Kang's first major role was in
Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), directed by
Justin Lin, in which he played
Han Lue, an aloof gang member. He was one of the stars in
The Motel, in which he played Sam Kim. Kang reprised his role as Han Lue in the
Fast & Furious franchise, first appearing in
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Lin's second movie. Kang's role in
Tokyo Drift was originally written as a one-off character in an almost straight-to-DVD release: an opportunity for a rapper to make a cameo, tossing his keys to the main character (portrayed by
Lucas Black). As production progressed, Lin expanded Han to a significant supporting character who proved "emotionally affecting" and provided "a more delicate touch than the
Fast movies had seen before, or since". In portraying Han, Kang emulated "the laid-back cool of the Paul Newmans and Steve McQueens" with "an added Pitt-esque obsession with constantly snacking". An unexpected fan favorite, Kang was brought back to the
Fast & Furious franchise by Lin, appearing in
Fast & Furious,
Fast Five,
Fast & Furious 6, and the short film
Los Bandoleros. Kang played an
FBI agent in
Jet Li's film
War (2007), and was featured in the movie
Forbidden Warrior as Doran, a son of Genghis Khan. He had a small role in the action movie
Live Free or Die Hard, and he appeared in
Walter Hill's movie
Bullet to the Head (2013), as Detective Taylor Kwon, opposite
Sylvester Stallone. Kang has had several notable television roles, including the recurring role of the narcissistic President Gin Kew Yun Chun Yew Nee in the
Korean drama parody "Tae Do (Attitudes and Feelings, Both Desirable and Sometimes Secretive)" alongside
Bobby Lee on
MADtv. He portrayed FBI Agent Tae Kim in the short-lived crime procedural
Gang Related on
FOX. Both roles required him to speak
Korean, which he is conversant in. The character Tae Kim was written for him by creator
Chris Morgan, with whom he had worked on the
Fast & Furious franchise. In 2018, he played Detective Yoshi Tanaka in the
Magnum P.I. reboot pilot, which was directed and produced by Lin. Kang started the YouTube channel "Sung's Garage" in January 2020, which hosts the videos for the podcast of the same name. Kang credits reporter Jen Yamato of the
Los Angeles Times and her #JusticeForHan social media campaign for rallying public interest and bringing the character of Han Lue back to the
Fast & Furious franchise, in which he reprises his role in
F9 (2021), reuniting with director Lin once more. The same year, Kang made his directorial debut in the horror comedy film
Shaky Shivers. ==Filmography==