# Kang Ho-dong (강호동)
**Kang Ho-dong** (강호동; born 1970) is a South Korean comedian and variety-show host who first rose to fame as a champion ssireum wrestler, becoming the youngest-ever Cheonhajangsa (천하장사, national ssireum champion) at age 19 in 1990 before debuting as a comedian in 1993.[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) In a hosting career of more than 30 years he has won the grand prizes (Daesang) of all three terrestrial broadcasters, and in 2008 became the first comedian to win the [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) grand prize at the Baeksang Arts Awards.[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/comedian-kang-ho-dong-joins-sm-cc-board/11265790)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970, Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province; Cine21 gives the date as 1970[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) • [3](https://host.cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=main&person_id=69104) |
| Ssireum career | Professional debut 1989; youngest-ever Cheonhajangsa at 19 in March 1990; retired May 1992[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) |
| Title count | Five Cheonhajangsa and seven Baekdujangsa titles per contemporary reporting; a later source gives three Cheonhajangsa[4](https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/3011170) • [5](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/culture/11391316) |
| Broadcasting Daesangs | Five: SBS 2007, KBS and MBC 2008, KBS 2009, SBS 2010[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) |
| Baeksang | Television grand prize, 44th Baeksang Arts Awards (2008), the first comedian to win it[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/comedian-kang-ho-dong-joins-sm-cc-board/11265790) |
| Signature shows | Star King (2007–16), 1박2일 season 1 (2007–11), New Journey to the West (2015), Knowing Bros (2015–)[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/comedian-kang-ho-dong-joins-sm-cc-board/11265790) |
| Agency | SM C&C since 2012; elected to its board of directors[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/comedian-kang-ho-dong-joins-sm-cc-board/11265790) |
## Early life and ssireum career
Kang Ho-dong was born in 1970 in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province. He attended Masan middle and high schools and later dropped out of the physical-education program at Yong In University.[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) He began ssireum, Korean traditional wrestling, in his second year of middle school, joined the Joheung Bank team, and moved to Il-yang Pharmaceuticals in May 1989, debuting on the professional ssireum stage that year.[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) A later English-language account dates his professional debut to 1988; the discrepancy is unresolved.[5](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/culture/11391316)
In March 1990, at 19 years old and measuring 182 cm and 120 kg, he won the 18th Cheonhajangsa Ssireum Tournament, becoming the youngest-ever Cheonhajangsa and earning the nickname "boy champion" (소년장사).[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) He won three consecutive Cheonhajangsa titles within 1990 alone. On the total count, sources disagree: the SBS/Yonhap retrospective credits him with five Cheonhajangsa titles in total, and a 1995 JoongAng profile likewise records five Cheonhajangsa and seven Baekdujangsa titles in a career of three years and six months, while MK states three Cheonhajangsa and seven Baekdujangsa.[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) • [4](https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/3011170) • [5](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/culture/11391316)
His retirement in May 1992 was abrupt. The JoongAng profile describes it as half voluntary and half forced: his showmanship, including unauthorized departures, brought repeated friction with his team, and when he was blocked from transferring he accepted a broadcaster's invitation and debuted on the comedy program 코미디 동서남북.[4](https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/3011170)
## Transition to television
On the recommendation of comedian Lee Kyung-kyu, Kang debuted in 1993 as an MBC special-recruit comedian and won the comedy-section excellence award at the 1994 MBC Broadcasting Awards, one and a half years after his comedy debut, for his "Ho-dong-i" role on 오늘은 좋은날.[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) • [4](https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/3011170) His first television appearance had come earlier, on KBS's Johnny Yune Show on July 10, 1989, shortly after he took the 44th Baekdujangsa title.[6](https://namu.wiki/w/%EA%B0%95%ED%98%B8%EB%8F%99)
The 1995 오늘은 좋은날 segment "소나기" (Rainshower) made him a star: it recorded a viewership rating above 50 percent.[6](https://namu.wiki/w/%EA%B0%95%ED%98%B8%EB%8F%99)
## Major hosting roles
Kang's signature programs span both the pre- and post-hiatus eras. He hosted Star King from 2007 to 2016 and led the first season of KBS2's 1박2일 (2 Days & 1 Night) from 2007 to 2011.[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/comedian-kang-ho-dong-joins-sm-cc-board/11265790) After his 2012 return he joined [New Journey to the West](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-journey-to-the-west) (신서유기) and [Knowing Bros](https://www.edgepedia.org/knowing-bros) (아는 형님), both beginning in 2015.[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/comedian-kang-ho-dong-joins-sm-cc-board/11265790) His post-2012 slate also includes 한끼줍쇼, 강식당, 대탈출, 고기서 만나, 강심장 리그, 형제라면, and 몸신2.[7](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202309160154)
## Hosting style and place among Korean MCs
Kang's on-screen persona is easygoing and loud, but people who worked with him describe heavy preparation behind it. Former MBC producer Yeo Won-hyuk praised his memory, saying he never forgets anything taught once; Lee Kyung-kyu called him "a friend with animal instincts"; commentators credit his thorough self-preparation despite the easygoing laugh.[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) In a September 2023 interview he described viewers' laughter as the engine of his challenges, saying his drive is to keep showing new sides of himself.[7](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202309160154)
His standing relative to peers has a measurable marker: in 2010 he topped Gallup Korea's year-end "올해를 빛낸 개그맨" (comedian of the year) poll for the first time, overtaking [Yoo Jae-suk](https://www.edgepedia.org/yoo-jae-suk).[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) His success is also credited with opening Korean variety to athlete-turned-entertainers; after he established himself, broadcasters moved actively to debut figures such as Kang Byung-kyu, Choi Hong-man, Choo Sung-hoon, Seo Jang-hoon, and [Ahn Jung-hwan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ahn-jung-hwan).[6](https://namu.wiki/w/%EA%B0%95%ED%98%B8%EB%8F%99)
## 2011–12 hiatus and return
In September 2011 it became public, on September 4, that Kang allegedly failed to pay taxes estimated in the hundreds of millions of won. He announced a tentative retirement at a Seoul press conference days later.[8](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20110913/programs-under-threat-as-nations-funnyman-retires) After news of his departure from 1박2일, an online petition opposing his exit quickly gathered 10,000 signatures.[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) The National Tax Service issued him a fine for underpaying taxes on his declared assets, and he returned to show business in 2012, signing with SM C&C.[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/comedian-kang-ho-dong-joins-sm-cc-board/11265790)
The hiatus showed in the ratings. After his departure announcement, 1박2일 fell to 20.7 percent, almost 4 percentage points below the previous week, and the Happy Sunday block fell to 15.9 percent, according to AGB Nielsen Media Research. Producer Na Young-seok said the remaining five members would continue without replacing him.[8](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20110913/programs-under-threat-as-nations-funnyman-retires)
## By the numbers
Kang's award record is a grand slam across the three terrestrial broadcasters: SBS 2007, KBS and MBC 2008, KBS 2009, and SBS 2010, five Daesangs in total.[1](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347) The 2008 Baeksang Television grand prize made him the first comedian to win it.[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/comedian-kang-ho-dong-joins-sm-cc-board/11265790) His agency's profile adds the first Blue Dragon Series Awards male variety award (2022), a Presidential Commendation at the 11th Republic of Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards (2020), and an SBS producer award (2013).[9](https://www.smcultureandcontents.com/ko/management/artist_view.asp?artist_srl=1007)
The audience figures attached to his career mark eras of Korean television: above 50 percent for "소나기" in 1995,[6](https://namu.wiki/w/%EA%B0%95%ED%98%B8%EB%8F%99) 20.7 percent for 1박2일 in the week his exit was announced,[8](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20110913/programs-under-threat-as-nations-funnyman-retires) and, in the streaming era, four consecutive weeks as the No. 1 weekly paid-subscription contributor for the tving original 대탈출 : 더 스토리, with per-episode clips drawing high viewership.[9](https://www.smcultureandcontents.com/ko/management/artist_view.asp?artist_srl=1007)
## What has changed since 2023
Kang was elected to the board of directors of SM C&C, a subsidiary of [SM Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/sm-entertainment), at a management committee meeting; SM C&C CEO Namgoong Chul called him "Korea's top entertainer and an artist who represents SM C&C."[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/comedian-kang-ho-dong-joins-sm-cc-board/11265790) His agency lists a 2025 slate of 추석특집 기인열전 천만트롯쇼 (TV조선), 대탈출 : 더 스토리 (tving), and 공부와 놀부 (KBS2), and 2026 programs 천만기인쇼 (TV조선) and 강호동네서점 (Coupang Play), alongside his continuing role on 강심장 리그 (SBS, 2023).[9](https://www.smcultureandcontents.com/ko/management/artist_view.asp?artist_srl=1007) 강호동네서점 is a talk show set in a neighborhood called "강호동," with Kang playing the bookshop owner "호크라테스," a disciple of Socrates.[9](https://www.smcultureandcontents.com/ko/management/artist_view.asp?artist_srl=1007) As of recent reporting he continues to appear on Knowing Bros and Great Escape: The Story.[5](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/culture/11391316)
## References
1. [천하장사에서 슈퍼스타, 그리고 잠정은퇴까지 — SBS 뉴스 (Yonhap retrospective)](https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1000986347)
2. [Comedian Kang Ho-dong joins SM C&C board — Korea JoongAng Daily](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/comedian-kang-ho-dong-joins-sm-cc-board/11265790)
3. [강호동 — 씨네21 인물정보](https://host.cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=main&person_id=69104)
4. [천하장사에서 개그맨으로 웃기는 변신 강호동 — 중앙일보 (1995)](https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/3011170)
5. [Broadcaster Kang Ho-dong's story is belatedly known — Maeil Business (MK)](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/culture/11391316)
6. [강호동 — 나무위키](https://namu.wiki/w/%EA%B0%95%ED%98%B8%EB%8F%99)
7. [[창간 54] 강호동 인터뷰 — 일간스포츠](https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202309160154)
8. [Programs under threat as nation's funnyman retires — The Korea Times](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20110913/programs-under-threat-as-nations-funnyman-retires)
9. [SM C&C — 강호동 Management artist profile](https://www.smcultureandcontents.com/ko/management/artist_view.asp?artist_srl=1007)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Television presenters and hosts › Comedy and variety hosts*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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