Shin Ha-kyun (; born May 30, 1974) is a South Korean actor. He first gained recognition for his role in Joint Security Area (2000), followed by notable performances in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Save the Green Planet! (2003), and Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005). Shin has also been active in television, earning praise for his roles in Brain (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 (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.
Shin first became a superstar with his role as a young North Korea soldier in Park Chan-wook's smash hit Joint Security Area in late 2000. He developed a large fan following which, together with that of co-star Won Bin, helped make his next film Guns & Talks a huge 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 Save the Green Planet! (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: 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, heavily-contested hill which frequently 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, a macho cop in Foxy Festival, and a music teacher involved in 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 in Golden House. His portrayal of a cold, ambitious neurosurgeon in the 2011 medical drama Brain, brought him new levels of popularity. For his performance in Brain, he won the Grand Prize ("Daesang") at the KBS Drama Awards.
In 2013, Shin headlined the romantic comedy series All About My Romance about two legislators from rival political parties who fall in love, followed by the high-profile action film 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’s next turn was as a villainous mastermind game planner in the action-thriller Big Match. In 2015, he headlined his first period film with Empire of Lust, playing a distinguished admiral of the recently established Joseon 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 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 the British crime drama Luther.
In 2020, Shin starred in the medical drama Soul Mechanic.
In 2021, Shin starred in the psychological thriller drama Beyond Evil, directed by Shim Na-yeon, as an impulsive and eccentric police officer. His performance earned him the award for Best Actor - Television at 57th Baeksang Arts Awards.
In 2022, he appeared in the mystery-thriller film Anchor 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 Year Title Role Note English Korean 1998 The Happenings Kim Choo-rak 1999 The Spy Oh Woo-yeol2000 The Foul King Bully Cameo Coming Out Jae-min Short film Joint Security Area Jung Woo-jin 2001 Guns & Talks Jung-woo2002 Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Ryu Surprise Kim Jung-woo2003 Save the Green Planet! Lee Byung-guA Man Who Went to Mars Lee Seung-jae2004 My Brother Kim Sung-hyun Hair Kang Woon-do Short film2005 Lady Vengeance Hired assassin #2 Cameo Welcome to Dongmakgol Pyo Hyun-chul Murder, Take One Kim Young-hoon 2006 No Mercy for the Rude Killa 2007 My Son Uncle Goose Voice cameo 2008 The Devil's Game Min Hee-do 2009 Thirst Kang-woo2010 The Quiz Show Scandal Ph.D. Cameo Foxy Festival Kwak Jang-bae Cafe Noir Young-soo 2011 The Front Line Kang Eun-pyo 2012 The Thieves Lee Ha-cheol Cameo 2013 Running Man Cha Jong-woo 2014 Big Match Ace 2015 Empire of Lust Kim Min-jae 2016 Detour Joong-pil2017 The Villainess Joong-sang Room No.7 Doo-shik 2018 What a Man Wants Bong-soo2019 Extreme Job Lee Moo-bae Inseparable Bros Kang Se-ha Present Sang-goo Short film 2020 Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP Ali (voice) 2022 Anchor In-ho 2026 Wild Sing Park Yong-gu Special appearance
Television series Year Title Role English Korean 2003 Good Person Park Joon-pil 2010 Golden House Oh Bok-kyu 2011–2012 Brain Lee Kang-hoon 2013 All About My Romance Kim Soo-young 2014 Mr. Back Choi Go-bong / Choi Shin-hyung 2016 Pied Piper Joo Sung-chan 2018–2019 Less Than Evil Woo Tae-seok 2020 Soul Mechanic Lee Shi-joon 2021 Beyond Evil Lee Dong-sik 2022 Unicorn 유니콘 CEO Steve Yonder Jae-hyun 2023 Evilive Han Dong-soo 2024 The Auditors Shin Cha-il 2026 Fifties Professionals Jeong Heo-myung
Music videos Year Title Artist English Korean 2000 "I Love You" Position () 2004 "Hwi-li-li" Lee Soo-young "Andante" 2010 "Just Laugh" Zia
Stage Theater +List of Theater Play(s) Year Title Role Theater Date English Korean 1993 Dropping a bomb 폭탄 투하 중 1997Taxi Driver - Where are you going?택시 드리벌 - 당신은 어디까지 가십니까?Passenger one (어깨1), drunk passenger (취객), Protest student (시위학생)Arts and Culture Center Small TheaterFebruary 27 – March 181997(21st) Seoul Theater Festival: Taxi Driver - Where are you going?(제21회) 서울연극제: 택시 드리벌 - 당신은 어디까지 가십니까?October 10–15 1998 Magic Time 매직타임 Ha-kyun (하균) 1999 Heotang 허탕 Yoo Dal-soo (유달수) Academic Green Small Theater August 7 to October 31 2000 Leave When They're Applauding 박수칠 때 떠나라 The bellboy (벨보이)LG Arts CenterJune 16–30 2002 Welcome to Dongmakgol 웰컴 투 동막골 Pyo Hyun-chul (표현철)LG Arts CenterDecember 14–29
Discography + OST performances Year Title Artist Music Album English Korean 2004 "Brother's Letter" 형의 편지 Don Spike My Brother OST 2005 "Interogation" 심문(審問) Han Jae-kwon Murder, Take One OST 2019"Happy" Inseparable Bros OST 2020 "Sigh" 휴(休) Soul Mechanic OST
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result2000 3rd Director's Cut Awards Best New ActorJoint Security Area 8th Chunsa Film Art AwardsBest Supporting Actor 21st Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actor 2001 38th Grand Bell Awards Best Supporting Actor 22nd Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actor Guns & Talks 16th Golden Disk Awards Popular Music Video Award Position – I Love You 2003 4th Busan Film Critics Awards Best ActorSave the Green Planet! 2nd Korean Film Awards 2009 30th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actor Thirst 2011KBS Drama Awards Grand Prize (Daesang)Brain Top Excellence Award, Actor Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Netizen Award, Actor Best Couple Award with Choi Jung-won 201248th Baeksang Arts AwardsBest Actor (TV) 7th Seoul International Drama Awards Best Actor 24th Korean PD Awards 1st K-Drama Star Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor 2013 SBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries All About My Romance 2014MBC Drama AwardsMr. Back Popularity Award, Actor 2018MBC Drama Awards Grand Prize (Daesang)Less Than Evil Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Monday-Tuesday Drama In Awe Award 201939th Korean Association of Film Critics AwardsBest ActorInseparable Bros 202034th KBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor Soul Mechanic Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries 2021 57th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor (TV) Beyond Evil
State honors + Name of country, year given, and name of honor Country Or Organization Year Honor Or Award National Tax Service 2007 41st Taxpayer's Day — Exemplary Taxpayer Commendation
References
External links