Dong-seok Ma

Dong-seok Ma, also spelled as Dong-suk or Tong-sok, is a well-known South Korean actor. He was born in 1971 and has had a significant impact on Korean cinema. Dong-seok Ma stands out due to his unique name, which is a conventional Korean masculine given name. Its meaning is contingent on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 24 hanja with the reading "dong" and 20 hanja with the reading "seok" on the South Korean government's official list of hanja applicable in given names. The nuances in the pronunciation and spelling of his name mirror the complexities and depth of his acting talent.

Besides Dong-seok Ma, several other South Korean figures share his name's pronunciation, in various fields, from a violinist (Dong-Suk Kang, born 1954) to a yachtsman (Kang Dong-suk, born 1969), and football players (Park Dong-suk, born 1984, and Kim Dong-suk, born 1987). A fictional character Kang Dong-seok is found in the 1995 South Korean television series Asphalt Man. These facts further underline the commonality and cultural significance of Dong-seok Ma's name, adding to his appeal and connection with South Korean audiences.