pretty girls all around you, when are you going to date?’” ^[8]Allkpop

• Yim Si-wan frequently takes part in marathons and has also received numerous medals in various marathon competitions.

  

• On 4 March 2022, he contributed ₩20 million to the Ukrainian Embassy in South Korea to help those affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He also arranged a 4-bed dormitory in Kyiv from 7 March 2022 to 4 April 2022, to offer assistance to victims of the Ukrainian conflict. ^[9]Naver

• On 10 August 2022, he donated ₩20 million to aid those affected by the 2022 South Korean floods, contributing through the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association. ^[10]Naver

• On 8 February 2023, he extended his support by donating ₩10 million to assist the victims of the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake. This generous contribution was made through the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association, aimed at helping those affected by the tragic natural event. ^[11]Naver

• His MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) personality type is ENFJ (Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging).

• He consumes alcohol occasionally and enjoys pairing his drinks with beef.