Ro Woon

Biography

Kim Seok-woo (Korean: 김석우; born August 7, 1996), better known by his stage name Rowoon, is a South Korean actor and singer. He is a former member of the South Korean boy band SF9. He is best known for his acting roles in television series Extraordinary You (2019) and The King's Affection (2021), where he won several awards for his performance in the series.

2013–2014: Pre-debut

Rowoon was introduced as a trainee in FNC Entertainment's reality show Cheongdam-dong 111.

2015–2016: Debut with SF9

In 2015, Rowoon was a part of pre-debut team, "Neoz School", under FNC Entertainment as a member of the group called Neoz. In May 2016, he participated as a member of "Neoz Dance" in FNC Entertainment's survival show d.o.b (Dance or Band), competing against Neoz Band (later known as Honeyst). "Neoz Dance" won the competition with 51% of the votes and received the opportunity to debut. He debuted with group SF9 in October 2016 with the single "Fanfare".

2017–2022: Solo activities and rising popularity

Rowoon began his acting career in television series with a minor supporting role in KBS2's School 2017. Following this appearance, he gradually received more significant roles. In March 2018, he was cast as the female lead's brother in tvN's About Time. By July 2018, he secured another role in SBS's Where Stars Land, for which he was nominated for the New Actor award.

On May 9, 2019, Rowoon was confirmed to be the male lead for the first time in MBC's school fantasy drama, Extraordinary You based on the hit Daum webtoon July Found by Chance. After receiving the role of Haru, Rowoon's popularity skyrocketed, launching him into stardom. He was nominated at the MBC Drama Awards with fellow costars, Kim Hye-yoon and Lee Jae-wook, for Best Couple, and was awarded with Best New Actor. Around the same time, Rowoon was featured in NC.A's music video, "Awesome Breeze" (밤바람).
In April 2020, it was revealed that he would be the voice of Branch in the Korean dub of the animated movie Trolls World Tour. In the following month, FNC Entertainment confirmed that Rowoon would star in JTBC drama She Would Never Know, based on the webtoon of the same name. The drama began airing in January 2021.
Rowoon took on the male lead role in the 2021 historical drama The King's Affection. The drama's success led to him winning the Best New Actor award at the KBS Drama Awards. In late 2021, Rowoon became an MC for the 2021 KBS Song Festival along with Astro's Cha Eun-woo and Kim Seol-hyun.
In 2022, Rowoon starred in the MBC fantasy drama Tomorrow where he portrayed the role of Choi Joon-woong.

2023–present: Departure from SF9 and acting work

In 2023, Rowoon starred in fantasy drama Destined with you which aired on JTBC from August 23 to October 12. During the drama's run, FNC announced that Rowoon would be leaving SF9 to focus on his acting career while remaining with the agency.
Later in 2023, Rowoon was confirmed to star in the historical drama The Matchmakers, which aired on KBS2. His performance in the series earned him the Popularity Award and Top Excellence Award at the 2023 KBS Drama Awards.
On July 3, 2024, it was reported that Rowoon will star in another upcoming historical drama, Takryu.
On March 2, 2025, Rowoon was invited to the 97th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Endorsements

In 2020, Rowoon became a brand ambassador for the cosmetics brand Klavuu, Gong Cha Korea, and the 2020 Fall/Winter collection by The North Face's White Label. Endorsements with Estée Lauder, SimplyO hair products, Clean Up Beauty, and the clothing brand ANDZ followed in 2021 and 2022. Derma-skincare brand Ilso selected him as their advertising model in 2023, while Isoi Japan, Samjin Pharmaceuticals (for their total healthcare brand Wisi Healthy), and Oligio Thailand appointed him in 2024.