In the past few decades, Korean cinema has made a strong breakthrough, winning the attention of both Asia and even international audiences. More and more film works are honored at major international film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, BAFTA, ... or most recently, the film "Parasite" directed by Bong Joon Ho has become a great pride for Korean people when it won awards in 4 important categories of the Oscars in 2019. One of the most important factors in the success of a film is none other than the cast, a successful film must have quality acting. And here, Topshare will summarize the top most successful actors in the Korean film industry, let's take a look.
1 Song Kang Ho
Image of actor Song Kang Ho. Source: VnExpress
Parasite movie trailer - Song Kang Ho's signature work
Song Kang Ho (born January 17, 1967) is one of the most famous actors in Korea. He was not properly trained at any acting school, Song Kang Ho started his career when he joined drama groups and joined Kee Kuk Seo's film company. In 1996, he made his debut in a supporting role in the movie "The Day a Pig Fell into the Well" directed by Hong Sang Soo. His first major role was in the film The Foul King in 2000, but he only really became widely known when he transformed into a North Korean sergeant in Joint Security Area that same year. Song Kang Ho continues to make an increasingly stronger impression when he transforms into such works as: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) directed by Park Chan Wook and Memories of Murder by Bong Joon Ho. And so far, Song Kang Ho has become a Korean acting monument and is known as the "box office genius", he has received countless awards, both domestic and international. Song Kang Ho became even more known when the movie "Parasite" he starred in achieved a lot of success at the 2019 Oscars.
Notable works: Joint Security Area (2000), Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Memories of Murder (2003), The Host (2006), Snowpiercer (2013), The Attorney (2013), A Taxi Driver (2017), Parasite (2019),…
2 Lee Byung Hun
Image of actor Lee Byung Hun. Source: wikipedia
Trailer of I Saw the Devil - the typical work of Lee Byung Hun
Lee Byung Hun was born on July 12, 1970, in Seoul, is one of the most famous Korean actors both domestically and internationally. He was born into a wealthy family and had no intention of acting, but at the suggestion of a friend of his mother, in 1991 he auditioned for KBS and Lee's career. Byung Hun starts here. In the early years, his career was not very prosperous, he began to be noticed when he participated in the movie "Joint Security Area" in 2000. In 2005, he participated in the movie "Sweet and bitter life" of Directed by Kim Jae Woon and achieved great success at the box office, the film also earned him the best actor award at the Chunsa and Baeksang Film Awards. Lee Byung Hun's next works such as: The Good, the Bad, the Weird; I Saw the Devil, ... were all extremely successful, and so far he has acted in many films both television and film. He was invited to act in both Hollywood and achieved countless successes both domestically and internationally. Despite many scandals in his private life, his career seems to have remained unaffected.
Notable works: Joint Security Area (2000); A Bittersweet Life (2005); The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008); I Saw the Devil (2010), Inside Men (2015), The Man Standing Next (2020), …
3 Choi Min Sik
Image of actor Choi Min Sik. Source: Celpox
Trailer for The Great Sea War - Choi Min Sik's excellent work
Choi Min Sik is a famous South Korean actor, born on January 22, 2962 in Seoul. He graduated with a degree in theater from Dongguk University and made his first impression in theater before participating in movie productions. Choi Min Sik's first acting role was in director Park Chong Won's 1992 film Our Twisted Hero, after which he continued to act in dramas. The real success came only when he played the role of a North Korean agent in the 1999 film Shiri. In 2003 the role of Oh Dae Soo in the director Park Chan Wook's Oldboy made a big splash not only in Korea. country but also the whole world. The movie The Admiral: Roaring Currents tells about the famous naval battle of General Yi Sun Sin with a small number of soldiers, he defeated the mighty force of the Japanese army. Choi Min Sik brilliantly transformed into a general Yi Sun Sin, "The Great Sea Battle" has become the highest-grossing Korean film of all time to date, and a great pride. of the Koreans.
Notable works: Our Twisted Hero (1992), Taxi Driver (1997), Plan (1999), Chi-hwa-son (2002), Oldboy (2003), Nameless Gangster: The Rule of Time (2012), I Saw the Devil (2010), The Admiral Roaring Currents (2014), New World (2013), …
4 Sol Kyung Gu
Actor Sol Kyung Gu in The Merciless. Source: youtube
Trailer for Silmido - the typical work of Sol Kyung Gu
Sol Kyung Gu (born May 14, 1967 in Seocheon) is a South Korean film actor. He studied Theater and Film at Hanyang University. After graduating, he took up acting on stage before leading himself into feature films and movies. In 1999, with his role in director Lee Chang Dong's Peppermint Candy, he was highly appreciated by experts and won the best male award at the Blue Dragon. After that, Sol Kyung Gu continued to participate in various big and small films until 2003, the work "Silmido" with his participation hit the box office and became the first film to earn 10 million tickets in the year. Korean history. He participated in filming very diligently and achieved a lot of success both in terms of art and box office, in addition, Sol Kyung Gu also held a teaching role at Hanyang University - the school he used to attend. In 2022, the Bucheon International Film Festival held an exhibition for Sol Kyung Gu to honor his dedication to the country's cinema.
Notable works: Peppermint Candy (1999), Public Enemy (2002), Silmido (2003), Lost in Love (2006), The Tower (2012), Hope (2013), The Long Way Home (2015), The Merciless (2017), Memoir of a Murderer (2017), The Book of Fish (2021), ...
5 Hwang Jung Min
Image of actor Hwang Jung Min. Source: Wikipedia
Ode to My Father movie trailer - Hwang Jung Min's signature work
Hwang Jung Min (born September 1, 1970) is one of the most successful movie actors at the Korean box office. He started his career at the musical stage with works such as Line 1, Daehangno, … When he started to enter the movie field, Hwang Jung Min faced many difficulties at first because of his face. deemed unsuitable for filming. In 2001, he participated in the movie Waikiki Brothers and the film received success at the Korean box office, from which he gained more attention. The movie You Are My Sunshine in 2005 was the turning point that helped Hwang Jung Min become famous, the film helped him win the Best Actor award at the Blue Dragon that year. He tried his hand at many roles, he returned to the theater stage, acted in TV series and also acted as a director in the period 2008-2012. And since then, he has focused more on acting roles in movies and has achieved countless resounding successes.
Notable works: Waikiki Brothers (2001), You Are My Sunshine (2005), New World (2013), The Man in Love (2014), Ode to My Father (2014), Himalayas (2015), A Violent Prosecutor (2016), The Wailing (2016), The Battleship Island (2017), The Spy Gone North (2018), Deliver Us from Evil (2020), …
6 Yoo Ah In
Image of actor Yoo Ah In. Source: báo thanh niên
Trailer for "The Throne" - Yoo Ah In's signature work
Yoo An In's real name is Um Hong Sik, born on October 6, 1986 in Daegu, South Korea. He is known as one of the youngest and most talented actors of his generation, being the youngest emperor in the history of the Blue Dragon Film Awards. In 2003, he made his first appearance in a noodle commercial under the stage name Yoo Ah In, and from there he started acting in drama projects. He has been acting in movies since 2007, but it was not until 2011 that Yoo Ah In's movie "Punch" achieved much success and received many compliments from critics. His career began to slow down until 2015, with the role of a crazy young tycoon in Veteran and a pitiful prince in The Throne, Yoo Ah In officially created a big explosion when sweeping the world. many Korean film awards that year. Yoo Ah In's career then continued to advance, with director Lee Chang Dong's Burning in 2017, the film achieved great success in the international market, and Yoo Ah In was featured in major magazines. in the world such as The New York Times and Forbes honored as one of the best actors of the year. His later works continue to receive support from audiences and critics.
Typical works: Punch (2011), Thread of Lies (2014), Veteran (2015), The Throne (2015), Burning (2018), Alive (2020), Voice of Silence (2020), ...
7 Kim Yoon Seok
Image of actor Kim Yoon Seok. Source: channel-korea
Trailer for The Chaser - Kim Yoon Seok's signature work
Kim Yoon Seok was born on January 21, 1967, in Danyang, North Chungcheong, South Korea. He began his career with stage plays and small roles, his first role being in the film A Streetcar Named Desire. His career did not flourish after a few years, until 2006, Kim Yoon Seok made a splash when starring in the movie Tazza: The High Rollers directed by Choi Dong Hoon. Following that, his career started to take off when starring in films like The Chaser by director Na Hong Jin, with his excellent performance, he swept a lot of film awards that year and brought He became one of the actors with a place in Korean cinema. In 2012, his film The Thieves became one of the highest-grossing films of all time in Korean cinema. To date, Kim Yoon Seok's film fortune is immeasurable and has received acclaim from both the professional world and the mass audience, bringing him countless awards, big and small.
Typical works: Tazza: The High Rollers (2006), The Chaser (2008), Jeon Woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard (2009), The Yellow Sea (2010), Punch (2011), The Thieves (2012), The Priests (2015), The Fortress (2017), 1987: When the Day Comes (2017), Dark Figure of Crime (2018), Escape from Mogadishu (2021), ...
8 Ha Jung Woo
Image of actor Ha Jung Woo. Source: Women Online
The Handmaiden movie trailer - Ha Jung Woo's typical work
Ha Jung Woo's real name is Kim Sung Hoon, born on March 11, 1978 in a family with a tradition in acting. When he was very young, he had a dream to become an actor like his father. He first entered the film industry in 2003 in the film Madeleine, and for the next few years his career did not take off much. He changed his stage name to Ha Jung Woo in 2015, his subsequent roles in the films Time and Breath by director Kim Ki Duk brought his talents to more attention. His name really made a mark when he starred in the 2008 film The Chaser directed by Na Hong Jin, in which he played a grisly murderer and the film hit the box office that year and received highly appreciated by critics. Ha Jung Woo's second collaboration with director Na Hong Jin in The Yellow Sea continued to be a huge success and earned him the title of best actor at the Asian Film Awards and other awards. other major prizes. His subsequent films so far have been a great success in terms of art and box office, today he is known as the king of the Korean box office.
Notable works: Time (2006), Breath (2007), The Chaser (2008), Take Off (2009), The Yellow Sea (2010), Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012), Berlin File (2013) ), The Terror Live (2013), Kundo: Age of the Rampant (2014), Chronicle of a Blood Merchant (2015), Assassination (2015), The Handmaiden (2016), Tunnel (2016), Along With the Gods 1, 2 (2017, 2018), 1987: When the Day Comes (2017), …
9 Jung Woo Sung
Image of actor Jung Woo Sung. Source: bazaarvietnam.vn
Trailer for The Good, the Bad, the Weird - the typical work of Jung Woo Sung
Jung Woo Sung was born on March 20, 1973) in one of the poorest towns in Seoul, Sadang-dong. From a young age, he had to drop out of school to work and support his family. He started his career as a model because he was deemed too tall to be an actor. Jung Woo Sung's first role was in the 1994 film The Fox with Nine Tails, but his real breakthrough was in the 1997 film Beat. As a student boy who joined the gang, Jung Woo Sung rose to fame and rose to become one of the most sought-after models. He married actor Lee Jung Jae in the movie City of the Rising Sun in 1999 and the two have become best friends to this day. He went on to act in romantic dramas such as A Moment to Remember (2004), Daisy (2006), but the truly classic role of his career is in the movie The Good, the Bad, the Weird by director Kim Jae Woon, the film was screened at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and helped him make a big splash in the international market. In addition, Jung Woo Sung also tried his hand at directing and also achieved certain successes.
Notable works: The Fox with Nine Tails (1994); City of the Rising Sun (1999); A Moment to Remember (2004); Daisy (2006); The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008); Reign of Assassins (2010), Cold Eyes (2013), Scarlet Innocence (2014), Asura: The City of Madness (2016), The King (2017), Innocent Witness (2019), …
10 Lee Jung Jae
Image of actor Lee Jung Jae. Source: VnExpress
New World movie trailer - Lee Jung Jae's signature work
Lee Jung Jae was born on December 15, 1972 in Seoul, South Korea. He studied at Dongguk University with a major in Theater and Film. He took on his first role in the musical theater production of Hamlet in Water, then he became a fashion model before starting his acting career in a TV movie in 1993. Leap into acting. Lee Jung Jae's was in the 1998 film An Affair, and followed by City of the Rising sun – the film that won him the best male award at Blue Dragon and his relationship with his best friend Jung. My Woo Sung. He continued to act in many films but his career began to decline in the years 2007-2009. The film The Housemaid (2010) helped Lee Jung Jae regain his glory when the film premiered at Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals. His next projects are The Thieves, New World, … which achieved great success at the box office before he became known to international audiences for his role as Seong Gi Hun in Netflix's 2021 series Squid Game. .
Notable works: An Affair (1998), City of the Rising Sun (1999), II Mare (2000), Last Present (2001), Typhoon (2005), The Housemaid (2010), The Thieves (2012), New World (2013), The Face Reader (2013), Assassination (2015), Warriors of the Dawn (2017), Along With the God 1,2 (2017,2018), Deliver Us from Evil (2020), …
