キム・スヒョン
Kim Soohyun 김수현
"The star of fantasy romance who conquered the Asian entertainment market upon his debut."
The fantasy genre requires a fascinating actor who has not only a head-turning appearance but also solid acting chops to carry a fictional story. The most important is the actor’s charisma, as the fantasy world will crumble if the actor is not convincing enough. Kim Soohyun is one of those rare actors who have all these qualities.
His talent was evident early on in 2007, when he debuted as an actor at age 19 and went through TV sitcoms and adolescent dramas and later played younger versions of the protagonists in Will it snow for Christmas (2009) and Giant (2010). After the phase of being ‘a child actor to be reckoned with,’ Kim stood out in the TV series Dream High (2011), where he played the main character, while appearing in the historical fantasy romance series The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) with his convincing acting. The drama, a story of a young king who falls in love with a female shaman in a fictional Joseon era, recorded impressive viewer ratings of 40% to herald the emergence of Kim as an Asian star.
It was Director Choi Donghoon who brought Kim on screen. In the star-studded heist film The Thieves (2012), the actor played the meek thief Jampano who had a crush on Gianna Jun’s femme fatale character Yenicall. As some might notice, his character name came from Director Federico Fellini’s La Starada (1954). By portraying the character’s romantic feelings, Kim added an element of fantasy romance to the heist comedy film. The success of Secretly Greatly (2013), which is based on a Korean web cartoon and recorded 7 million viewers, proved the star power of Kim. The webtoon’s setting of a naïve-looking boy next door being an elite North Korean spy became convincing with Kim’s performance, when his innocent smile suddenly turned into a chilling gaze and his muscular body was revealed through a ragged tracksuit.
My Love from the Star (2013), in which Kim worked with Gianna Jun again, is the TV series that captivates entire China under Kim’s spell. The fantasy romance story involving a sassy star actor and an alien who lived on Earth for four centuries after crash-landing on it created a sensation that went beyond Korea. The much-expected film Real (2017), which blurred the boundary of reality and fantasy, had mixed reviews in Korea but did well in China. After the latest film, Kim is pondering his next move. We cannot see where his gaze reaches, but he will surely take us to another world. Park Hyeeun
コ・ス
Go Soo 고수
"When a good and righteous character meets his chiseled face, we have no choice but to trust him. A subtle change in his eyes shakes the whole story"
Go Soo, who became an actor through music videos, later emerged as an icon of youth through commercials and gradually approached stardom through sitcoms. When he debuted, he was nicknamed ‘Govid’ for a while because of his sculpture-like appearance reminiscent of the statue of David. In the TV drama series Piano (2001), Go showed his acting ability, transitioning from just a handsome actor to a good actor. In the drama, he was loved for his signature acting with gentle, sympathetic eyes, and quickly rose to take up leading roles on TV.
In his first film, Some (2004), Go played the role of Kang Sungjoo, a detective thoroughly opposite to his sweet, soft image on TV. In the film, Go is falsely accused and cornered, trying everything he can to prove his innocence. He surprised the viewer with his impressive action performance. After winning the Best New Actor at the Grand Bell Awards with Some, his film career took off starting from White Night in 2009. In this film adaptation of a novel by Higashino Keigo, Go played Yohan, a calm and mysterious character, and won the Best Actor Award at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, establishing himself as a character actor.
Go Soo’s biggest strength is that he can blend into various genres and roles with his consistent acting quality. From sci-fi film Haunters (2010) to war film The Front Line (2011), romance film Love 911 (2012), true story-based drama Way Back Home (2013), historical drama The Royal Tailor (2014), and thriller Lucid Dream (2016), Go kept broadening his acting spectrum. He showed good acting chemistry with co-actors, creating an excellent synergy effect with the actors with strong presence such as Son Yejin, Han Hyojoo, and Jeon Doyeon.
Most of the characters Go played are good and faithful, with the character Nalsoe in The Fortress (2017) as a prime example. Nalsoe is a character in the film who expresses the most intense emotions and breaks through the history of humiliation with fearless courage. The film is recorded as Go Soo’s best box office hit, attracting about 3.85 million viewers. The actor is currently acting mainly on TV drama series, but many look forward to seeing his name in the cast of a new movie. The positive, wholesome image of Go comes from his sane private life without a single scandal, which perhaps contributes to his younger-looking appearance. Kim Hyungseok
チャン・ヒョク
Jang Hyuk 장혁
"He infuses his character with passionate power. A professional action star who has played the role of 'King' in historical action films for over 2 decades"
Jang Hyuk debuted at the age of 20 with the TV series Model (1997). A lonely and rebellious adolescent character from the teen drama School (1999) and the film Zzang (1998) defined Jang’s image during the period. It led to the group god’s ‘To Mother’ music video released in 1999, which made the actor shoot to stardom. To change his image, Jang chose the two films; Volcano High (2001) and Jungle Juice (2002). In Volcano High, which combined a school movie and martial arts action, Jang presented cartoon-like action. In Jungle Juice, he appeared as a bully who accidentally got his hands on drugs. Following the romantic comedy Please Teach Me English (2003), the actor starred in Windstruck (2004) with Gianna Jun, cementing his position as an actor. From that time on, Jang began experiencing overseas projects: Public Toilet (2002), directed by Prut Chan, and Dance of the Dragon (2007), the mixture of dance and martial arts, a joint film of Singapore, the United States, and Korea. In 2016, Jang appeared in the Chinese film Inside or Outside.
In 2010, the TV series The Slave Hunters took the actor to the next level. In the historical drama set in the Joseon Dynasty, Jang played the role of Daegil, a bounty hunter who caught runaway slaves, which got him highly praised and nominated for Best Actor at the International Emmy Awards. Jang won the Grand Prize at the KBS Drama Awards.
Since then, Jang has been praised as a character actor, creating impressive characters on TV. After another historical drama series Deep Rooted Tree (2011), he played a genius doctor in Beautiful Mind (2016), a vengeful lawyer in Money Flower (2017) and a father in Bad Papa (2018), gaining wide popularity among the audience. While showing his charisma and presence in the TV series and the historical genre, the actor continued new attempts in the film world. The film The Client (2011) proved that Jang Hyuk’s relaxed character was also attractive, and he deftly portrays subtle and delicate emotions. In Flu (2013), he appeared as a hero in a disaster, but in Innocent Thing (2014), the actor played a naïve guy who fell into a deadly love affair. In Ordinary Person (2017), Jang played a very dark character, an intimidating intelligence agent during the military dictatorship.
Although he is in middle age now, Jang Hyuk still has a sharp and sleek image. In the TV series My Country (2019), he was in his element with his performance in the historical genre, and in the film The Swordsman (2020), Jang thrilled the audience with his signature action performance. Kim Hyungseok
シム・ウンギョン
Shim Eunkyung 심은경
"The No. 1 box office hitter among female Korean actors in their 20s. As the first Korean to win the Best Actress Award at the Japan Academy Film Prize, she is expanding her horizons to challenge a wider global audience"
Shim Eunkyung was a child actor who represented Korea. It is never easy for any child to act in the world of adults and reveal all the process of growing to the public. Therefore, many child actors quit acting while growing up. Even if they succeed in becoming an adult lead actor, they suffer from ups and downs due to their childhood images. Therefore, it’s not a joke when we say, “Thank you for growing up so well,” to the successful adult actors who started acting from childhood.
The reason many people are happy about Shim’s growth is that she has been diligently continued acting year by year. After making her debut in the TV drama Dae Jang Geum (2003) at age 9, the actor worked hard almost every year without a break. Even when she was in Pennsylvania, United States to study, Shim Eunkyung appeared in a movie to keep her acting sense. That movie is Masquerade (2012), which became a 10-million-viewer film.
Shim’s performance is rather hard to define. Instead of displaying detailed expression skills, she comes up with honest, pure, and natural acting. Therefore, when she is sincerely immersed in a character, her emotions are vividly delivered, which makes the audience cry and laugh together with her performance. Just like that, Shim Eunkyung’s acting bears humanism. Sunny (2011), which put her on the map, and Miss Granny (2014), where she showed the best performance of her life, feature the unique comic and touching elements thanks to Shim.
Despite having the best box office power among female actors in their 20s, Shim Eunkyung still works hard to become a perfect actor. Appearing in Japanese films was also a new test and another possibility that the actor gave to herself, as her motto is ‘acting is life’ Also, she became the first Korean actress who won the Best Actress at the Japanese Academy Prize for The Journalist in 2020. It was all the more meaningful because she overcame the language barrier in an unfamiliar setting for the film. The tears she shed at the award ceremony must have carried a scar, effort, and honor that she had had for a long time.
Now, Shim Eunkyung has been leaving big footprints in the history of Korean cinema. She presented the right direction that many child actors would follow and became an unrivaled actor even among adult actors. Above all, she knows how to have fun with her acting. You would remember the zombie who fiercely started the disaster in TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016). Shim made that special appearance just because she thought it would be fun. Despite her 18-year acting experience, she is still only 26. This young actor who still wants to have fun says acting is the best play for her. It is why Shim Eunkyung’s future as an actor shines colorfully. Kwon Koohyun
キム・ミギョン
Kim Mekyung 김미경
"A heroine with a big heart and infinitely benevolent woman. She’s everything about our mothers"
Kim Mekyung is a veteran actor with a graceful, stern, and humane smile. Because of the image, she plays the role of a nun more often and specializes in the role of a court lady in costume dramas. Kim began acting in 1985 and was mainly on stage. She was a promising actor in the theatrical world and won the Best New Actress at the Baeksang Arts Awards in 1990. In 1994, when she married, she took a break from acting due to childbirth and childcare before making a comeback in the late 1990s and appearing in TV series.
Kim Mekyung’s share in the drama was definitely the main character’s mother. She gained recognition by appearing in numerous trendy romance dramas as various mother characters. At that time, she could transform her image through the TV series The Legend (2007), playing the role of Basun, a blacksmith who creates various weapons in ancient society, showing that the female warrior character also fits her well.
Kim Mekyung has covered various genres from historical dramas to youth dramas thanks to the wide use of her acting chops. There has been always a role she can play in any work of character and tone. That’s why she was able to get away from the typecasting, and through The Heirs (2013), she won Special Award at the SBS Drama Awards for her outstanding role as a person with a language disorder.
Kim was able to play various characters without being trapped in the role of a mother countless times thanks to her interpretation of characters and solid acting skills, and in TV series such as Person Who Gives Happiness (2016), she played a psychopathic mother. This work is the most impressive part of Kim Mekyung’s filmography, and she won the Top Excellence Award at the MBC Drama Awards for her role as an extremely selfish and crazy mother instead of motherly love.
For Kim Mekyung, who was more active in TV series than in movies, KIM JI-YOUNG, BORN 1982 (2019) could be the work as the final settlement of her motherly character. Appearing as the mother of the main character Kim Ji-young, Kim Mekyung touched the hearts of countless audiences with her heartfelt tears for her daughter and won the Best Supporting Actress at the Chunsa Film Awards and the Korean Film Critics Association. Kim Hyungseok
ハン・ジミン
Han Jimin 한지민
"A solid actor who assumes a heavy responsibility lightly. Her filmography full of brave choices"
Han Jimin is in full bloom with profound acting in melodramas. Since she was a teenager, she has been active in commercials and music videos based on her beauty and began acting in 2003 when she starred as a child actor of Song Hyekyo in All In, the popular TV series. Han played Lee Junghee, a female aviator in the film Blue Swallow (2005), and starred for the first time in the horror film Cadaver (2007), which depicts bizarre events that occur while medical students practice anatomy. It was Yi San, Wind of the Palace, the TV historical drama in 2007 that showed the actor’s talent and star quality in full. Han played Seong Songyeon, who helped King Jeongjo Yisan’s dream, fell in love, and became a royal concubine later.
After that, Han Jimin showed a femme fatal charm through Han Kaekju in Detective K: Secret of the Virtuous Widow (2011), a fusion costume film that attracted public attention. She also showed oriental beauty, especially the traditional image of the Korean woman in Hanbok, the Korean dress, while playing Park Ha in Rooftop Prince, the romantic comedy TV series aired in 2012. In the historical drama The Fatal Encounter (2014), she appeared as ambitious Queen Jeongsun, who harassed King Jeongjo (Hyun Bin), transforming her image into a villain. On the other hand, through the romantic comedy The Plan Man (2014), she got out of costume dramas and gave off various witty and cheerful charms. Han expanded her acting career into romantic comedies by pulling off dancing and singing as Yoo Sojung, a musician.
She played Minjeong, a daughter of Geumnim (Yun Yuhjung), in the film Salut d’Amour (2015) and Yeon Gyesoon, a member of the Heroic Corps, who chooses to die in prison in The Age of Shadow (2016). In the short film Two Lights: Relumino (2017), the actor played Sooyoung, the character visually impaired. With a warm story about falling in love with a man who is losing his sight, the film shows Han Jimin’s characteristics. It was the melodramatic genre that could maximize her sensibility and softness to the point to be said, ‘A melodrama is her second nature.’ That was why she played a double role with the senior actor Kim Hyeja in the 2019 TV drama Dazzling.
The image of falling in love with a man coming close to her was enough to satisfy many people’s expectations.
Her turning point as an actor was the film Miss Baek (2018). She played the role of Baek Sangah, a low-life figure who communicated with a girl and tried to find the meaning of life, showing solid acting without losing Han Jimin’s unique soft charm. Called ‘Rediscovery of Han Jimin,’ the film was well received, and the actor swept the Best Actress at many awards, including the Blue Dragon Award. The evolution of such acting led to Josée (2020). Josée, who is in a wheelchair, falls in love with Youngseok (Nam Joohyuk), who helps her. Josée, played by Han Jimin, opens her heart by saying, “Eat before you go!” like a habit. However, knowing that their love cannot last, Josée calmly accepts the hunch of farewell. Han Jimin’s acting is in full bloom as Josée’s sympathy is added to the energy of Baek Sangha, an unyielding character. Han Jimin has proved that she can have her own voice not only in melodramas but in stories against the harsh world and the fetters of life. Jeon Jonghyuk
ヒョンビン
Hyun Bin 현빈
"From a romanticist in TV series to an action hero is the film industry. Hyun Bin's reputation, which always makes the public excited, shows no sign of slowing down"
A star is a coordinate of the desire and daydream of the time, reflecting the trend and era with constantly changing power. The cycle is getting faster. In other words, it is not easy to stay as a steady seller for a long time under the current star system, where a star is quickly replaced. Hyun Bin is a rare actor in this regard. The actor has already experienced three heydays in his career, unlike many other actors who would be lucky to have it just once. What’s more, he did that even in the changing times.
The actor’s first heyday came early. After debuting with the weekend series Bodyguard (2003), Hyun was recognized for his potential as an actor in Island (2004) and rose to stardom with My Lovely Sam-Soon (2005) when he was only 24. Five years later, he drew huge attention again by playing Kim Joowon in Secret Garden (2010), who hides his traumas and warmth in his bluffness. Also, in Crash Landing on You (2020), Hyun showed a model of a reliable man and hit his third home run. After the series was released on Netflix, Hyun has risen again as the main character of the K-wave. But the reason the actor is highly valued as a star is not simply because he became a sensation three times. It is because he is steadily showing his unique identity as an actor while showcasing his star quality.
The low-budget film I AmHappy (2009) that the actor played a megalomaniac, and the art film Come Rain, Come Shine (2011) that he played free of charge reflected Hyun Bin’s faith, that he doesn’t want to be consumed as a good-looking nine-day wonder. Late Autumn (2011), where the actor performed with Tang Wei, is a good example that shows Hyun’s passion for acting. What about Hyun Bin in the series Worlds Within (2008), which is still being talked about? He stirred up great empathy from us with the vivid image of a very ordinary young man.
There are many stars in the film world, and many of them can be called professional actors. However, not many of them have both. In that sense, Hyun Bin is a rare and unusual actor. It has not been changed, and that’s why Hyun Bin is unique. Countless actors are pouring into the film world every year, but no one seems to replace the vibe Hyun Bin has. Who can be the second Hyun Bin anyway? After filming The Point MEN with Hwang Jungmin recently, Hyun Bin is filming Confidential Assignment 2 now. Recording 7.8 million viewers, Confidential Assignment 1 (2016) gave him great success. Hyun Bin is a living drama himself who has made independent choices and constantly expanded his spectrum. Jung Siwoo
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