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Who is Kwak Dong-yeon? Age, key roles, his 2026 enlistment and military-band service — and the next film, Final Interview

Kwak Dong-yeon, born in 1997, debuted as the boy Jang-gun in My Husband Got a Family in 2012. This page covers his roles in Love in the Moonlight, Vincenzo and Queen of Tears, his 2026 move to The Black Label and August 25 enlistment, the Love in the Moonlight 10th-anniversary special and his cameo in Netflix's The East Palace, and the film Final Interview opening November 4.

Kwak Dong-yeon is an actor born in March 1997, making him 29 as of October 2026. He debuted in 2012 as the boy Bang Jang-gun in KBS2's My Husband Got a Family, which won him the child-actor prize at that year's Korea Drama Awards, and became known through Love in the Moonlight (2016, as Kim Byung-yeon), My ID Is Gangnam Beauty (2018, Yeon Woo-young), Vincenzo (2021, Jang Han-seo), Big Mouth (2022, Jerry) and Queen of Tears (2024, Hong Soo-cheol). In April 2026 he signed with The Black Label, the agency of his friend Park Bo-gum; on August 25 he enlisted for active duty in the army, and at the end of September he was assigned to the 35th Infantry Division's military band.

Work he filmed before enlisting is now being released: a special appearance in Netflix's The East Palace (July), the KBS2 reunion special Love in the Moonlight Again marking the drama's 10th anniversary (September), and the film Final Interview, opening November 4. Common questions are answered below, with a source number on every claim.

Kwak Dong-yeon at the Love in the Moonlight press conference in August 2016.
Kwak Dong-yeon at the Love in the Moonlight press conference in August 2016.tenasia10, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
WorkYear / formatRole and reported details
My Husband Got a Family2012 / KBS2 seriesHis debut, as Bang Jang-gun. Child-actor prize at the 2012 Korea Drama Awards.1
Love in the Moonlight2016 / KBS2 seriesPlayed the swordsman Kim Byung-yeon, alongside Park Bo-gum, Kim You-jung, Jinyoung and Chae Soo-bin.2,18
My ID Is Gangnam Beauty2018 / JTBC seriesPlayed Yeon Woo-young.3
Vincenzo2021 / tvN seriesPlayed Jang Han-seo, a role he called a turning point as an actor.4
Big Mouth2022 / MBC seriesPlayed Jerry.5
Queen of Tears2024 / tvN seriesPlayed Hong Soo-cheol. The finale drew 24.9%, the highest rating in tvN drama history.6
The East Palace2026 / Netflix seriesSpecial appearance as the crown prince; his last project before enlisting.15,16
Final Interview2026 / filmPlays the applicant Jeon Yo-han. Opens November 4, 2026.22,23

How old is Kwak Dong-yeon, and how did he start?

Kwak Dong-yeon was born in March 1997, which makes him 29 as of October 2026. He debuted in 2012 as Bang Jang-gun in the KBS2 weekend drama My Husband Got a Family and that October received the child-actor prize at the Korea Drama Awards; Newsen noted at the time that the drama's ratings had passed 40%.

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What is he known for?

Kwak played swordsman Kim Byung-yeon in KBS2's Love in the Moonlight (2016), alongside Park Bo-gum, Kim You-jung, Jinyoung and Chae Soo-bin. He played Yeon Woo-young in JTBC's My ID Is Gangnam Beauty (2018). He described tvN's Vincenzo (2021), in which he played Jang Han-seo, as a turning point in his acting career and discussed the character's growth after meeting Vincenzo. He played Jerry in MBC's Big Mouth (2022). As Hong Soo-cheol in tvN's Queen of Tears (2024), he reunited with My Husband Got a Family writer Park Ji-eun after 12 years. He said he lost 6–8 kilograms during filming to convey the character's changing circumstances. The Queen of Tears finale on April 28, 2024 recorded a nationwide Nielsen Korea rating of 24.9%, setting a tvN drama record at the time.

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Kwak Dong-yeon in 2018.
Kwak Dong-yeon in 2018.뉴스인스타, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
KBS's preview for Love in the Moonlight ahead of its August 22, 2016 premiere (KBS official channel).KBS 한국방송 · official channel · YouTube
tvN's official highlight reel for Queen of Tears.tvN DRAMA · official channel · YouTube

What did he do in 2025–26? Variety, theater and a cameo

  • Variety. He appeared as a part-time worker at Lee Bong-won's restaurant in JTBC's Paengbong Paengbong, which began in April 2025. In tvN's Bo-gum Magiccal (2026), he joined Park Bo-gum and Lee Sang-yi and handled village announcements, cooking and fish-shaped pastries. His enlistment prevented him from taking part in the second season.11,14,28
  • Theater. He completed his final performance with the first cast of Elephant Song on January 11, 2026. He had played Michael across four seasons since 2017 and said the roughly eight years with the production had helped him grow as an actor.29
  • The East Palace. He made a special appearance as the crown prince in Netflix's The East Palace, released in July 2026. Yonhap described it as his last project before enlistment; he said each session of special-effects makeup took two to three hours on average.15,16
11,14,15,16,28,29
Kwak Dong-yeon as Michael in the play Elephant Song at Seoul's Suhyeonjae Theater, November 25, 2019.
Kwak Dong-yeon as Michael in the play Elephant Song at Seoul's Suhyeonjae Theater, November 25, 2019.헤이레이의 기억 @HeyreyP, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Netflix's official trailer for The East Palace, in which Kwak makes a special appearance as the crown prince.Netflix Korea 넷플릭스 코리아 · official channel · YouTube

What agency is he with?

The Black Label announced on April 20, 2026 that it had signed Kwak Dong-yeon to an exclusive contract. In July, the agency announced his enlistment schedule.

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Kwak Dong-yeon in June 2021, shortly after Vincenzo aired.
Kwak Dong-yeon in June 2021, shortly after Vincenzo aired.ELLE Taiwan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When did he enlist, and where is he serving?

Kwak enlisted for active duty in the army on August 25, 2026, a date announced by The Black Label on July 21. On September 29, TenAsia reported his assignment to the 35th Infantry Division's military band, with the transfer scheduled for September 30. He joined actor Lee Jun-young, who was already serving in the same unit, as a junior service member. Sports Kyunghyang reported that they performed together at the Ground Forces Festival near Gyeryongdae on October 3.

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What is Love in the Moonlight Again?

It is a two-part KBS2 travel special reuniting the five leads of Love in the Moonlight — Park Bo-gum, Kim You-jung, Jinyoung, Chae Soo-bin and Kwak Dong-yeon — for the drama's 10th anniversary. Filmed as a one-night trip to Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, on August 4, it aired on September 16 at 8:30 p.m. and September 23 at 9 p.m. The Korea Herald reported that the reunion came about at Park Bo-gum's suggestion. Filming took place three weeks before Kwak's enlistment.

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First teaser for Love in the Moonlight Again from KBS's official entertainment channel.KBS Entertain · official channel · YouTube

What is his next film, Final Interview?

Final Interview is director Kim Jung-hoon's adaptation of Akinari Asakura's Japanese novel Six Lying University Students, scheduled to open on November 4, 2026. Kwak's casting was reported in October 2025. The film follows six finalists competing for one position at a global IT company; Cho Yi-hyun, Kim Jae-won, Shin Seung-ho, Kang You-seok, Kwak Dong-yeon and Bae Gang-hee play the applicants. Kwak plays Jeon Yo-han. An October 13, 2026 report announcing character stills quoted him explaining that he wanted to portray an academically gifted person whose communication is slightly out of step.

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Where can I watch his work?

The East Palace is a Netflix series. Love in the Moonlight Again aired on KBS2, and Final Interview is scheduled for theatrical release on November 4, 2026. Queen of Tears and Vincenzo are tvN dramas, Big Mouth is MBC, My ID Is Gangnam Beauty is JTBC, and Love in the Moonlight and My Husband Got a Family are KBS2 dramas. Availability varies by country and over time, so searching each service by title is the most reliable way to check.

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Has he appeared in a Japanese film?

Kwak made his Japanese film debut in Matching TRUE LOVE, released in Japan on September 25, 2026. Directed by Eiji Uchida, the film casts him as Korean business owner Lee Sung-il alongside Tao Tsuchiya and Daisuke Sakuma.

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Further reading

Read next

ExplainersIs GOT7's Jinyoung the same Park Jin-young as JYP's J.Y. Park? GOT7's debut date, members, Jinyoung's movies and TV shows — and 2026Two people in K-pop share the name Park Jin-young: GOT7's Jinyoung, a singer and actor born in 1994, and J.Y. Park, the founder of JYP Entertainment. This page tells them apart and covers GOT7's debut date and members, the group after JYP, and Jinyoung's dramas, films and October 2026 activities, drawn from 27 press sources.ExplainersIdols turned actors: the route from stage to screenNine idol-actors — from Park Hyung-sik, Doh Kyung-soo, Kim Min-ju and Bang Min-ah to Lee Jun-ho and Yoona — side by side: first roles, breakout work and awards, with the industry logic behind the move, from 18 sources.ExplainersNew K-dramas this October: Doctor X, Take Charge of My Heart, 100 Days of Deception, Between StepsFour series that started in the first half of October, plus new Japan co-productions led by Ji Chang-wook and Lee Joon-gi — channels, premiere dates, leads, early ratings and buzz, drawn from 18 press and official sources.

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Kwak Dong-yeon Park Bo-gum Kim You-jung Park Jin-young Chae Soo-bin Song Joong-ki Kim Soo-hyun Kim Ji-won Lee Jong-suk Cha Eun-woo Nam Joo-hyuk The East Palace Queen of Tears Netflix

Sources

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Cite this page

“Who is Kwak Dong-yeon? Age, key roles, his 2026 enlistment and military-band service — and the next film, Final Interview.” Hallyu Wiki. https://hallyu.wiki/en/guides/kwak-dong-yeon-faq/ (Retrieved 2026-10-21).

How this article was made: read official statements, court/regulator records and at least two independent outlets; community posts are used only as attention signals. Written by Hallyu Wiki editors with AI assistance — check the sources. Request a correction