Start-Up is arguably the most popular K-drama right now because of its incredibly well-written storyline and unforgettable cast of actors. And one such actor who's been catching our eye in recent weeks is Cho Tae Kwan. He plays Alex Kwon, the big-time Silicon Valley tech guy who's trying to recruit Nam Do San (Nam Joo Hyuk) to work for him. Of course, we got curious about this actor and did some internet sleuthing to find out more about him. Check out some fast facts to know about Start-Up's Cho Tae Kwan!
He was born on February 12, 1986.
Cho Tae Kwon is 34 years old—yup, the same age his co-star Kim Seon Ho!
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He is Canadian of Korean descent.
Ever wonder why he always gets those English-speaking lines? It's because he's actually Canadian! Cho Tae Kwan was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and also goes by his English name Jasper Cho.
He graduated from Falmouth University in the UK.
Cho Tae Kwan majored in Creative Advertising at Falmouth University! His earlier Insta posts show many pics of him in the UK.
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You might know him from Descendants Of The Sun!
Cho Tae Kwan's first breakout drama role was for the mega-hit 2016 drama, Descendants Of The Sun, where he played military medic Daniel Spencer. Remember the last episode when the whole crew flew to Canada for a wedding? It was for Daniel's wedding to Ri Ye Hwa (Jeon Soo Jin)! Cool, no?
Also, check out some of his Descendants Of The Sun cast photos with SHINee's Onew and Kim Ji Won:
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He kinda got into ~trouble~ for talking about what the SongSong couple was like during filming.
Descendants Of The Sun lead actors Song Hye Kyo and Song Joong Ki announced their engagement in 2017, and naturally, Cho Tae Kwan was asked about his co-stars in an interview. During a guesting on Radio Star, Tae Kwan said he didn't notice any signs that anything was going on between SongSong during filming, but he did reveal something that their director had told them: "At the time, I didn't know they were dating but I heard the director telling them to really try liking each other with sincere feelings. In response, Joong Ki told him, 'We're already doing well on our own.' Now I think of it, they really were doing well on their own."
Tae Kwan's interview on Radio Star went viral which prompted him to apologize for his words. "I just answered because they asked me but I think I made a mistake. I just said it as it is but I'm sorry to the two people," he said in a statement.
He has quite an interesting backstory on how he got his Descendants Of The Sun role.
During a guest appearance on Happy Together in 2016, Cho Tae Kwan revealed the process on how he was contacted for his Descendants Of The Sun role and it was rather ~suspicious~ for him. "I was really baffled. I got a message through SNS. It was from the director and assistant director. I was suspicious," he shared. "They sent me a message through SNS. I was suspicious, but I called anyway. It was really from the assistant director. We spoke on the phone, then we met up in person and decided to work together. But we didn't communicate for a while. There were other candidates. But the scriptwriter and the director told me that I’m like a blank page. They said, 'We can imagine how this actor will depict Daniel and how the other actor will depict Daniel. However, we have no idea how you will act Daniel. That's what we're looking forward to casting you as Daniel." Well, thank you to Descendants Of The Sun directors Lee Eung Book and Baek Sang Hoon and scriptwriter Kim Eun Sook for casting Cho Tae Kwan!
As for his personal life: He's already married!
Cho Tae Kwon married his wife Noh Hye Ri in November 2016 after one year of dating. The two reportedly met in England while on business.
Some sweetness coming your way with Tae Kwan and Hye Ri couple pics:
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And, yes, he's a dad too.
Cho Tae Kwan and Hye Ri are proud parents to a beautiful young boy!
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Cho Tae Kwan's father is pretty well-known in Korea.
His father is former singer Cho Ha Moon, who left the entertainment industry to become a pastor. Check out one of his singles "The Night Once Again" below:
He auditioned for the talent show Superstar K 6!
Before acting, Cho Tae Kwan thought he could make a career out of singing. In 2014, 29-year-old Tae Kwan auditioned for Superstar K 6 but got rejected. Tae Kwan revealed in his Happy Together interview that his dad actually told him back then that he wasn't good at singing.
But he's been quite successful in dramas!
Cho Tae Kwan was part of the cast of 2018's suspense drama My Secret, Terrius starring So Ji Sub. Prior to that, he also appeared in the comedy-drama, Man Who Dies To Live (2017), which was headlined by Choi Min Soo.
New episodes of Start-Up are available on Netflix every Saturday and Sunday night at 9:30 p.m.
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