Jeong Yong-jun (; born December 20, 1976), better known as Jang Hyuk, is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the films ''
Volcano High'' (2001), ''
Windstruck'' (2004), ''
The Flu'' (2013), as well as the television series ''
Successful Story of a Bright Girl'' (2002),
''Thank You'' (2007), ''
The Slave Hunters'' (2010), ''
Deep Rooted Tree'' (2011), ''
You Are My Destiny'' (2014), ''
Voice'' (2017), ''
Money Flower'' (2017–18), and ''
Bloody Heart'' (2022).
Career
1997–2001: Beginnings and rise to fame
Jang Yong-jun spent most of his childhood and adolescence in his birthplace,
Busan
Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...
. In 1996, Jeong Hoon-tak, who ran a management company named EBM Production Co., after success elevated
Jung Woo-sung and
Kim Ji-ho as top star, met Jeong Yong-jun, a 20-year-old young man who was a student at
Seoul Institute of the Arts. He was convinced that the innocence in the face of Jung Yong-joon, which exudes sadness and strange charisma would become a “weapon”. Jung Hoon-tak pushed Jung Yong-joon into the accommodation of the group god members who were still preparing for their debut. And started the harsh training. With Jung, who has his own confidence that “only those who are prepared can succeed,” Jung Yong-joon prepared for a long time.
After Lee Seung-hwan's music video, Jung Yong-joon making his acting debut in 1997 in the
television drama
In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...
''
Model
A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , .
Models can be divided in ...
'' under his stage name Jang hyuk. Besides the teen series ''School'' (1999) and a minor role in the little-seen film ''Zzang (The Best)'', Jang appeared in the
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
of "
To Mother", the 1999 debut
single of popular
boyband g.o.d, whom he was housemates with at that time. Also in 1999, he played the good-hearted yet aggressive Myung-ha in the series ''Into the Sunlight''. Using the stage name "TJ", he had a brief career as a rapper and acted in several music videos from his rap album ''TJ Project'', which was released in 2000.
Jang's career first began to take off in 2001, when he was cast in the lead role of the special-effects extravaganza ''
Volcano High'' with actress
Shin Min-a. His acting in the eccentric role drew praise from fans and critics.
["Actors and Actresses of Korean Cinema: Jang Hyuk"](_blank)
. ''Koreanfilm.org.'' Retrieved 2012-11-13.
2002–2004: Mainstream popularity and controversy
In 2002 he continued to make a name for himself, starring in the
sleeper hit ''Jungle Juice'', which made the top of the weekly box-office. His popularity continued to increase when he starred in the hugely popular TV drama ''
Successful Story of a Bright Girl'' with actress
Jang Na-ra. He also took a role in ''
Public Toilet'', the HK-Korea co-production by acclaimed
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
director
Fruit Chan which won a Special Mention in the Upstream section of the
2002 Venice Film Festival.
Jang continued to appear in high-profile projects; in 2003, Jang starred alongside
Lee Na-young in the comedy ''
Please Teach Me English'', by director
Kim Sung-su and the following year, he starred opposite
Jun Ji-hyun in
Kwak Jae-yong's ''
Windstruck''. Although ''Windstruck'' was generally not well received in Korea, it went on to beat ''
Shiri'' and become one of the best-selling Korean films in Japan.
In late 2004, together with fellow actors
Song Seung-heon and
Han Jae-suk, Jang was found to have illegally avoided his
mandatory military service through his and Han's agency
SidusHQ.
Amid widespread public condemnation, Jang apologized to his fans, then began to serve his two-year military term.
2006–2009: Career revival and international collaborations
After his discharge from the military in 2006, Jang made his comeback in the drama series ''
Thank You''. A heartwarming story about a young single mother (played by
Gong Hyo-jin) with an
HIV-positive daughter and the cynical doctor who enters their lives, ''Thank You'' surprisingly became a modest hit, and with it Jang left the
stigma of his draft-dodging scandal behind him.
He then signed up for the international movie production ''Dance of the Dragon'' (2008), a love story that mixed
ballroom dancing with
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
action and costarred
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
an actress
Fann Wong. He won the Best Actor award at the inaugural West Hollywood International Film Festival for his role.
["2008 Winners"]
. ''West Hollywood International Film Festival''. Retrieved 2012-11-13. Jang also made a
cameo in
Japanese drama ''
Ryokiteki na Kanojo'', a remake of the 2001 Korean film ''
My Sassy Girl''. After his earlier guesting on star
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi's talk show, the director of the drama reportedly added new scenes for Jang that were not included in the original script. Jang then appeared as the love interest in three music videos of
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
ese singer
Elva Hsiao.
More leading roles in TV dramas followed, including ''
Robber'' (2008) and ''
Tazza'' (2008) adapted from the
gambling manhwa. In 2009, he appeared in the
short film
A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
''His Concern'' in the
omnibus ''
Five Senses of Eros'', the risque
thriller ''
Searching for the Elephant'', and the
melodrama
A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...
''Maybe''.
2010–2013: Critical acclaim and continued success
In 2010, he received the best reviews of his career for his leading role as the slave hunter ("chuno") Dae-gil in the hit fusion
period drama
A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...
''
The Slave Hunters''. His acting coach of 14 years described Jang as being relentless in his analysis of a character. According to Jang, "It is easy to fail if you don't understand the steps one has to take to be famous." He won several acting awards, most significantly the Grand Prize ("Daesang") at the
KBS Drama Awards,
["Jang Hyuk scores top prize at KBS Drama Awards"]
. ''Asiae''. January 3, 2011. and a Best Actor nomination at the 2011
International Emmy Awards.
["Korea gets 2 International Emmy nominations"]
. ''The Korea Herald
''The Korea Herald'' () is a South Korean English-language daily newspaper founded in August 1953 and published in Seoul. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from i ...
''. October 4, 2011.
In the same year, he starred in ''Fall in Love with Anchor Beauty'', the
Chinese remake of 2000 Korean drama ''
All About Eve
''All About Eve'' is a 1950 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story (and subsequent 1949 radio drama) "The Wisdom of E ...
''. ''Fall in Love with Anchor Beauty'' received high ratings in China during its run.
Back in Korea, Jang played a fund manager-turned-lawyer in 2011's ''
Midas
Midas (; ) was a king of Phrygia with whom many myths became associated, as well as two later members of the Phrygian royal house.
His father was Gordias, and his mother was Cybele. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek m ...
'', also starring
Lee Min-jung and
Kim Hee-ae. He next starred in
legal
Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...
thriller ''
The Client'' (2011) with
Ha Jung-woo and
Park Hee-soon, saying the film satisfied his wish to portray a more emotionally complex persona. Playing a man accused of murdering his wife, Jang said he had to find "the right balance" "as someone who can appear at times like a criminal or at other times like an innocent man."
Initially reluctant to sign on to period drama ''
Deep Rooted Tree'' (2011) because he found the role of low-level royal guard Kang Chae-yoon uninteresting in the original novel, Jang changed his mind upon reading that the character had been dramatized and made richer in the TV script. It tells the story of Kang investigating a case involving the serial murders of
Jiphyeonjeon scholars in
Gyeongbok Palace while
King Sejong (played by
Han Suk-kyu) is developing the
Korean alphabet
The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...
.
In 2013, he headlined ''
Iris II'', the sequel to the
2009 spy action series. This was his third acting collaboration with actress
Lee Da-hae, after ''Robber'' and ''The Slave Hunters''. He also returned to the big screen in 2013 blockbuster
disaster film
A disaster film or disaster movie is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device. Such disasters may include natural disasters, accidents, offensive (military), military/terrorism, terrorist att ...
''
The Flu'', in which he and
Soo Ae played a firefighter and a doctor racing against time to find the cure for a deadly strain of the cold virus.
To the surprise of many given his past draft-dodging scandal, he then joined ''
Real Men'', a weekly show in which six male celebrities are filmed
documentary
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
-style as they enter army
boot camp. This was Jang's first regular appearance on a variety/
reality show
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
in his 17-year acting career. He said, "I'd like to use this opportunity to reflect on myself through ''Real Men'' and to experience army life again." He appeared on ''Real Men'' from June 2013 to February 2014. He then wrote a collection of
essay
An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...
s on his life experiences titled ''Jang Hyuk, Hot-Blooded Man'', published on August 6, 2013.
2014–present
In 2014, he reunited with ''Volcano High'' director
Kim Tae-kyun in ''
Innocent Thing'', a thriller about a high school girl who becomes obsessed with her married gym teacher. He also teamed up again with ''Successful Story of a Bright Girl'' costar Jang Na-ra in ''
You Are My Destiny'', a Korean remake of the
similarly titled 2008 Taiwanese drama. Shortly after, he and Jang starred together for the third time in ''Old Farewell'', about a boxer who travels into the past and re-encounters his recently deceased wife. It was part of the single-episode anthology ''Drama Festival'', and helmed by one of their directors on ''Fated''.
In 2015, Jang returned to the milieu of period dramas with ''
Shine or Go Crazy'', a fictional romance between a cursed
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...
prince and the last princess of
Balhae
Balhae,, , ) also rendered as Bohai or Bohea, and called Jin (; ) early on, was a multiethnic kingdom established in 698 by Dae Joyeong (Da Zuorong). It was originally known as the Kingdom of Jin (震, Zhen) until 713 when its name was changed ...
. The film ''
Empire of Lust'' followed, in which he played the wily and ambitious
Yi Bang-won who launched a coup to become the king of
Joseon
Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...
. He was next cast in the Chinese film ''
Inside or Outside'', a detective mystery co-starring
Simon Yam and
Wallace Huo. Jang then played a Joseon innkeeper merchant in ''
The Merchant: Gaekju 2015''.
In 2016, Jang was cast in the Chinese drama ''New Sea''. Back in Korea, Jang starred in KBS's medical drama ''
A Beautiful Mind'', playing a genius neurosurgeon. Though the drama was critically praised, the number of episodes were brought down from 16 to 14 because of low viewer ratings.
In 2017, he starred in his first cable drama, crime thriller ''
Voice'' by
OCN, where he played an ex-detective who joined a call center's team to track his wife's killer. ''Voice'' became a hit and its ratings broke
OCN's dramas records when it was aired in Korea. His movie ''
Ordinary Person'' opposite
Son Hyun-joo was released in March 2017, where he acted as a manipulative National Planning Security chief. He also starred in weekend drama ''
Money Flower'', earning much acclaim and a Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor nomination for his role as a revenge-seeking lawyer. The same year, he was cast in action film ''
The Swordsman''.
In 2018, Jang returned to the small screen with SBS' romantic comedy drama ''
Wok of Love'', playing a former gangster turned restaurant owner; and MBC's action melodrama ''
Bad Papa'', playing a former champion boxer who chose to become a bad man in order to become a good father.
In 2019, he took part in reality TV program ''
Urban Cops'' where celebrities team up with real life cops to solve crimes in the city.
[ The same year, he was cast in the historical drama '' My Country: The New Age'', playing the role of Yi Bang-won.
In 2020, Jang acted as a genius profiler in OCN drama '' Tell Me What You Saw''. His movie '' The Swordsman'' was released in September 2020. The same year, he took part in reality TV program ''Yacht Expedition: The Beginning''.
In 2021, Jang took part in outdoor survival variety TV program '' Law of the Jungle-Pioneers'' and cooking show '' National Bang Bang Cook Cook''. His noir movie '' Tomb of the River'' was released in November 2021.
In 2022, Jang returned to the small screen with KBS2's historical drama '' Bloody Heart'', playing the first vice-premier and a living symbol of power and a figure that everyone obeys. His movie '' The Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die'' made its world premiere at the Udine Far East Film Festival in April 2022, held a red carpet premiere at Los Angeles in June 2022 and hit the big screens simultaneously in South Korea and North America on 13 July 2022. He also won the Daniel A. Craft award for Excellence in Action Cinema at the 21st New York Asian Film Festival. In November 2022, he took part as a judge in tvN's variety program ''Super Action''.
In March 2023, Jang decided not to renew his contract with Sidus HQ after working with the agency for 26 years since his debut. In April, he returned to the small screen with tvN's drama '' Family: The Unbreakable Bond''. In August, he took part in reality TV travel program ''Express Delivery: Mongolia Edition''.
In August 2024, Jang's interactive film '' In the Realm of Ripley'' made its world premiere at the 81st Venice Film Festival.
In January 2025, it was announced that Jang will make his directional debut with action film 'Stop Stop Dark Cold', in a partnership with a Hollywood-based production team. In February 2025, Jang's reality TV program ''Language Training Before It's Too Late: Shala Shala in Cambridge'' was aired. He also took part as a cast member in music entertainment show ''Handsome Trot''.
]
Ambassadorship
In December 2018, Jang was appointed as an honorary police sergeant by the Korean National Police Agency for capturing the police's activities through movies and dramas.
Personal life
Jang began dating his girlfriend, Kim Yeo-jin, in 2002. They met at a fitness club, where Kim was his Pilates instructor. The couple's marriage was registered in January 2008, and the ceremony was held in June. His close friends, singer Kim Jong-kook and actor Cha Tae-hyun
Cha Tae-hyun (; born March 25, 1976) is a South Korean actor, singer, television personality, radio DJ and Television director, director. He is best known for his lead roles in the box-office hit comedies ''My Sassy Girl'' (2001), ''Scandal Make ...
, participated in the wedding ceremony. The couple have two sons and a daughter, born in February 2008, November 2009 and April 2015 respectively.
Jang has practiced Jeet Kune Do for more than 10 years and is a former professional Taekwondo
Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
athlete.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Web series
Television shows
Music video appearances
Discography
Studio albums
Soundtrack appearances
Book
Awards and nominations
State and cultural honors
Notes
References
External links
*
Jang Hyuk
at SidusHQ
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jang, Hyuk
1976 births
Living people
20th-century South Korean male actors
21st-century South Korean male actors
South Korean male film actors
South Korean male television actors
Male actors from Busan
People from Geumjeong District
Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni
Dankook University alumni
South Korean Jeet Kune Do practitioners
South Korean male taekwondo practitioners
South Korean male rappers
IHQ (company) artists
Draft evaders