Biography of D.O.
Doh Kyung-soo widely and professionally known by the stage name D.O. is a South Korean singer and actor. Kyung-soo is famously recognised as a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group ‘Exo’. Apart from his group activities, he has starred in various television dramas and movies. His movie credits include ‘Pure Love’ (2016), ‘My Annoying Brother’ (2016), ‘Positive Physique’ (2016), ‘Room No.7’ (2017), ‘100 Days My Prince’ (2018), ‘Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds’, ‘Swing Kids’ (2018) and ‘Bad Prosecutor’ (2022).
In 2021, he debuted his first extended play, ‘Empathy’ as a solo artist released on 26 July 2021 by SM Entertainment. The extended play features eight tracks with the lead single ‘Rose’. The Korean Film Council selected him as one of the 200 Korean actors that best represent the present and future of Korea’s movie scenes.
Early Life and Education
D.O. was born on 12 January 1993, in Nonhyeon-dong of Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea. He grew up in Ilsandong-gu of Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. He completed his education at Goyang Poongsan Elementary School, Baekshin Middle School, and Baekseok High School. Throughout his school days, he was an active participant in the local singing competitions. After winning first place, he was advised to audition for SM Entertainment. For the audition at the label, he Performed Na Yoon-Kwon’s ‘Anticipation’ and Brown Eyed Soul’s ‘My Story’. In the course of his last two years of high school, he became a trainee under the label.
Career
On 30 January 2012, he was officially introduced as the eighth member of Exo with the release of the Korean version of the single ‘What Is Love’, sung by him and Baekhyun. Exo is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul, formed by SM Entertainment consisting of nine members. The group debuted with the debut studio extended play titled ‘Mama’ on 9 April 2012. In 2013, he featured in the song ‘Goodbye Summer’ from the album ‘Pink Tape’ by f(x)’s second studio album. He made his acting debut in the movie ‘Cart’ a 2014 South Korean film directed by Boo Ji-young. Doh Kyung-soo played the character Tae-young.
At the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, the movie premiered and he released an original soundtrack titled ‘Crying Out’ for the movie. He made his small-screen debut playing a support role in the 2014 SBS drama ‘It’s Okay, That’s Love’ starring Jo In-sung and Lee Kwang-soo. In 2015, he appeared in the South Korean mystery thriller series ‘Hello Monster’. He was nominated for his role as Tae-young in ‘Cart’ for the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ award at the 52nd ‘Grand Bell Awards’.
D.O. was the cast of voice actors for the feature-length animated film ‘Underdog’ which premiered in 2019. In the animated film, he voiced Moongchi, a stray dog separated from his owner. For SM Station, he collaborated with Yoo Young-jin on a duet titled ‘Tell Me (What Is Love)’ in 2016. He starred alongside Kim So-hyun in the romantic film ‘Pure Love’ released internationally as ‘Unforgettable’, in 2016. Doh Kyung-soo played the male lead role of Baem-sil and won the ‘Most Popular Actor’ at the 52nd ‘Baeksang Arts Award’.
In 2016, he starred alongside Chae Seo-jin in the South Korean web series ‘Be Positive’. The drama is produced by Samsung and intends to spread the message of support to the new generations. Doh Kyung-soo played the role of Kim Hwan-dong, who is a film major who aspires to be a film director. He played in the 2016 comedy-drama film starring Jo Jung-suk and Park Shin-hye.
It was released in South Korea by CJ Entertainment and it topped the local box office and hit more than one million views within four days of its release. In the same movie, he and Jo Jung-suk recorded the ending theme song ‘Don’t Worry’. A year later for his performance in the film, he was awarded the ‘Blue Dragon Film’ Awards ‘Best New Actor’.
In 2017, he starred in the South Korean comedy thriller film ‘Room No.7’ under Myung Films. The same year, he played a supporting role in the film ‘Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds’, which is an adaptation of the webtoon under the same name. He was the Korean public relations ambassador attending the Macau International Film Festival along with director Choi Dong-hoon in 2017.
In 2018, he starred in ‘Swing Kids’ and later that year he featured as the lead role in ‘100 Days, My Prince’ plays a crown prince. The series was a megahit and topped as the fifth-highest-rated Korean drama and the first CJ ENM drama broadcast on Japan’s public television channel, NHK General TV. In October 2020, he announced his role in the upcoming South Korean space survival drama The Moon, written and directed by Kim Yong-hwa starring Sol Kyung-gu, Do Kyung-soo and Kim Hee-ae. The film is currently in post-production and is said to be released in 2023. In 2021, he announced his lead role in the upcoming South Korean remake of the 2007 Taiwanese film Secret.
To represent the past and the present of Korean Cinema, he was selected as one of the 200 actors in ‘The Actor is Present’ campaign by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) in 2021. He released his debut extended play ‘Empathy’ on 26 July 2021 by SM Entertainment with eight tracks.
The lead single of the album was titled ‘Rose’ and D.O. self-composed the lyrics of his lead singles ‘Rose’ and ‘I’m Fine’. The album topped the Gaon Album Chart. He was announced as the next actor to appear in ‘Off The Grid’ a 2-episode travel show by Discovery Channel Korea. In 2022, he returned to the small screen with KBS2’s drama series ‘Bad Prosecutor’. He earned the Top Excellence Award in the 2022 KBS Drama Award for his acting skills. Along with Zico, Crush, Choi Jung-hoon, Lee Yong-jin, and Yang Se-chan. He appeared in the SBS’S variety show No Math School Trip.
Achievements
Doh Kyung-soo is professionally known as D.O. for his solo artistry and for his roles in dramas and movies. As a multitalented artist, he is widely celebrated worldwide for his popular roles and tracks. Here are some of his notable achievements:
- The Korean Film Council selected him as one of the 200 Korean actors that best represent the present and future of Korea’s movie scene.
- In 2014 at the ‘APAN Star Awards’ he won the ‘Best New Actor’ for ‘It’s Okay, That’s Love’.
- At the 2017 ‘Asia Artist Awards’, Doh Kyung-soo won the ‘Popularity Award -Actor’.
- At the ‘Brand of the Year Award’ in 2019, Doh Kyung-soo won ‘Best Male Acting Idol’.
- Doh Kyung-soo won the ‘Next Generation Noteworthy Actor’ at the 2018 ‘Dong-A.com’s Pick’.
- At the 2021, ‘Hanteo Music Awards’ Doh Kyung-soo won the ‘Artist Award – Male Solo’.
- In 2016, for the ‘Max Movie Awards’, Doh Kyung-soo won the ‘Rising Star Award’.
- He was the Korean public relations ambassador attending the ‘Macau International Film Festival’ along with director Choi Dong-hoon in 2017.
Military Life
D.O. was enlisted as a soldier for South Korea’s mandatory military service. He got enlisted on 1 July 2019, the very same day he released a single titled ‘That’s Okay’, as a gift for his fans. After completion of his training, he served at the Capital Mechanized Infantry Division (Fierce Tiger Division) as a food handler.
He Participated in the Taegeukgi (Korean Flag) Campaign for the 70th anniversary of the Korean War in 2020. He also featured in the original military musical ‘Return: The Promise of the Day’ which was a commemorative rerun. It was broadcast live via Naver TV on 10 June 2020 and online broadcast between 24 to 26 September 2020. At the time of his service, he participated in the Military Manpower Administration’s ‘I Am Proud’ campaign and was selected in South Korea’s Ministry of Justice awareness campaign against ‘Digital Sexual Exploitation’. He was officially discharged on 25 January 2021.
Personal Life
Born in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, he is a popular South Korean pop singer. He has an older brother. His parents are supportive of him pursuing his career in the music industry. He is single and is not dating anyone. He is not yet married and is keenly focusing on building his career.
Net Worth and Lifestyle
Doh Kyung-soo’s net worth is estimated to be around $8-10 million US dollars. He rose to fame after his entry into Exo, a Seoul-based Korean-Chinese boy band. His career rose to prominence after becoming the lead vocalist of this K-pop music group. Apart from his solo artistry, he has acted in major and minor roles in most celebrated movies. His major income comes from his successful career in the music and film industry.
Awards
- KBS Drama Awards (2022)
Best Couple Award- Doh Kyung-soo with Lee Se-hee for “Bad Prosecutor”. - Hanteo Music Awards (2021)
- Artist Award – Male Solo (2021)
- Indonesian Hallyu Fans Choice Awards (2021)
- Solo Song of the Year – Rose (2021)
- Baeksang Arts Awards (2019)
Most Popular Actor – 100 Days My Prince (2019) - Brand of the Year Award (2019)
- Best Male Acting Idol (2019)
- Buil Film Awards (2018, 2019)
- Soompi Awards (2019)
- Actor of the Year – 100 Days My Prince (2019)
- Best Couple – with Nam Ji-hyun- 100 Days My Prince (2019)
- Popular Star Award – Swing Kids (2019)
- Popular Star Award – Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2018)
- Director’s Cut Awards (2018)
- Best New Actor – Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018)
- Dong-A.com’s Pick (2018)
- Next Generation Noteworthy Actor (2018)
- The Seoul Awards (2018)
- Popularity Actor Award – Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018)
- Asia Artist Awards (2017)
- Popularity Award – Actor (2017)
- Blue Dragon Film Awards (2017)
Credit: Pinterest - Best New Actor – My Annoying Brother (2017)
- Baeksang Arts Awards (2017)
- Most Popular Actor – My Annoying Brother (Film) (2017)
- JIMFF Awards (2017)
- Star Award-My Annoying Brother (2017)
- Korean Film Shining Star Awards (2017)
- Newcomer Award (Film) – My Annoying Brother (2017)
- Baeksang Arts Awards (2016)
- Most Popular Actor – Pure Love (Film) (2016)
- Max Movie Awards (2016)
- Rising Star Award (2016)
- APAN Star Awards (2014)
- Best New Actor – ‘Its Okay Thats Love’ (2014)
- Seoul International Youth Film Festival (2014)
- Best Young Actor- It’s Okay, That’s Love (2014)
Interesting Facts about D.O.
- He officially joined SM Entertainment in 2010 after winning a singing competition.
- He has the habit of biting his nails.
- He loves cooking.
- His favourite colour is black.
- His favourite food is spaghetti.
- If he didn’t become a singer, he would’ve been a chef.
- According to him, he inherited his artistic side from his father because his father owns an art business.
- His favourite genre of movies is fantasy movies.
- He was discharged from the military on January 25, 2021.
FAQs
- How old is Doh Kyung-soo?
As of 2023, he is 30 years old. - Is Doh Kyung-soo married?
He is currently single. - What is the upcoming movie of Doh Kyung-soo?
From the latest news, his upcoming movie is ‘The Moon’ which is to be released in 2023. - When was Doh Kyung-soo born?
12 January 1993. - What is the Instagram handle of D.O.?
