Kim Jun-han

Kim Jun-han (; born March 29, 1983) is a South Korean actor, film director, screenwriter, and former musician. Kim embarked on his acting journey with director Jang Kwon-ho's film Navigation. He fully committed himself to an acting career in 2017 where he starred in several movies as supporting roles, including in Kim Seong-hun's Confidential Assignment (2017), Lee Joon-ik's film Anarchist from Colony (2017), Ryoo Seung-wan's historical film The Battleship Island (2017), Min Kyu-dong's Her Story (2018), Lee Joon-ik's Sunset in My Hometown (2018), and Woo Min-ho's The Drug King (2018). He is only son of an elementary school teacher.

Career

2005 to 2007: Career as drummer in Izi Band Kim Jun-han started on his music career as drummer in a school band during high school. It was 2003. He then worked as the drummer for four-members band Izi, alongside Oh Jin-seong, Lee Dong-won, and Shin Seung-ik. The band made their official debut with their first album titled "Modern Life... And... With izi...." on April 19, 2005. They gained significant recognition for their popular song "Emergency Room," which was the theme song for the 2005 drama Sassy Girl Chun-hyang. Izi's activities came to a halt after the release of digital single 'Father' in 2007.

After leaving Izi in 2007, Kim made a living by performing on stage as a drummer at other singers' performances and by participating as a drum session during recordings. He also worked part-time distributing cosmetics at a department store. When Go Jun landed a role in the film Tazza: The Hidden Card, Kim worked as Go Jun's manager and even received a salary from him.

In 2016, Kim starred in the independent film "Greet." The film tells the story of seven friends who come together in their thirties to share pleasant and heartfelt stories. It gained attention when all seven actors received the Actor Award at the 16th Jeonbuk Independent Film Festival, and it further entices the audience by revealing that the actors themselves participated in the scriptwriting process. The film also received an invitation to the 17th Daejeon Independent Film Festival. Until 2017, Kim worked in about 30 short films.

2016 to present: Breakout role Afterward, Kim was chosen by directors who were seeking new actors fluent in Japanese. He appeared in Ryoo Seung-wan's historical film The Battleship Island as Japanese soldier.

On January 18, 2017, Kim made his official debut in commercial film with the release of Confidential Assignment, directed by Kim Seong-hun. He played a minor role as an NIS agent. Shortly after, on June 28, 2017, director Lee Joon-ik's film Anarchist from Colony was released. In the film, Kim portrayed Datemas Kaisei, an examining Japanese judge who undergoes a transformation in his beliefs during the interrogation of the anarchist and revolutionary Park Yeol (Lee Je-hoon) and his lover Kaneko Fumiko (Choi Hee-seo). His impressive fluency in Japanese language also left a lasting impression on the audiences. "I had the opportunity to perform in Japan while working in a band before. I also had to record in Japanese and appear at festivals and radio broadcasts. I thought I couldn't just go, so I started studying Japanese a few months before I went, and I found it fun. I was doing it little by little and it turned out to be a good opportunity. I'm not that good at Japanese, however I can have basic conversations and travel alone." Kim signed an exclusive contract with CL&Company on July 5, 2017. Around the same time, he ventured into the world of dramas tvN's Prison Playbook (2017), directed by Shin Won-ho. In the series, he portrayed the character Song Ji-won, love interest of Haerongi Hanyang (Lee Kyu-hyung). The first script reading of the cast was held on July 17, 2017. It aired on tvN from November 22, 2017, to January 18, 2018, every Wednesday and Thursday for 16 episodes. Kim's performances received praise from viewers, and his work in 2017 earned him a spot in the 2018 Cine21 Rising Star Actors feature. In OCN's Quiz of God: Reboot (2018), Kim Jun-han portrays forensic expert Kwak Hyuk-min, known for his calm demeanor and commanding presence.

In the end of summer in the same year, Kim joined Beasts Clawing at Straws, neo-noir black comedy crime thriller film written and directed by Kim Yong-hoon. Principal photography began on August 30, 2018, and filming ended on November 30. Kim acted as Jae-hoon.

Kim joined the MBC drama One Spring Night in 2019, written by Kim Eun and directed by Ahn Pan-seok. In the series, he portrayed Kwon Ki-seok, a successful bank audit department manager who seemed to have a perfect life due to his privileged upbringing. However, his pride-driven indifference towards his ex-girlfriend Lee Jeong-in (Han Ji-min), led to their breakup. As the story progressed, his obsession with Lee Jeong-in grew, causing conflicts with Yoo Ji-ho (Jung Hae-in), her new love interest. It aired from May 22 to July 11, 2019, and Kim's acting received positive recognition from viewers who felt a mix of sympathy and dislike towards his character. The first season aired on tvN every Thursday from March 12 to May 28, 2020. As a nod to Kim, director Shin Won-ho incorporated Kim's song "Emergency Room" into the drama.

In subsequent year, Kim reunited with Jung Woo-sung in his directorial debut film A Man of Reason, with principal photography starting on February 10, 2020. Kim portrayed the character Seong-jun, the second-in-command of an organization plagued by an inferiority complex. In the same year, Kim's contract with CL&Company was expired in June 2020. Kim signed an exclusive contract with Hodu&U Entertainment in July 2020.

In 2021, Kim reprise his role as Ahn Chi-hong and made a special appearance in second season of Hospital Playlist.

In the end of summer of the same year, Kim participated in the Coupang Play original web series Anna, written and directed by Lee Joo-young. Filming of the series began on October 15, 2021 and concluded on March 23, 2022. His portrayal earned him nominations for Best Supporting Actor awards from 59th Baeksang Arts Awards The film was later released in theaters in South Korea on August 15, 2023. Prior to that, in August 2022, Kim concluded his contract with Hodu&U Entertainment after two years and became a free agent. Subsequently, on October 31, 2022, Kim signed with Artist Company, an agency founded by Jung Woo-sung and Lee Jung-jae.

Personal life Kim led an acting study group that he founded with fellow actors, including Choi Hee-seo, Bae Ki-gi, and Yoon Seul, who had previously worked together in Anarchist from Colony. The group would meet once a week to discuss movies and acting.

Filmography

Feature film

Short film Year Title Role Notes 2013 I'm Fine (아임파인) Jung-han Hello Stranger (헬로 스트레인저) Jung-han 2015 Cocoon (Go-chi) (고치) Chul-guAnimated short film Frog (현도가) Hyeon-do Short film (as director)

Television series Year Title Role Notes 2017 Prison Playbook Song Ji-won Quiz of God 5: Reboot Kwak Hyun-min 2019 One Spring Night Kwon Ki-seok 2022 Anna Choi Ji-hoon 2024 Good Partner Jung Woo-jin 2025Newtopia Aaron Park 2026 Mad Concrete Dreams Min Hwal-seong

Accolades Awards and nominations +Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result2016 16th Jeonbuk Independent Film Festival Best Actor Greet 2017 26th Buil Film Awards Best New ActorAnarchist from Colony 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards 54th Grand Bell Awards 1st The Seoul Awards 2018 23rd Chunsa Film Art Awards 54th Baeksang Arts AwardsBest New Actor — Film MBC Drama AwardsExcellence Award, Actor in a Wednesday-Thursday Miniseries Time 2nd Korea-China International Film Festival Best Supporting ActorHerstory 201924th Chunsa Film Art Awards MBC Drama AwardsExcellence Award, Actor in a Wednesday-Thursday Miniseries One Spring Night 2023 59th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Supporting Actor – Television Anna 2nd Blue Dragon Series Awards Best Supporting Actor

Listicles