Korean Actors

Han Suk-kyu (b. August 17, 1964) began his career in the early 1990's as a dubbing artist, before being cast in the TV drama Moon Over Seoul. Since then he rose to become one of the most popular actors in Korea, starring in a series of both highly acclaimed and extremely popular films, including Shiri. By the late 1990s, Han received a higher guaranteed salary for his films than any other actor (~$350,000). From 1999 until early 2003, however, Han took an extended leave of absence from filmmaking, only appearing occasionally on TV commercials. By the time of his return in the film Double Agent -- a spy film in which he stars with Ko So-young, which was a disappointment at the box-office -- he had lost his status as the most popular actor in the Korean film industry. His next film will be Sogeum-inhyeong, in which he will star with actress Lee Eun-ju.

Ko So-young (b. October 6, 1972) established herself in late 1998 as a major star in Korean cinema. After debuting in The Fox With Nine Tails in 1994, she first achieved wide recognition through her role in Beat, a film which came to represent the younger generation of high school students in Korea. Since then she has acted in a series of successful melodramas, portraying a young model in If the Sun Rises in the West, a Cheju Island tour guide in Love Wind, Love Song, and a Korean American woman in Love. Ko's good looks and warm screen presence have made her a favorite among Korean audiences. In 2001 Ko teamed up with actor Lee Sung-jae in A Day, about a married couple who have trouble conceiving a child. Her acting in the film was much praised and she won a Grand Bell award for Best Actress. In 2003, Ko also starred with top actor Han Suk-kyu in a spy thriller set in the 1980s called Double Agent.

Jeon Ji-hyun (b. October 30, 1981) first became well-known as a commercial model and as a TV actress. Although she made her film debut in the little-watched White Valentine in 1999, it was not until later in the year when she was featured in an advertisement for an audio system that she became a popular sensation. The dancing and attitude expressed in the ad made her into an icon for Koreans in their late teens and early twenties. After continuing her TV and modelling career, Jeon made her first well-publicized film appearance in late 2000 with Il Mare. A handsomely-shot melodrama set on Kanghwa Island, the film did respectably well at the box office and solidified her status as a star. Jeon's breakout film was comedy My Sassy Girl which became a huge hit both in Korea and throughout Asia with its tale of a gullible college student and his wacky girlfriend. Currently Jeon remains almost unrivalled in terms of popularity. In 2003 an "occult thriller" titled The Uninvited re-teamed her with actor Park Shin-yang from White Valentine. She is currently working on a new project by My Sassy Girl director Kwak Jae-yong.