Kang Dong-won was born in Busan to a privileged background. His father Kang Cheol-woo is the vice president of SPP Heavy Industries, ranked among the top ten shipping companies worldwide. Kang's family moved to Changwon when he was seven years old. Academically gifted since a young age with an IQ of 137, Kang was accepted at Hanyang University, one of the top universities in the country. He graduated with honors with a degree in Mechanical engineering.

In 2000 when Kang was a first year university student, he was spotted on the street by a modeling agent. Thus began his modeling career, and he appeared on the catwalk for prêt-à-porter collections in Paris such as DKNY, Gucci and Hugo Boss, as well as for the local Seoul Fashion Artists Association (SFAA).

After being cast in the music video for Jo Sungmo's "I Swear," the experience intrigued Kang that he decided to take some acting classes. Realizing that acting was what he had been looking for his entire life, the revelation meant a change of career.[6] He quit modeling and made his acting debut on television in 2003, playing a doctor with a regional dialect in Country Princess (also known as Funny Wild Girl), and a chaebol's son in 1% of Anything.

In 2004 he shot his first movie, the romantic comedy Too Beautiful to Lie. However, his first real breakthrough was in Temptation of Wolves, the film adaptation of Guiyeoni's teen internet novel.[8] With his beautiful, androgynous looks, Kang's popularity rose, extending to other Asian countries, especially Japan. He then briefly returned to television as an antihero in Magic, though it was not successful ratings-wise.

Instead of starring in more mainstream fare, Kang surprised audiences with his next roles as an inmate on death row in Maundy Thursday, and the antagonist in Voice of a Murderer. His two collaborations with auteur Lee Myung-se in Duelist and M further cemented Kang's status as one of the top young actors in Korean cinema, earning him critical recognition for his stylish flair and diverse choice of roles.

Kang said that he decided to play the mischievous titular character in the action fantasy Jeon Woo Chi because "he wanted to be an actor loved by all generations." With its strong, star-filled ensemble cast and a high effects budget, the Choi Dong-hoon film turned into a blockbuster holiday event, selling over 6 million tickets over the winter season despite opening in theaters only a week after the release of Avatar in Korea

In 2010 he scored an acting coup by being cast opposite acclaimed veteran actor Song Kang-ho in Jang Hoon's spy film Secret Reunion. It became one of the biggest Korean box office hits of 2010, with over 5 million tickets sold. He then joined the Busan-centered omnibus Camellia, starring in Jang Joon-hwan's short film Love For Sale.

After filming psychic thriller Haunters, Kang enlisted for his mandatory military service on November 18, 2010 for four weeks of basic training at the Nonsan military camp in South Chungcheong Province. This was followed by non-active duty as a public service worker at Seoul City Research Institute of Public Health and Environment. He was discharged on November 12, 2012. On the day of his release, his agency uploaded a three minute YouTube clip of him in various locations throughout the city, titled "Gang Dong-won in a Day.

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