Shin Ha-kyun (; born May 30, 1974) is a South Korean actor. He first gained recognition for his role in ''

Joint Security Area The Joint Security Area (JSA, often referred to as the Truce Village or Panmunjom) is the only portion of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where North Korea, North and South Korean forces stand face-to-face. The JSA is used by the two Koreas ...

'' (2000), followed by notable performances in '' Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance'' (2002), ''

Save the Green Planet! ''Save the Green Planet!'' (Korean title: 지구를 지켜라!, ''Jigureul Jikyeora!'') is a South Korean science fiction comedy film written and directed by Jang Joon-hwan, released on 4 April 2003. The basic story begins when the main characte ...

'' (2003), and '' Welcome to Dongmakgol'' (2005). Shin has also been active in television, earning praise for his roles in ''

Brain The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...

'' (2011), '' Less Than Evil'' (2018–2019), and '' Beyond Evil'' (2021), the latter of which earned him the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actor. His more recent works include the box-office hit ''

Extreme Job ''Extreme Job'' () is a 2019 South Korean action comedy film directed by Lee Byeong-heon (filmmaker), Lee Byeong-heon and written by Bae Se-young. It follows a police narcotics unit that runs a fried chicken restaurant as an undercover front for ...

'' (2019), the heartwarming drama '' Inseparable Bros'' (2019), and the legal drama '' The Auditors'' (2024).

Career

Shin Ha-kyun first trained as a stage actor at the Seoul Institute of the Arts before acting in a large number of plays by Jang Jin. Shin was cast in Jang's first movie, ''The Happenings'', and he has since appeared in almost all of Jang's feature films. Impressed by his acting abilities, director Kim Jee-woon cast him in minor roles in '' The Foul King'' and his 30-minute internet film ''

Coming Out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

''. Shin first became a superstar with his role as a young

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

Park Chan-wook Park Chan-wook (; born 23 August 1963) is a Koreans, South Korean film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer, and former film critic. He is considered one of the most prominent filmmakers of Cinema of South Korea, South Korean cinema a ...

's smash hit ''

'' in late 2000. He developed a large fan following which, together that of co-star Won Bin, helped make his next film '' Guns & Talks'' a strong commercial hit. In Park Chan-wook's acclaimed 2002 film, '' Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance'', Shin played a deaf man with bright green dyed hair who is driven by desperation to kidnap a young girl. In Jang Joon-hwan's ''

'' (2003), Shin played a mentally unbalanced man who believes that aliens are plotting to invade the earth. Also noteworthy are Shin's performances in two films set during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

: '' Welcome to Dongmakgol'', a dramedy that takes place in a small mountainous village, and '' The Front Line'', a harrowing tale of soldiers fighting over a small, bomb-blasted hill that regularly changes hands. His other film roles include: a developmentally disabled man in '' My Brother'', a rural postman in ''A Letter From Mars'', a suspect under interrogation in ''Murder, Take One'', an eccentric hitman in '' No Mercy for the Rude'', a struggling artist who makes an unwise bet in '' The Devil's Game'', a sickly cuckolded husband in ''

Thirst Thirst is the craving for potable fluids, resulting in the basic instinct of animals to drink. It is an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids or an increase in the concentration of certain osmolites, suc ...

'', a macho cop in '' Foxy Festival'', and a music teacher having an affair in '' Cafe Noir''. Primarily a film actor, Shin's first TV series was 2003's ''Good Person'' on MBC. In 2010 he returned to

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

in '' Golden House''. His portrayal of a cold, ambitious neurosurgeon in the 2011

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

'', brought him to new heights of mainstream popularity. For his performance in ''Brain'', he won the Grand Prize ("Daesang") at the

KBS Drama Awards The KBS Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually on 31 December. The highest honor of the ceremony is the "Gr ...

. In 2013, Shin headlined the

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

series '' All About My Romance'' about two legislators from rival political parties who fall in

love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

, followed by the high-profile

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

'' Running Man'' about an ordinary man forced to become a fugitive after he gets framed for murder. He then played a septuagenarian whose body magically reverts to his thirties in the 2014 romantic comedy series '' Mr. Back''. Shin next gave a villainous turn as an evil mastermind game planner in the action- thriller ''

Big Match In Sri Lankan cricket, a Big Match is an annual school cricket match typically played between two rival schools in Sri Lanka. These schools often have a long history of competition, some rivalries lasting over a century. Big matches have bec ...

''. In 2015, he headlined his first period film with '' Empire of Lust'', playing a distinguished admiral of the recently established

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 ...

empire. In 2016, Shin starred in the police procedural crime drama '' Piped Piper'' (2016), playing a negotiator. He then starred in the comedy film ''Detour'', followed with comedy thriller '' Room No.7''. He also played a supporting role in the action film '' The Villainess'' co-starring Kim Ok-vin. In 2018, Shin starred in the romantic comedy film '' What a Man Wants''. The same year, he was cast in the comedy film '' Inseparable Bros''. He returned to the small screen in the Korean remake of British crime drama '' Luther''. In 2020, Shin starred in the medical drama '' Soul Mechanic''. In 2021, Shin starred in the

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a Film genre, genre combining the thriller (genre), thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting ...

drama '' Beyond Evil,'' directed by Shim Na-yeon, as an impulsive and eccentric police officer. His performance earned him the award for the Best Actor - Television at

57th Baeksang Arts Awards The 57th Baeksang Arts Awards () ceremony, organised by ''Ilgan Sports'' and JTBC Plus, was held on May 13, 2021, at KINTEX, Ilsanseo-gu, Gyeonggi Province, beginning at 9:00 p.m. KST. It was hosted by Shin Dong-yup and Bae Suzy, and was br ...

. In 2022, he appeared in the mystery-thriller film ''

Anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...

'' and in the Coupang Play sitcom ''Unicorn''.

Personal life

His niece, Park Eun-young, is a former member of the Korean idol group Brave Girls. Shin and Kim Go-eun were in a relationship from 2016 to 2017.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Web series

Music video appearances

Stage

Theater

Discography

Awards and nominations

State honors

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shin, Ha-kyun South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors South Korean male stage actors Male actors from Seoul People from Jungnang District 1974 births Living people Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni 20th-century South Korean male actors 21st-century South Korean male actors Ha-kyun