(Photo: Getty Images)
Cover (Photo: Getty Images)

From romance to action, here are some of the South Korean actor's most popular Korean films and popular K-drama series to add to your must-watch list

Hallyu star, Hyun Bin, is no doubt one of the most successful actors in South Korea. From his breakthrough role as Hyun Jin-heon in 2005 rom-com K-drama, My Name is Kim Sam-soon, to his latest role as Ahn Jung-geun in 2023’s The Point Men, Hyun Bin has taken the world by storm with his charming looks and stellar acting skills.

Today, the South Korean heartthrob is largely known for his role as captain Ri Jeong-hyeok in Netflix hit Crash Landing on You, where he starred opposite Son Ye-jin, his from-reel-to-real life love interest. The two tied the knot almost a year ago and recently welcomed their first child.

Prior to Crash Landing, the veteran actor played leading roles in various films and K-drama series, with a varied repertoire ranging from rom-com and fantasy to action and thriller.

That said, if you are looking for a generous dose of Hyun Bin this weekend, why not catch up on some of his past works? Here’s a list of Hyun Bin’s most popular K-dramas and films to swoon over.

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1. Secret Garden

One of his most popular works, Secret Garden is a fantasy rom-com series where Hyun Bin plays rich CEO Kim Joo-won. Throughout the series, we follow Kim as he falls in love with Gil Ra-im (Ha Ji-won), a stunt woman trying to make ends meet. The series takes a turn when the duo magically switch bodies—and comedy ensues.

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2. Memories of the Alhambra

In this fantasy romance drama, Hyun Bin stars as Yoo Jin-woo, an adventurous CEO of investment company, J One. On his trip to Granada, Spain, his life gets intertwined with hostel owner, Jung Hee-joo, as they face mysterious incidents surrounding a new augmented reality game. Yoo’s love interest, Jung, is played by popular South Korean actress Park Shin-hye.

3. Hyde Jekyll, Me

This 2015 series is based on Lee Choong-ho’s webtoon, Dr Jekyll is Mr Hyde, and sees the actor play a character with two personalities: third-generation chaebol, Gu Seo-jin and his kinder counterpart, Robin. Throughout the series, we see the two fall into a love triangle with circus actress Jang Ha-na, who is played by Han Ji-min.

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4. Rampant

Above Hyun Bin stars as Lee Chung in this 2018 South Korean period action zombie film

If you're a fan of Hyun Bin and zombie films, this is for you. The 2018 period action zombie film is set in the 17th century and follows the Prince of Joseon, Lee Chung (Hyun Bin), as he is taken hostage to the Qing Dynasty. When Lee Chung returns home after 10 years, he finds his palace filled with monsters threatening to destroy the kingdom. 

5. The Negotiation

One of Hyun Bin’s most revered films, The Negotiation is the first film where we see him and Son together on stage. Here, Hyun Bin plays weapons smuggler, Min Tae-gu; while Son Ye-jin stars as Ha Chae-yoon, a crisis negotiator. The action-packed crime thriller sees the duo face off against each other during an anxiety-inducing hostage situation. Over the course of 21 hours, we watch as Ha attempts to crack Min’s eerily calm demeanour and save the hostages.

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