Choi Si-won (Korean: 최시원; born April 7, 1986[2][a]), known mononymously as Siwon, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, model, and actor, known for his work as a member of South Korean boy group Super Junior. Choi was a special representative for UNICEF Korea from 2015 to 2019, before being chosen as an UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office ambassador in November 2019.[3]
Choi was born in Seoul, South Korea, on April 7, 1986.[4][5] He has one younger sister, Ji-won. His father was the former CEO of Boryung Medicine, a pharmaceutical company.[6]
Career
Choi was scouted by a talent agent from SM Entertainment when he was 16 as he was waiting for friends in front of his high school. The agent recommended him to audition for the company's Starlight Casting System. He auditioned without his parents' approval; his parents were notified only after he passed the auditions.[7] Although his parents allowed him to sign a contract with SM Entertainment, they did not give him any help because they wanted him to take responsibility for his actions.[8]
He later moved into dormitories with fellow trainees and was trained in areas of singing, acting, dancing as well as languages. He was featured in a music video of The Grace's Dana whilst he was being trained as a solo singer in 2003.[9] A year after, Choi made a brief appearance in family drama Precious Family,[10] and again in 2005 in the KBS romance comedy drama Eighteen, Twenty-Nine as young Kang Bong-man,[11] while in 2006 he played the supporting role of Park Sang-woo in romance melodrama Spring Waltz.[12]
Not long after Choi's first television appearance, SM Entertainment released an announcement that he would debut as one of the twelve members in a boy band. A few months before the debut of Super Junior 05, Choi made his first media appearance with bandmate Han Geng as one of the runway models in a fashion show by Bum Suk.
Choi debuted as part of 12-member rotational project group Super Junior 05 on November 6, 2005, on SBS' music program Popular Songs, performing their first single, "Twins (Knock Out)". Their debut album Twins was released a month later on December 5, 2005, and debuted at number three on the monthly MIAK K-pop album charts.
In March 2006, SM Entertainment began to recruit new members for the next Super Junior generation. However, plans changed and the company declared a halt in forming future Super Junior generations. Following the addition of thirteenth member Kyuhyun, the group dropped the suffix "05" and became officially credited as Super Junior. The re-polished group's first CD single "U" was released on June 7, 2006, which was their most successful single until the release of "Sorry, Sorry" in March 2009, which helped them achieve global success.
In April 2008, Choi was put into seven-member sub-group Super Junior-M, a Mandopop subgroup of Super Junior for the Chinese music industry. They debuted in China at the 8th Annual Music Chart Awards, simultaneously with the release of their first music video, "U" on April 8, 2008. This was followed by the release of the debut Chinese-language studio album, Me in selected provinces in China on April 23 and May 2 in Taiwan.
On July 5, 2023, Super Junior-L.S.S., a sub-unit group consisting of Super Junior bandmates Choi, Leeteuk, and Shindong, debuted with their first Japanese single "シャッタ閉めろ／Shatta Shimero".[13] The trio later made their official Korean debut on January 22, 2024 with the single "Suit Up".[14]
Solo ventures
In 2006, Choi was cast in the Hong Kong epic filmA Battle of Wits, playing the role of the Liang Prince. This also marks his film debut.[15] Choi received praise from co-star Andy Lau, who stated that Choi sets a good example for Hong Kong actors.[16]
After a three-year hiatus, Choi returned to the screen with SBS' romantic comedy Oh! My Lady.[19] The same year, he starred in the big-budget spy series Athena: Goddess of War, a spin-off to the 2009 hit drama Iris. He plays a data analyst and rookie elite agent.[20]
In 2012, Choi starred in SBS' comedy satire drama The King of Dramas, based around Korean television production. He plays Kang Hyun-min, a top celebrity with a prickly personality.[23]
Choi starred in multiple projects in 2015. He co-starred in Hong Kong historical-action film Dragon Blade with Jackie Chan, crime thriller Helios and sports drama To the Fore alongside Eddie Peng and Shawn Dou.[24][25][26] He also starred in the Chinese romance drama Fall In Love With You Again and was cast in Billion Dollar Heir, a Chinese adaptation of the 2013 hit drama The Heirs.[27][28]
Back in Korea, Choi starred as the second male lead in MBC's romantic comedy She Was Pretty.[29] He received critical acclaim for his acting performance and comedic portrayal of the character, and experienced a rise in popularity.[30][31][32] He released a single for the drama titled "Only You", which ranked atop the music charts.[33] In 2015, Choi Siwon with EnterMedia Pictures (CEO Lee Dong Hoon) purchased the rights to the 2011 Daum webtoon Interview, authored by Rude Vico.[34][35]
In April 2019, Choi starred in KBS's crime comedy drama My Fellow Citizens!.[40][41] In 2020, he starred in an episode of the science fiction anthology series SF8.[42]
In 2021, Choi starred in the TVING web series Work Later, Drink Now and made a cameo appearance in the movie New Year Blues.[43][44] In addition to his appearance, he also released the track "Nobody but You" as part of the Work Later, Drink Now soundtrack.[45] In 2022, Choi starred in the ENA romantic comedy series Love Is for Suckers and returned for the second season of Work Later, Drink Now.[46][47]
Choi Si-won is a representative for Audi Korea.[51] In 2015, Choi Si-won was chosen by the Swiss luxury watchmaker brand Piaget as their youngest Asian model.[52]
Philanthropy
Choi has joined many UNICEF campaigns since 2010. He was appointed as the special representative of the South Korea committee for UNICEF on November 12, 2015.[53]
Upon his release from the military, Choi confirmed to volunteer for a UNICEF campaign in Vietnam from August 21 to 25, 2017, alongside fellow labelmate Jaemin of NCT Dream. The campaign is named as "SMile for U" which is a music education programme for children with disabilities conducted in partnership with Choi's agency.[54]
In 2008, Choi and his fellow Super Junior-M members appeared on Chinese postage stamps, becoming the first South Korean artists to do so. The stamps were sold at a charity event to raise funds for victims of an earthquake which happened in China earlier that year.[56]
In 2013, Choi, along with Psy, became the first K-pop stars to attend the Met Gala.[57] In October 2015, he became the first Korean to reach 5 million Twitter followers.[58][59] In 2016, Choi was listed in Forbes magazine's "30 Under 30 Asia." He was described as "one of South Korea's most sought-after singers and actors."[60]
A wax figure of Choi was unveiled at Madame Tussauds in Hong Kong on November 19, 2015.[61]
Choi is a devout Protestant Christian, and has said he would like to become a missionary.[63] He frequently posts Bible quotes on his Twitter and Weibo accounts.[64] He has also collaborated with the Christian singing group 3rd Wave Music along with other K-pop artists.[65]
Choi enlisted as a conscripted policeman on November 19, 2015.[66] He was discharged from mandatory military service on August 18, 2017.[67][68]
Controversies
Anti-LGBT
In 2007, when being asked about male actors portraying sexually ambiguous roles as in The King and the Clown (2005), Choi said: "I will respectfully refuse any such offers. While I respect all genders, I do not wish to acknowledge homosexuals as I have been taught that God created Man and Woman with specific characteristics and duties. I realize that with globalization, there are many [entertainers] who do not share my views. There are those who are value-oriented and those who are success-oriented. However shouldn't an actor deliver an image to his audience through roles he chooses to portray, based on his beliefs in life?"[69][70]
On September 11, 2015, Choi retweeted theologian John Piper who stated "Obergefell is not constitutional; so-called same-sex marriage does not exist." Choi also shared Piper's link to an article in support of Kim Davis, as well as two Biblical passages, confirming he remained against gay marriage. The next day he removed the retweets and posted an apology in both Korean and English. The English version went, "I apologize for my inconsiderate choice to retweet Rev. Piper's tweet. Reason I echoed Rev. Piper's thoughts was because I wished to voice a plurality of opinions. However, now I realize that my comments were hurtful to those whom I hold dearest: my fans, and their friends and families. I am truly sorry. My judgment was insensitive, thoughtless, and ill-conceived. I will do my best to learn from my mistakes and reflect on my faith. I thank everyone for their support and understanding." He later deleted the apology.[71]
In April 2023, Choi has been accused of transphobia over a meme he posted on Bubble, a private online discussion platform. The controversial meme shows a scene from the movie Titanic (1997) in which actor Billy Zane's character Caledon Hockley is trying to be rescued but is told "women and children first." Zane's character then claims: "I'm trans." Choi wrote "It's funny kekekekeke" along with the image.[72][73][74]
Deadly dog bite
On September 30, 2017, an untied French bulldog owned by Choi's family bit their neighbor, 53-year-old businesswoman Kim who ran Hanilkwan, an upscale Korean cuisine restaurant. This resulted in the death of the victim six days after the incident. The cause was identified as sepsis, brought on by the bite. Choi and his father separately wrote letters of apology on their Instagram accounts on October 21, 2017.[75] Although a family member of the deceased told media that the family were not willing to take any legal action, the Choi family received severe backlash from the public for not taking any precautionary measures with their dog.[76]
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