Kim Seon-ho’s cameo in When Life Gives You Tangerines goes viral—Here’s what you need to know about him

If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok lately, chances are you’ve come across a few videos of Kim Seon-ho’s cameo in Netflix’s hit K-drama When Life Gives You Tangerines. In the show, Kim Seon-ho plays Park Chung-seob, the main love interest of Geum-myeong, who appears later in the series. While he isn’t a central figure driving the entire plot, his role becomes more prominent once he falls for Geum-myeong—whom he eventually marries. But that’s not the only reason everyone’s going head over heels for the actor.

The scene that’s got everyone on TikTok losing it? It’s the wedding moment between Chung Seop and Geum-myeong. As she walks into the hall, he’s instantly love-struck. The second their eyes meet, he tilts his head, flashes a dreamy smile, winks, and even pretends to faint—because yes, that’s how beautiful she looks. Geum Myeong, caught completely off guard, hides behind her bouquet in embarrassment, while her dad, Gwan Sik, just quietly takes it all in.

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It’s sweet, it’s over-the-top, and it’s sending fans into a collective swoon. As a matter of fact, it’s similar to the scenes featured in the iconic Bollywood film, Om Shanti Om, featuring Shah Rukh Khan where he’s swooned by his dream girl. 

Ever since the show took off, fans have been recreating the now-iconic scene—and the response on social media has been nothing short of hilarious.

Take this TikTok by user @reylouis_sp, for example. The video has racked up compliments like, “Never skip a Kim Seon-ho smile trend. These smiles are really beautiful,” along with punny gems such as, “Hey, wanna join my band? It’s called HusBAND.”

We totally get the hype—honestly, we’re swooning over how good-looking he is too. But of course, there’s more to Kim Seon-ho than just his smile. To find out what else this charming star brings to the table, keep scrolling.

He’s an only child 

Kim Seon-ho was born on May 8, 1986, in Seoul’s Seongbuk District, and grew up as an only child in the Bongcheon-dong neighbourhood. Yep, a Seoul boy through and through!

His nickname is ‘Dimple Prince’

A killer smile and those adorable dimples? What more could you ask for? It’s no wonder Kim Seon-ho is often dubbed the “Dimple Prince”—and he has his aunt to thank for that. In a Netflix interview for his appearance in Start Up, he shared that he actually inherited his dimples from her.

He started acting in theatre in 2009 

While Kim Seon-ho made his TV debut in 2017 (in his 30s), he actually began his acting journey back in 2009 on the theatre stage, playing Sung-ki in the play New Boeing Boeing. It didn’t take long for the industry to take notice—and soon enough, he was making his way onto the big screen.

He’s starred in over 15 K-drama shows 

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When Life Gives You Tangerines is just one of the many shows Kim Seon-ho has added to his growing list of roles. If you’ve been following him for a while, you’d probably recognise him from fan-favourite series like Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and Start-Up, just to name a few. This year, you can expect more from the actor, with shows like Can This Love Be Translated? and Unfriend, which are all currently in the pipeline. 

He can sing 

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Did you know Kim Seon-ho can sing too? Seriously, what can’t he do? He released his first single, Reason, which he wrote in collaboration with Epitone Project in 2021, and followed it up with another track called Miracle in April 2024.

He was involved in a scandal with his ex-girlfriend

Back in October 2021, Kim Seon-ho found himself at the centre of a major controversy when his ex-girlfriend came forward anonymously, accusing him of pressuring her into an abortion under false promises of marriage. The claims caused a huge stir—brands dropped him, and he stepped away from several projects.

But as more reports surfaced, the narrative started to shift. It was later suggested that the situation may have been misrepresented, with some sources claiming the decision had been mutual. As public perception began to change, some brands even resumed their partnerships with him, giving his career a second wind. 

He talks in his sleep 

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In an old interview, Kim Seon-ho revealed that he has a habit of talking in his sleep. He says, “I’m always having conversations, all the time. My mum sometimes gets scared.” Honestly, we’d probably be startled too—but somehow, the idea of him sleep-talking just makes him even more endearing. Dreamy and chatty? What a combo.

He learned how to surf for his role in Hometown Cha Cha Cha

To show his commitment to the role, Kim Seon-ho actually learned how to surf and how to make coffee like a pro barista for Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. Since his character had to be a jack-of-all-trades, Seon-ho went the extra mile to pick up both skills from scratch. He revealed this during the show’s press conference, where co-star Shin Min-ah also mentioned that he was the cast member who had to prep the most.

On playing Du-sik, Seon-ho said, “I had to maintain a certain balance since he’s unemployed, but he has a lot of handy talents.” Now, that’s what you call dedication.