# Cha Kang-yoon (차강윤)
**Cha Kang-yoon** (차강윤; hanja 車康潤) is a South Korean actor born in 2003 who debuted in the 2024 tvN drama *Graduation* (졸업) and rose quickly through supporting roles in 2025 dramas to his first lead role in the Tving original series *Daerisuneung* (대리수능).[1](https://face-k.com/profile/1220/) • [2](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202405141738373241) • [3](https://star.ytn.co.kr/_sn/0117_202607151745295758) He is signed to the management company Vibeactors.[1](https://face-k.com/profile/1220/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2003, South Korea[1](https://face-k.com/profile/1220/) |
| Debut | 2024, tvN drama *Graduation* (졸업), as the student Lee Si-woo[2](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202405141738373241) |
| Agency | Vibeactors, exclusive contract signed May 2024[2](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202405141738373241) |
| 2025 roles | Choi Jin-soo in *The Art of Negotiation*; Tak Gi-on in *Resident Playbook* (언젠가는 슬기로울 전공의생활); Pyo Ji-ho in *Gyeonwoo and Seonnyeo*; Kim Su-gyeom in *The Story of Manager Kim Who Works at a Large Company and Owns a Home in Seoul*[4](https://www.vibeactors.com/chakangyoon) |
| First lead | Kang Geon-tae in the Tving original *Daerisuneung* (2026)[3](https://star.ytn.co.kr/_sn/0117_202607151745295758) |
| Upcoming | Medical student Kang Ji-sung in the Korean remake of the Japanese drama *Unnatural*[3](https://star.ytn.co.kr/_sn/0117_202607151745295758) |
| Profile | 187 cm tall; MBTI ENFJ; acting major at Seoul Arts University (서울예술대학교)[1](https://face-k.com/profile/1220/) |
## Debut and early career
Cha Kang-yoon signed an exclusive contract with Vibeactors in May 2024 and, at the same time, was cast in director Ahn Pan-seok's tvN drama *Graduation*, which became his debut work.[2](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202405141738373241) In the series, set in the private academy district of Daechi-dong, he played Lee Si-woo, a top-ranked student from a difficult family background who meets the instructors Hye-jin ([Jung Ryeo-won](https://www.edgepedia.org/jung-ryeo-won)) and Jun-ho ([Wi Ha-joon](https://www.edgepedia.org/wi-ha-joon)) and becomes their student.[2](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202405141738373241) At the time of the contract announcement he was a student at Seoul Arts University, and the agency described him as a newcomer already fielding offers for follow-up projects.[2](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202405141738373241)
## 2025: a run of supporting roles
**Four dramas in one year.** In 2025 Cha appeared in four series: *[The Art of Negotiation](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-art-of-negotiation)* (협상의 기술) on JTBC, *Resident Playbook* (언젠가는 슬기로울 전공의생활) and *Gyeonwoo and Seonnyeo* (견우와 선녀) on tvN, and JTBC's *The Story of Manager Kim Who Works at a Large Company and Owns a Home in Seoul* (서울 자가에 대기업 다니는 김 부장 이야기).[4](https://www.vibeactors.com/chakangyoon)
In *The Art of Negotiation*, a weekend drama about a legendary M&A specialist and his corporate team, he played Choi Jin-soo, the youngest member and intern of the Sanin Group M&A team, a capable recruit with fluent foreign-language skills and a talent for personal finance.[5](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/entertain/11278219) Coverage of the series noted that his performance added humor and energy to the show's corporate narrative.[5](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/entertain/11278219) In *Resident Playbook*, which ended its run on May 18, 2025, he played the intern Tak Gi-on, a character added midway through the series; Cha said the challenge was fitting naturally into an ensemble whose dynamic was already established, and that he studied the rhythms of senior actors including Lee Chang-hoon, Shin Shia, and [Go Youn-jung](https://www.edgepedia.org/go-youn-jung) to do so.[6](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=107623)
In *The Story of Manager Kim*, he played Kim Su-gyeom, the son of the character played by [Ryu Seung-ryong](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryu-seung-ryong).[4](https://www.vibeactors.com/chakangyoon) • [3](https://star.ytn.co.kr/_sn/0117_202607151745295758) Cha has said that working on that production with Ryu left a strong impression on him as a junior actor.[7](https://www.arenakorea.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=58344)
## First lead and upcoming projects
Cha took his first leading role in the Tving original *Daerisuneung* (대리수능), playing Kang Geon-tae, the top-ranked student at a prestigious Gangnam high school and a special scholarship recipient from a low-income household, whose past choice catches up with him when a blackmailer draws him into sitting the college entrance exam as a proxy test-taker.[3](https://star.ytn.co.kr/_sn/0117_202607151745295758)
He was subsequently cast in the Korean remake of *Unnatural*, the 2018 Japanese TBS mystery medical drama about forensic doctors uncovering the truth behind unnatural deaths; he is set to play Kang Ji-sung, a medical student assigned to the National Forensic Service as a public-service worker.[3](https://star.ytn.co.kr/_sn/0117_202607151745295758) Reporting on the casting framed the two projects as the point at which he moves from rising star to next-generation lead actor.[3](https://star.ytn.co.kr/_sn/0117_202607151745295758)
## Background and training
Cha attended Yongshin Middle School and Hanmin High School before entering the acting program of the School of Performing Arts at Seoul Arts University.[1](https://face-k.com/profile/1220/) In interviews he has described a long apprenticeship before debut: as a high school student he was known schoolwide for walking the athletic field three times a day to practice, and he recalled practicing until the soles of his shoes wore through and crying while rehearsing in a school club room because his future was uncertain.[6](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=107623) He has listed swimming, guitar, cooking, and beatboxing among his hobbies, and has said he wants eventually to appear in a historical film like *1987*, which first made him dream of acting, and to direct a screenplay of his own.[6](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=107623)
## References
1. [차강윤 (Cha Kang-yoon) 프로필, Face-K](https://face-k.com/profile/1220/)
2. [신예 차강윤, 바이브액터스와 전속계약…tvN '졸업'으로 활약 예고, YTN (2024.05.14)](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202405141738373241)
3. [차강윤, '대리수능' 첫 주연 이어 '언내추럴' 합류…대세 행보, YTN star (2026.07.15)](https://star.ytn.co.kr/_sn/0117_202607151745295758)
4. [차강윤 | vibeactors, agency profile](https://www.vibeactors.com/chakangyoon)
5. ['K-멍뭉미' 차강윤, 긴장감 조율하는 '이제훈바라기'로 우뚝 ('협상의 기술'), 매일경제 (2025.03.31)](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/entertain/11278219)
6. [WHO ARE YOU: 언젠가는 슬기로울 전공의 생활, 협상의 기술 차강윤, 씨네21 (2025.05.29)](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=107623)
7. [재주 소년 차강윤, 아레나옴므플러스 인터뷰](https://www.arenakorea.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=58344)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of East and Southeast Asia › South Korean actors, 2000s onward › Surnames A to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license