Kang Hye-won

Career

Kang Hye-won first entered the public eye in 2018 as a contestant on Produce 48. She placed eighth with 248,432 votes, earning a spot in the project group Iz*One, which debuted on October 29, 2018, with the single "La Vie en Rose" from the EP Color*Iz. After Iz*One disbanded on April 29, 2021, Kang returned to trainee status under 8D Creative. She made her acting debut on July 21 in the third season of the web series Best Mistake, playing Jin Se-hee.

A few days later, on July 27, she appeared in Parc Jae-jung's music video for "Hobby." In August, she joined the cast of MBC's variety show How A Family is Made. On December 8, a teaser on her YouTube channel announced a winter special album titled W, which she released on December 22 with the lead track "Winter Poem." On June 9, 2022, she dropped the single "Like A Diamond" featuring Stella Jang. On July 6, Playlist Studio confirmed her role as Yoon Bo-mi in Seasons of Blossom, a webdrama based on a webtoon. In August 2023, it was revealed she starred in the Coupang Play series Boyhood, which aired from November 24, 2023.

The show became a hit in South Korea, seeing a 2,914% increase in viewers by its finale compared to its first week and remaining in the top 10 most-watched OTT dramas throughout its run. Industry insiders named her a "2024 Rising Actress to Look Forward To" due to the show's success. On April 29, 2025, she left 8D Entertainment and signed with Peace Entertainment. On September 30, 2025, she landed her first leading role in the Japanese drama Gimbap and Onigiri, acting alongside Eiji Akaso.

Endorsements

In late 2021, Kang Hye-won secured her first commercial partnership with the camera app SODA on November 12. Shortly after, on December 24, New Balance chose her as the pictorial model for a backpack campaign themed around MBTI concepts for the new semester. The following year, on January 13, 2022, she used her YouTube channel to announce a collaboration with the skincare brand Uriid, where she took charge of promotional design for their Neroli Garden Ampoule Stick.

Following the release of her promotional video, the product saw strong sales on social media and online platforms, especially through Hyundai Home Shopping. On March 30, she worked with Onitsuka Tiger Korea to promote their shoe line via a fashion pictorial in Elle Korea. On May 30, the British bag brand Radley London selected her to promote their Spring/Summer 2022 collection, featuring the Forest Way-Smoking and Duke Place bags, in a pictorial for atstar1 magazine.

On June 8, the South Korean clothing label General Idea named her their new muse and model for the 2022 Summer Collection, titled "Bloomy Sunday." She continued with General Idea for their 22FW Woman Part.2 Collection, releasing new pictorials on September 13. On June 27, Nexon announced her as an advertising model for the online game Mabinogi. On July 18, she revealed a collaboration with LEGO to promote their three-dimensional version of Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night.

On October 6, the Korean cosmetics brand ma:nyo appointed her as ambassador for both their No Mercy Spell Mood Stick lipstick line and their V.collagen Heart Fit skincare range. In 2023, on January 9, the Korean clothing company Roem named her their campaign model for the Spring/Summer season.

She continued modeling for Roem through half of the year, also appearing for their Fall collection. This partnership introduced Roem's new slogan, "Romantic Is Everywhere," and reportedly boosted the brand's sales by 30 percent after she became their muse. On March 2, 2023, Nexon again tapped Kang, this time as a special character for their game Sudden Attack.