Ryu Si-won (; born 6 October 1972) is a South Korean actor and singer. After he made his debut in the KBS drama Feeling in 1994, Ryu pursued a singing career.
Early life Ryu was born in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. He is from the Pungsan Ryu clan and is the 13th-generation descendant of Joseon Dynasty prime minister Ryu Sŏngnyong.
Career Ryu's acting career began in 1994 with a supporting role in the TV series , as a friend of one of the main characters. Kim Hyeong-seok, the show's music director, recommended Ryu to the show's producer, Yoon Seok-ho, and Yoon cast Ryu right after seeing Ryu's audition. While Feelings was airing, he was cast as a leading role in the series , which aired in 1995. He gained further popularity with his roles in the daily drama and the miniseries , , and . During this period, he also debuted as a musician, and hosted programs such as SBS's TV Gayo 20 (the predecessor to Inkigayo) and KBS's Music Bank.
Subsequent to the 2004 broadcast of his drama Beautiful Days in Japan, he started activities there both as an actor and a singer. He was the first Korean artist to hold two live concerts at the Tokyo Dome, in December 2008. Then in November 2011, he held his 100th solo concert in Japan as part of his 16 concert tour in eight cities, including Yokohama, Nigata, Osaka, Sendai, Nagoya, and Fukuoka; with the final concert on 21 December at Saitama Super Arena.
On 21 December 2011, Ryu was signed on by Japanese travel agency HIS, for one-year to promotion Korean tourism in Japan. Where he was featured in two 15-second commercials in the themes of "Let's go to Korea" and "You are the character of your drama" for Japanese television in January 2012.
In May 2012, Ryu starred in Channel A's drama Goodbye Dear Wife along with Hong Soo-hyun, Park Ji-yoon, Danny Ahn and Julien Kang. He played the role of judo teacher Cha Seung-hyuk who dreams of reuniting with his first love.
Personal life On 6 October 2010, Ryu announced his marriage to a non-celebrity on his fan club's website. He officially married on October 26, with celebrities such as Eugene, Kang Ho-dong, and Kim Won-jun attending. Their first child was born on 28 January 2011, 3 months after their marriage. Ryu's wife filed for divorce on 22 March 2012. Ryu's wife filed another suit on blackmail charges in February 2013, as well as accusing Ryu of threatening her. In May 2013, Ryu was indicted for secretly tracking his wife with a GPS device and using violence on her when she found out. The court ordered him to pay 7 million won for the charges in September, but he appealed the decision. The appeal was rejected, and in 2014, the Supreme Court maintained its original ruling, in accord with a lesser court's decision. Ryu counter-sued his wife for perjury, and she was fined in 2015. The divorce lawsuit officially ended in January 2015.
Ryu remarried on 15 February 2020 to a non-celebrity. Their daughter was born on 11 December 2024.
Television series Year Title Role Notes 1994 Feelings Kang Dong-wook 1995 The Campus Love Song Blue Sky Kang Gi-hun 1996 Oxtail Soup Jeong In-seongSeollal special Until We Can Love Oh Yeong-chang 1997 Happiness is in Our Hearts Nam Min-woo Propose Jeong Su-bin How To Meet The Perfect Man Lee Hyuk 1998 Forever Yours Lee Se-jun Purity Ha Jin-woo Paper Crane Jeong Eun-hak 2000 Truth Jung Hyun-woo Secret Kim Jun-ho 2001 Beautiful Days Lee Sun-jae 2002 The Shining Sunlight Kang Dong-seok Since We Met Jo Ki-won 2003 She's Cool! Mikael 2005 Wedding Han Seung-woo From Love Sang-minOmnibus series 2007 Dondo Hare JunseoEpisode 25–30, 54, 150, 152 Joshideka! Park Ji-won 2009 Style Seo Woo-jin 2010 Hancho Park Se-joonCameo 2012 Goodbye Dear Wife Cha Seung-hyuk 2020 Soul Mechanic Song Min-sooSpecial appearance
Discography Studio albums TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positionsSales (subscription only)Certifications JPNChangeReleased: October 1995 Label: Twinkle—Dream (몽; 夢)Released: 21 September 1999 Rereleased: 13 April 2005 Label: Twinkle, P-Vine35 KOR: 37,794Yakusoku Released: 1 December 2004 Label: Sony (AICL-1595)8JPN: 123,000Kosumosu Released: 5 October 2005 Label: Tokuma (TKCA-72915)4JPN: 89,000 RIAJ: GoldAsian BlowReleased: 10 May 2006 Label: Tokuma (TKCA-73020)3JPN: 63,000 RIAJ: GoldWith YouReleased: 23 May 2007 Label: Tokuma (TKCA-73190)3JPN: 42,000Sōten no Ai Released: 4 June 2008 Label: Tokuma (TKCA-73331)7JPN: 36,000Mangekyō Released: 4 November 2009 Label: Tokuma (TKCA-73485)5JPN: 26,000~ULALA~ Released: 7 April 2010 Label: Tokuma (TKCA-73517)5JPN: 25,000Donnatokimo Released: 5 October 2011 Label: Avex Trax (AVCD-38388)11JPN: 25,000SeasonReleased: 21 November 2012 Label: Avex Trax (AVCD-38588)20AgainReleased: 6 October 2015 Label: Universal (UICV-9133)8WishReleased: 5 October 2016 Label: Universal (UICV-9210)18
Compilation albums TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positionsSalesCertifications JPNRyu Siwon Ballad Best AlbumReleased: 19 November 2008 Label: Tokuma (TKCA-73378)11 JPN: 25,000Ryu Siwon Single CollectionReleased: 22 April 2009 Label: Tokuma (TKCA-73423)6 JPN: 21,000Ryu Siwon's Racing Diary OST Released: 22 May 2009 Label: E-Motion (EMOC-01)27 JPN: 4,800
Singles TitleYearPeak chart positionsSalesAlbum JPNJPNHot"Sakura" 20052— JPN: 139,000Kosumosu"Himawari no Rhapsody" 5— JPN: 78,000"Natsu no Yume/Suki Desu, Suki Desu" 20062— JPN: 63,000Asian Blow"Only One"3— JPN: 43,000 rowspan="2" "Babylon"20074— JPN: 39,000"Hana no Kubikazari" 2— JPN: 50,000Sōten no Ai"Aishiteru" 2008518 JPN: 37,000"Kimi to Boku" 418 JPN: 32,000Ryu Siwon Single Collection"Cafe Wonderland"2009928 JPN: 26,000Mangekyō"Memu" 544 JPN: 22,000"Aishitai Kimi o Aishitiai" 2011759 JPN: 14,000Donnatokimo"Negaiboshi" 1470"Bokura no Deatta Sono Basho ni..." 20121361Season
Awards 1996 KBS Drama Awards: Best New Actor 1997 KBS Drama Awards: Popularity Award 1998 KBS Drama Awards: Popularity Award 1998 KBS Drama Awards: Excellence Award, actor 1999 16th Korea Best Dressed Awards: Recipient 1999 35th Baeksang Arts Awards: Most Popular Actor in TV (Paper Crane) 2000 MBC Drama Awards: Excellence Award, Actor (Truth) 2001 SBS Drama Awards: Top 10 Stars (Beautiful Days) 2002 MBC Drama Awards: Excellence Award, Actor 2005 47th Japan Record Awards: Most Popular Artist 2005 19th Japan Gold Disc Awards: Best New Artist Award 2007 SBS Entertainment Awards: Special Award 2007 Korea Model Awards: Hallyu Star Award 2008 Presidential Citation
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