Kal So-won

Kal So-won (; born 14 August 2006) is a South Korean child actress. She debuted with the television series Take Care of Us, Captain and is best known for starring in Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2013), one of the best-selling Korean films of all time.

Life and career

Kal So-won was born on 14 August 2006 in Seoul, South Korea. Her family consists of her parents and Kal Sun-woo, her younger brother who was born two years after. Kal is also the granddaughter of Jo Eun-il, a writer who is known for one of the best-selling series' "Baker Mom's 100 Point Diary" . Jo had also previously written pieces based on her granddaughter's life in the format of letters similarly to diary entries. Kal briefly attended before transferring to . She currently resides in Jeju Island and attends .

6-year-old Kal began her journey as a child actress following her debut acting role in Take Care of Us, Captain (2012). Her performance in the South Korean film, Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2013) gained her domestic recognition after becoming one of the best-selling Korean films of all time. Her role earned her numerous nominations and awards including "Best New Actress" at the Baeksang Arts Awards and Max Movie Best Film Awards, and notably made her the youngest nominee for the "Best New Actress" and "Best Actress" awards in the history of the Grand Bell Awards'. In February 2014, Kal signed an exclusive contract under YG Entertainment. She revealed amongst several candidates, she chose YG Entertainment as her first agency. In celebration, she had a meal with singers and actors including Big Bang, 2NE1, Cha Seung-won, and Yoo In-na. Under the agency, her credits include the television series' My Daughter, Geum Sa-wol (2015), Glamorous Temptation (2015), The Doctors (2016), The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016), and A Korean Odyssey (2017).

In 2015, Kal joined BigBang onstage and performed the intro to their single "Blue" at their MADE World Tour held in Seoul, South Korea. Kal also appeared as a guest performer for iKon during the first portion of their stage for the single "Love Scenario" at the 2018 Continue Tour held in Seoul, South Korea.

Kal has been on a hiatus from acting since 2023.

In 2025, after YG Entertainment announced it would end its actor management division, her contract expired in May. The Seoul Guro Children Film Festival

Suncheon Bay World Animal Film Festival

Child Abuse Prevention

Child Safety Ambassador

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes English Korean 2012 The Taste of Money 돈의 맛 Ri-ni 2013 Miracle in Cell No. 7 7번방의 선물 Ye-seung One Stormy Night 폭풍우 치는 밤에 Narrator Dubbing 2020 Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP 미스터 주: 사라진 VIP Seo-yeon 2013 The Secret of Birth 출생의 비밀 Hong Hae-deum 2014 Lump in My Life 내 인생의 혹 Geum-ji (young) 2015 My Daughter, Geum Sa-wol 내 딸, 금사월 Geum Sa-wol (young) Cleaning Up 클리닝업 Jin Yu-na 2023 Delivery Man 딜리버리맨 Choi Ha-yul Cameo (episode 5–6)

Web series Year Title Role Notes English Korean 2018 YG Future Strategy Office YG 전략자료본부 Herself Cameo (Episode 6) 2021 Writing Your Destiny Sam-shin

Television show Year Title Role Notes English Korean 2018 Nest Escape 3 둥지탈출3 Cast member Episode 4 2020 King of Mask Singer 복면가왕 Contestant (Innocent Manga) Episodes 281–282

Music video appearances Year Title Artist Length 2013 "After Winter" Koyote (featuring Kal So-won) 4:06 "Hurtful" Shin Ji-hoon 3:07

Awards and nominations +Name of the award ceremony, year presented, award category, nominee(s) of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee(s) / work(s) Result APAN Star Awards 2015 Best Young Actress My Daughter, Geum Sa-wol Baeksang Arts Awards 2013 Best New Actress – Film Miracle in Cell No. 7 Buil Film Awards 2013 Best New Actress Grand Bell Awards Best Actress Special Jury Korea Drama Awards Best Young Actress The Secret of Birth Korea Yakult Superstar V-KIDS Contest 2011 Kal So-won Max Movie Awards 2014 Best New Actress Miracle in Cell No. 7 MBC Drama Awards 2015 Best Young Actress My Daughter, Geum Sa-wolGlamorous Temptation