Whether he’s singing on stage or acting on screen, Im Si Wan is undeniably a multitalented star who definitely deserves more recognition. With his addition to Squid Game’s second season, fans have even more reason to celebrate his talent. If you’re eager to see more of his work—or just catching up—here’s a list of 12 equally binge-worthy K-dramas and movies featuring Si Wan to enjoy.
K-Dramas Starring Im Si Wan
1. Triangle (2014)
In Triangle, three brothers with no parents are separated at a young age. They reunite twenty years later, unaware they’re siblings, and make enemies out of each other in a casino. Si Wan portrays the youngest brother, Jang Dong-woo, the most fortunate of the three after being adopted by a wealthy chaebol family. He now goes by the name of Yoon Yang-ha and is obsessed with money and power.
Also starring: Lee Beom Soo, Kim Jae Joong
2. Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014)
Jang Geu-rae, played by Si Wan, is an introverted baduk player who knows nothing in life but the game he loves to play. At 26, Geu-rae comes to terms with the fact that he’s not skilled enough to play baduk on a professional level and instead tries to get a job with his high school diploma and a glowing recommendation. He’s eventually employed in a trading company, but the work proves difficult with his limited skillset. Luckily, he’s got a group of co-workers to rely on as they navigate the complicated corporate world together.
Also starring: Kang Ha Neul, Kang So Ra, Byun Yo Han, Lee Sung Min
3. The King in Love (2017)
Si Wan plays a besotted monarch in The King in Love. His character, Crown Prince Wang Won, will do anything to win the heart of San, the beautiful and charming daughter of a wealthy nobleman. San, however, grows fond of Won’s childhood friend, Wang Rin, a refined gentleman who’s kept his romantic feelings for San hidden out of duty and loyalty to the Crown Prince.
Also starring: Im Yoona, Hong Jong Hyun
4. Strangers from Hell (2019)
Yoon Jong-woo (Si Wan) is a young writer who moves to Seoul for an internship opportunity. Low on cash, he takes up lodging in an eerie dormitory filled with peculiar residents. Despite this, he’s determined to make it work until he can move out, but when ominous events start to happen around the dorm, Joong-woo begins to question just how long he can tolerate his current living situation.
Also starring: Lee Dong Wook, Oh Hye Won
5. Run On (2020)
Run On centers on the love story between Ki Seon-gyeom (Si Wan) and Oh Mi-joo. The former is a national athlete for his country’s track team. His reputation is gravely tainted when, determined to prove a point, he admits to using violence against his teammates to discipline them. The latter, on the other hand, is a movie translator hired to work with Seon-gyeom during his interviews with foreign media. Both fiercely independent and principled in their own ways, the two grow close and learn to rely on each other.
Also starring: Shin Se Kyung, Kang Tae Oh, Choi Soo Young
6. Tracer (2022)
Si Wan plays Hwang Dong-joo in Tracer. Formerly an accountant, Dong-joo becomes head of the National Tax Service's Central Branch Tax Bureau. With the help of his teammates, he investigates the truth behind his father’s death. At the same time, he gets entangled in the sly ways of In Tae-joon, an ambitious executive at the tax office who gets ahead in life and work through his corrupt ways.
Also starring: Son Hyun Joo, Go Ah Sung, Park Yong Woo
7. Summer Strike (2022)
Fed up with her job, Lee Yeo-rum quits and spontaneously moves to a small seaside town to start anew and find the peace she’s always longed for. There, she meets the (mostly disgruntled) locals of Angok, including Si Wan’s character, Ann Dae-bom, a librarian who hides the fact that he’s a math genius. Amid the ire of her unwelcome neighbors, Yeo-rum finds kindness and warmth in the reticent Dae-bom.
Also starring: Kim Seol Hyun, Shin Eun Soo, Bang Jae Min
8. Boyhood (2023)
Jang Byeong-tae (Si Wan) moves to a new school to escape bullies, only to be mistaken for “White Tiger,” a famed fighter. Rumors spread fast, and his classmates see him in a new light. He soon finds himself entangled with three classmates: “Black Spider” Park Ji-yeong, tough Jung Gyeong-tae, and the popular Kang Seon-hwa.
Also starring: Lee Sun Bin, Lee Si Woo, Kang Hye Won
9. Squid Game Season 2 (2024)
Three years after surviving the deadly Squid Game, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung Jae) sets out to expose the people behind it, using his fortune to track them down. But his investigation pulls him back into the brutal competition. Im Si Wan stars as Player 333, a mysterious new participant with unknown intentions.
Also starring: Lee Jung Jae, Wi Ha Joon, Gong Yoo, Park Sung Hoon, T.O.P., Park Gyu Young
Movies Starring Im Si Wan
10. The Attorney (2013)
Song Woo-seok (Song Kang Ho), a tax attorney in Busan driven by profit, undergoes a transformation when he meets student activist Jin-woo (Si Wan). Moved by Jin-woo’s ordeal of brutal torture and unjust prosecution, Woo-seok takes on his case, risking his career to defend justice and freedom.
Also starring: Song Kang Ho, Kwak Do Won, Kim Young Ae, Oh Dal Su
11. The Merciless (2017)
Jae-ho (Sul Kyung Gu), a powerful inmate and second-in-command of a crime syndicate, meets the defiant newcomer Hyun-soo (Si Wan) in prison. Unlike the other inmates, Hyun-soo refuses to follow Jae-ho’s rules, sparking a tense, unpredictable alliance. Both men harbor ambitions beyond prison walls, making their dynamic both dangerous and compelling.
Also starring: Sul Kyung Gu, Kim Hee Won, Jeon Hye Jin, Lee Kyoung Young
12. Unlocked (2023)
Lee Na-mi (Chun Woo Hee), a hard-working marketer, loses her smartphone and unknowingly falls prey to Oh Jun-yeong (Si Wan), a stranger who uses her phone to invade her life and commit crimes. Meanwhile, Detective Woo Ji-man (Kim Hee Won) investigates a murder case, finding clues that point to his own son, Jun-yeong, as a potential suspect.
Also starring: Chun Woo Hee, Kim Hee Won
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