Doh Kyung-soo

Biography

Doh Kyung-soo (Korean: 도경수; born January 12, 1993), also known as D.O. (디오), is a South Korean singer and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Exo. He debuted as a soloist on July 26, 2021, with his first extended play (EP) Empathy. He has since released two more EPs, Expectation (2023) and Blossom (2024), as well as a studio album, Bliss (2025). As an actor, Doh has starred in various television dramas and movies such as It's Okay, That's Love (2014), My Annoying Brother (2016), Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017), 100 Days My Prince (2018), Swing Kids (2018), Bad Prosecutor (2022), and The Manipulated (2025). In recognition of his acting, he was selected by the Korean Film Council as one of the 200 Korean actors that best represent the present and future of Korea's movie scene.

== Life and career ==

=== 1993–2015: Early life and career beginnings ===

Doh Kyung-soo was born on January 12, 1993, in Nonhyeon-dong of Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Ilsandong District of Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. He went to Goyang Poongsan Elementary School, Baekshin Middle School, and Baekseok High School. He has an older brother who is three years older than him. Doh began singing in primary school and was an avid participant in local singing competitions throughout his high school career. After winning one of the competitions, he was advised to audition for SM Entertainment. He performed Na Yoon-kwon's "Anticipation" and Brown Eyed Soul's "My Story" at his audition. Doh subsequently became a trainee during his last two years of high school.

Doh was formally introduced under his stage name D.O. as the eighth member of Exo on January 30, 2012, with the release of the Korean version of the single "What Is Love", sung by him and Baekhyun. The group debuted on April 8 with the EP Mama. In July 2013, he was featured in the song "Goodbye Summer" from f(x)'s second studio album Pink Tape. In September 2014, Doh made his acting debut with a supporting role in the movie Cart, playing a high school student and son of a grocery store worker and union member (played by Yum Jung-ah). The movie premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. He also released an original soundtrack titled "Crying Out" for the movie. Later in 2014, Doh made his small screen debut playing a supporting role in the SBS drama It's Okay, That's Love, which starred Gong Hyo-jin and Zo In-sung. He was praised by film critic Heo Ji-woong for his performance in the series, and was later nominated for the Best New Actor award at the 51st Baeksang Arts Awards. In June 2015, Doh featured in KBS' drama Hello Monster, playing a psychopath. In November 2015, Doh was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award at the 52nd Grand Bell Awards for his role as Tae-young in Cart.

=== 2016–2020: Lead roles, recognition and military service === In January 2016, Doh was announced as one of the cast of voice actors for the feature-length animated film Underdog, which premiered in 2019. He voiced Moongchi, a stray dog who is separated from his owner. In February 2016, he collaborated with Yoo Young-jin on a duet titled "Tell Me (What Is Love)" for SM Station Season 1. He had previously performed a short version of the song as a solo performance throughout Exo's first concert tour. Later in February, Doh starred as the male lead alongside actress Kim So-hyun in the romantic film Pure Love. In October 2016, Doh starred alongside Chae Seo-jin in the web drama Be Positive. The series became the most watched Korean web drama of all time. In November 2016, Doh starred alongside Jo Jung-suk and Park Shin-hye in the film My Annoying Brother, playing a national level Judo athlete. He and Jo also recorded the ending theme song, titled "Don't Worry" for the movie. Doh was awarded the Blue Dragon Film Awards Best New Actor award a year later for his performance in the film.

In 2017, Doh starred in the comedy thriller film Room No.7. The same year, he played a supporting role in Kim Yong-hwa's film Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, a blockbuster adaptation of the webtoon of the same name, about a court in the afterlife where the deceased undergo multiple trials for 49 days. In December 2017, Doh attended the Macau International Film Festival alongside director Choi Dong-hoon as a Korean public relations ambassador. In 2018, Doh starred in Swing Kids, a film set in a prison camp in South Korea during the Korean War. He plays a North Korean soldier who falls in love with tap dancing in the midst of all the chaos. Later that year, he was cast in his first small-screen leading role, playing a crown prince in 100 Days My Prince. The series was a commercial success, becoming the fifth highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history and in 2020, became the first CJ ENM drama to be broadcast in Japan's public television channel, NHK General TV.

==== Military service ==== In May 2019, Doh was reported to be among the conscripted soldiers for July, to the surprise of many. Shortly after the news, he posted a handwritten letter on EXO's official fan club confirming and announcing his upcoming enlistment for South Korea's mandatory military service. He enlisted as an active duty soldier on July 1, 2019. On the same day, he released the single "That's Okay," a song that he co-wrote, through the SM Station project as a gift for his fans. After completing his training, he served at the Capital Mechanized Infantry Division (Fierce Tiger Division) as a food handler (kitchen police). In 2020, Doh participated in the Taegeukgi (Korean Flag) Campaign for the 70th anniversary of Korean War and was cast in a commemorative rerun of the original military musical Return: The Promise of the Day, playing the role of young Seungho, marking it as his musical theater debut. A special run of the musical was broadcast live via Naver TV on June 10, 2020. Due to COVID-19 protocols, in-person performances were cancelled and shifted to online broadcast between September 24 to 26, 2020. During his service, Doh also participated in Military Manpower Administration's "I Am Proud" campaign. He was also selected in the South Korea's Ministry of Justice awareness campaign against "Digital Sexual Exploitation". After taking his final military vacation leave in December 2020 without returning to his base in compliance with the army's protocols regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Doh was officially discharged on January 25, 2021.