# Uhm Tae-woong (엄태웅)
**Uhm Tae-woong** (엄태웅; born 1974) is a South Korean actor who rose to fame through the cult television dramas *Resurrection* (2005) and *The Devil* (2007), became a household name as General Kim Yushin in *Queen Seondeok* (2009), and later found box-office success as a romantic lead in *Cyrano Agency* (2010) and *Architecture 101* (2012).[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367) His career was interrupted for roughly eight years after a 2016 criminal case, and he resumed public activity with a photography exhibition in 2025 and a return to acting.[2](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20250402_0003122748)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974, South Korea[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367) |
| Debut | Film *The Happenings*, 1998[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367) |
| Breakthrough | *Resurrection* (KBS2, 2005) and *The Devil* (KBS2, 2007), which earned him the fan nickname "Uhm-force" (엄포스)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367) • [3](https://m.yes24.com/goods/detail/3489063) |
| Major awards | Top Excellence Award, 2009 MBC Drama Awards (for *Queen Seondeok*); Best New Actor, 2006 Chunsa Film Awards (for *Family Ties*)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367) |
| Family | Younger brother of singer-actress Uhm Jung-hwa; married ballerina Yoon Hye-jin in January 2013, daughter Ji-on born 2013[4](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=19730) • [5](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Uhm_Tae-Woong) • [2](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20250402_0003122748) |
| 2016 case | Cleared of sexual assault; given a summary indictment fine of 1,000,000 won on a prostitution charge[2](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20250402_0003122748) |
| Return | Photo exhibition *Air of Time* (시간의 공기), April 2025; screen return with the film *The Last Assignment* (마지막 숙제) in September 2025[2](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20250402_0003122748) • [6](https://m.news.nate.com/view/20260128n07722) |
## Early life and debut
Uhm Tae-woong was born in 1974 in South Korea, and is the younger brother of the singer and actress [Uhm Jung-hwa](https://www.edgepedia.org/uhm-jung-hwa).[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367) • [4](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=19730) He attended Kyungmin College, majoring in theater.[5](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Uhm_Tae-Woong) He made his debut with the film *The Happenings* in 1998, and spent the following years in supporting film and television roles, including the drama *Sassy Girl, Chun-hyang* (2005) and the marine-camp drama film *[Silmido](https://www.edgepedia.org/silmido)* (2003).[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1593423/)
## Breakthrough on television
**Cult dramas.** Uhm's reputation was built on two KBS2 thrillers aimed at devoted drama fans. In *Resurrection* (2005) he played a man who takes on his twin's identity, and in *The Devil* (2007) he played crime detective Kang Oh-soo, a role entangled in a revenge plot.[14](https://world.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=271427&id=&lang=e&menu_cate=moviedrama&page=40) These roles earned him the nickname "Uhm-force" (엄포스), a coinage on his surname that signaled the intensity viewers associated with his characters.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367) • [3](https://m.yes24.com/goods/detail/3489063) The 2005 KBS Drama Awards gave him an Excellence Award for this period of work.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367)
**National fame.** In the 2009 MBC drama *Queen Seondeok* he played the general Kim Yushin, the loyal commander who serves the queen to the end, and the role made him nationally popular, adding a second nickname, "Yushin-lang".[4](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=19730) • [3](https://m.yes24.com/goods/detail/3489063) The performance brought him the Top Excellence Award at the 2009 MBC Drama Awards.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367)
## Film career
Uhm moved between genres through the late 2000s. He distinguished himself in thrillers such as *Chaw* and *Handphone*, both released in 2009, after appearing in *Family Ties* (2006), which won him the Best New Actor Award at the 14th Chunsa Film Awards, and *Forever the Moment* (2008).[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367)
His greatest commercial success came as a romantic lead. In *Cyrano Agency* (2010) he played the head of a dating consultancy, and in *Architecture 101* (2012) he played the older Seung-min in a story about first love revisited through a house design commission; the film rode the 2012 wave of 1990s nostalgia that also produced the drama *Reply 1997*.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367) • [8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_GyneFGQ74) In late 2013 he headlined *Top Star*, the directorial debut of the veteran actor Park Joong-hoon.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367) From February 2011 he was also a cast member of the KBS2 variety program *Happy Sunday: 1 Night 2 Days*.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367)
## The 2016 case and hiatus
In January 2016 Uhm was accused of sexually assaulting a female worker at a massage parlor. The investigation found that the complainant had conspired with the parlor's owner to extract money from him, and the sexual assault charge was dismissed.[2](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20250402_0003122748) • [9](https://www.etnews.com/20161014000298) However, the charge of prostitution was recognized, and he received a summary indictment disposition fining him 1,000,000 won.[2](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20250402_0003122748) Uhm said he would reflect on his wrongdoing and entered a long period of self-restraint away from the industry.[2](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20250402_0003122748) • [10](https://www.osen.co.kr/article/G1112547140)
He returned to the screen once during this period, in the 2017 film *Excavator* (포크레인), his first film role in about five years, but then went eight years without any acting work.[2](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20250402_0003122748) • [5](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Uhm_Tae-Woong) A planned drama comeback in *I Kill You*, directed by Yoo Ha and announced in 2023 as his first home-drama return in about seven years, was reported before his acting comeback actually materialized.[10](https://www.osen.co.kr/article/G1112547140)
## Return to public activity
**Photography.** In April 2025 Uhm held a solo photography exhibition titled *Air of Time* (시간의 공기) at a small gallery in Sindang-dong, Seoul, running from April 5 to April 30. His wife announced it on Instagram, noting that he had fiddled with cameras since his twenties.[2](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20250402_0003122748) Around the same time he shared on social media a handwritten letter from a fan who called him "the number-one actor in my heart," which Yoon Hye-jin responded to warmly.[11](https://biz.chosun.com/entertainment/enter_general/2025/04/23/ANTAHX2KKFHOV5SYHOOFONWK6Y/)
**Acting comeback.** Uhm returned to acting with the film *The Last Assignment* (마지막 숙제), released in September 2025, in which he played Kim Young-nam.[4](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=19730) • [6](https://m.news.nate.com/view/20260128n07722) He has since appeared at film-industry events, including the VIP premiere of *The Man Who Lives with the King* in Seoul in January 2026, and his sister Uhm Jung-hwa posted photographs with him from a premiere for her own film in mid-2026.[6](https://m.news.nate.com/view/20260128n07722) • [12](https://v.daum.net/v/5AkpgvlwYh)
## Personal life
Uhm married the former ballerina Yoon Hye-jin, now a broadcaster, on January 9, 2013, at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, and their daughter Ji-on was born in June of the same year.[5](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Uhm_Tae-Woong) • [2](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20250402_0003122748) Yoon has periodically shared family photographs, including a 2026 Bali vacation and trips with their daughter, that showed Uhm smiling in public view again during his comeback period.[13](https://www.osen.co.kr/article/G1112729922)
## References
1. [UHM Tae-woong, Korean Film Council (KOFCC) Who's Who database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10047367)
2. [엄태웅, 8년 공백 끝…사진전 연다, Newsis (April 2, 2025)](https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20250402_0003122748)
3. [마왕 : 감독판 KBS 드라마 박스세트 상세, Yes24](https://m.yes24.com/goods/detail/3489063)
4. [엄태웅 인물 정보, Cine21](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=19730)
5. [Uhm Tae-Woong, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Uhm_Tae-Woong)
6. ['논란 딛고 활동 재개' 엄태웅, 옅은 미소 포착…VIP 시사회 프로 참석러, MyDaily via Nate (January 28, 2026)](https://m.news.nate.com/view/20260128n07722)
7. [Uhm Tae-woong, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1593423/)
8. [서인국&정은지 - All For You (응답하라 1997 OST) description, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_GyneFGQ74)
9. ['성폭행→성매매' 엄태웅 사건은 어떻게 수렁으로 빠졌나, 전자신문 (October 14, 2016)](https://www.etnews.com/20161014000298)
10. [엄태웅, 8년만에 공식석상..훈훈한 분위기 그대로 '본업 복귀하나' [종합], OSEN](https://www.osen.co.kr/article/G1112547140)
11. [엄태웅, 팬 손편지 공개 "내 맘 속 1호 배우"..아내 윤혜진 "눈물나", Chosun Biz (April 23, 2025)](https://biz.chosun.com/entertainment/enter_general/2025/04/23/ANTAHX2KKFHOV5SYHOOFONWK6Y/)
12. [엄정화, 오랜만에 공개한 엄태웅…한층 편해 보이는 근황, Newsis (July 31, 2026)](https://v.daum.net/v/5AkpgvlwYh)
13. [엄태웅, 발리 휴가서 ♥윤혜진·딸과 '완전체' 완성…'활짝' 밝은 근황, OSEN (January 17, 2026)](https://www.osen.co.kr/article/G1112729922)
14. [Mawang/the Devil](https://world.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?board_seq=271427&id=&lang=e&menu_cate=moviedrama&page=40)
---
*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 T to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 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