Edited by Hwang Hong Sun
Translated by Kim Hoyeun
Hyun Bin, who made his debut by playing the role of a stalker in 2003 drama Bodyguard, drew attention with drama Ireland. Since then, he solidified his position as a trusted actor after a series of hits, including My Lovely Sam Soon and Secret Garden, which gave birth to the buzzword “Is this the best?“
After successfully finishing Secret Garden, Hyun Bin joined the military in 2011 and had a brief hiatus. But even during his service, he still showed off his popularity by winning the grand prize in the TV category at the 47th Baeksang Arts Awards in 2011, and the entertainment industry and fans eagerly waited for his comeback.
After completing his military service safely, Hyun Bin made a comeback in 2014 with the historical film The Fatal Encounter. The movie, which depicted an assassination conspiracy surrounding King Jeong Jo, drew much attention with the appearance of Hyun Bin and other prominent actors, but it wasn’t enough to meet the expectations of viewers. Leaving behind the disappointment of The Fatal Encounter, Hyun Bin brought back his “old-self” with drama Hyde, Jekyll, Me, but the result was unsatisfactory. As all of his comeback projects fell into a slump one after another, some started to show concerns about Hyun Bin.
However, with the movie Confidential Assignment, Hyun Bin blew away all the regrets. The movie tells the story of a joint investigation of detectives from the two Koreas to catch a North Korean criminal organization hiding in the South. By playing the role of a North Korean special agent-turned-detective, he showed off his eye-catching action sequences and toughness. In particular, he thoroughly prepared for the action scenes and digested all actions himself, and practiced hard to get used to the unfamiliar North Korean dialect.
The result of such efforts turned out as a box office hit. It attracted 7.81 million moviegoers, ranking third in the 2017 Korean box office. The overall reactions of the movie was also excellent. Especially, many praised Hyun Bin’s visual and actions.
Hyun Bin has captivated the public with his North Korean role once again earlier this year. With his delicate and romantic performances in Crash Landing on You, Hyun Bin’s second project with Son Ye Ji, he has enjoyed explosive popularity at home and abroad. Currently, Hyun Bin is filming for movie Negotiation (literal translation) with Hwang Jung Min in Jordan.
