37.5599° N, 126.9893° E
SEOUL
Most Famous People Born in Seoul, South Korea
- Notable people
- 2,330
- Peak decade
- 1980s
- Median birth year
- 1978
- Most distinctive
- Skater 15.9×
A capital where the Joseon court and the K-pop industry sit on the same list. Seoul's most distinctive professions are figure skaters at nearly sixteen times the global rate, golfers at more than ten times, and singers — the statistical fingerprint of Yuna Kim, Se Ri Pak, and the entire post-2000 K-pop wave. Almost a third of the notables here are entertainers in the strict sense, a share matched by very few cities outside Los Angeles and Mumbai.
One face per century — the most globally famous figure born in Seoul during each.
Notable Births by Decade
Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 690 notable births.
What Seoul Is Known For
Click any row to filter the list of people below.
Actor is Seoul's biggest profession — 20% of all notables (463).
Seoul over-indexes on skater — 15.9× the global rate.
Seoul under-produces politician — only 0.3× the global rate.
Profession Mix Over Time
Each band shows a profession family's share of Seoul's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.
- Sports
- Film & TV
- Music
- Writing
- Politics & Law
- Art & Design
- Other
- Filtered to 1930s Clear ×
Nam June Paik
1932 - 2006
Benjamin W. Lee
1935 - 1977
Goh Kun
Born 1938
Noboru Karashima
1933 - 2015
Misa Yamamura
1931 - 1996
Yuko Tojo
1939 - 2013
Lee Man-hee (director)
1931 - 1975
Han Malsook
Born 1931
Insoo Kim Berg
1934 - 2007
Hiroko Minagawa
Born 1930
Shin Jung-hyeon
Born 1938
Hwang Tong-gyu
Born 1938
Toshiyuki Kajiyama
1930 - 1975
Hwang Byungki
1936 - 2018
Moo-Young Han
1934 - 2016
Jay Kim
Born 1939
Kim Ki-duk (director, born 1934)
1934 - 2017
Shin Goo
Born 1936
Namkoong Won
Born 1934
Um Aing-ran
Born 1936
Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk
Born 1931
Ham Heung-chul
1930 - 2000
Kim Bong-hwan
Born 1939
Chong Hyon-jong
Born 1939
Choi Ha-won
Born 1937
Kim Hu-ran
Born 1934
John Chang Yik
Born 1933
Kang Song-san
1931 - 2007
Lee Nak-hoon
1936 - 1998
Patti Kim (singer)
Born 1938
Park No-sik
1930 - 1995
Song Soon-chun
1934 - 2019
Dawon Kahng
1931 - 1992
Yoon Sam-yook
1937 - 2020
Ryuichi Doi
1939 - 2016
Seok Rae-myeong
1936 - 2003
Kim Jung-suk
Born 1939
Ri Myong-su
Born 1934
Hong Sook-ja
Born 1933
Kim Chan-ki
Born 1932
Yang Hi Choe-Wall
Born 1932
Shin Jae-chul
1936 - 2012
Jo Jae-hyeon (cyclist)
Born 1938
Lee Seung-hun
Born 1938
Jo Byeong-hyeon
Born 1932
Pak Jong-hyeon
Born 1938
Ro Do-chon
Born 1936
Raymond Cho (politician)
Born 1936
Choi Chung-sik
1931 - 2012
Heo Geun-uk
1930 - 2017
Han Ho-san
Born 1939
Hae Jong Kim
Born 1935
Park Se-hak
Born 1936
Ki Ha Rhee
Born 1938
Bang Hai Ja
Born 1937
Kyongwon Ahn
Born 1937
Jun Tabohashi
Born 1931
Han Cha Kyo
1934 - 1996
Kyung Sun Shin
Born 1933
Yoo Kwang-joon
Born 1932
Kim Yang-shik
Born 1931
Lee Sang-cheol
Born 1935
Jeong Gyo-mo
Born 1938
Choe Kwang-ryool
Born 1936