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Hwang Jung-min

Hwang Jung-min

Actor · Born September 1, 1970 (56) · Masan, South Gyeongsang, South Korea

Hwang Jung-min (황정민) is a South Korean actor. He was born on September 1, 1970 and began his career in musical theatre, making his acting debut in Line 1 in 1995. He then starred in various musicals and plays in Daehangno such as "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Cats". Despite a career on stage, Hwang had difficulty transitioning to film. He went through a long struggle for recognition, with people saying he "didn’t have the right face for film." He even considered giving up his dream, but stuck to his conviction about walking the path of acting. Hwang said, "After becoming interested about the stage and how it feels to be that person on stage, I've never thought of anything else. That I never swayed -- that is one thing I can say with confidence." His big break came when he was cast in Waikiki Brothers, a 2001 film that was a sleeper hit in Korea. In his role as a hopeless drummer, Hwang left a strong impression and earned favorable reviews, with director Im Soon-rye calling him "an uncut gemstone." It was in 2005 that Hwang became a household name, portraying a naive farmer in love with an AIDS-stricken prostitute in the hit melodrama "You Are My Sunshine". Hwang explains that he was "moved by the tale of the genuine love between two people. I agreed with the director's idea of showing it as pure love, like an uncut gem, without sloppily adding to it or embellishing it." When he accepted the best actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for his performance in You Are My Sunshine, many were moved by his now-famous speech: "All I did was add a spoon to a dinner table that had already been prepared by others."

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 1, 1970 (56)
From
Masan, South Gyeongsang, South Korea
Works as
Actor
Titles
34 on MovieCove · 58 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Up 19% in 30 days

What are Hwang Jung-min's films like?

Across their 33 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Action19 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
25%
Morality
23%
Survival
15%
Self
15%
Power
11%
Society
7%
Ideas
4%
Romantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption5 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 31 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 4 · Serious 6 · Dark 21

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 19 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 5

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 8 · Intense 23

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 17 · Whiplash 7

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 23 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 21 · Relentless 6

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 16 · Full focus 9

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 2 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 19

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 18 · Open-ended 11 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

27 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 19 of 27 analyzed roles.

Hero
19 of 27
Shadow
5 of 27
Mentor
3 of 27
Show the 27 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
26
Melancholic
14
Thrilling
12
Dread
6
Warm
5
Other
26

How their films linger

Bittersweet17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet20
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous6

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Hwang Jung-min's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 24 of their 34 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Hwang Jung-min's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

58 credits, 34 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Hope(2026)

    as Go Bum-seok

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Nine Puzzles(2025)

    Show 11 episodes · as Oh Cheol-jin

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • 풍향GO (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 4 episodes · Actor

  • Punghyanggo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 4 episodes · Actor

  • I, the Executioner(2024)

    as Seo Do-cheol

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Mission: Cross(2024)

    as Kang-mu

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • 12.12: The Day(2023)

    as Chun Doo-gwang

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Kill Boksoon(2023)

    as Kim Gwang-il / Shinichiro Oda

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Point Men(2023)

    as Jung Jae-ho

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Narco-Saints(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · as Jeon Yo-hwan

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Hunt(2022)

    as Lieutenant Ri

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • H.U.S.H. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 16 episodes · as Han Joon-hyuk

  • Deliver Us from Evil(2020)

    as Kim In-nam

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Money(2019)

    as Investor (voice)

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Spy Gone North(2018)

    as Heuk Geum-seong / Park Seok-yeong

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Battleship Island(2017)

    as Lee Kang-ok

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Asura(2016)

    as Park Seong-bae

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Wailing(2016)

    as Il-gwang

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • A Violent Prosecutor(2016)

    as Byun Jae-wook

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Himalayas(2015)

    as Um Hong-gil

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Veteran(2015)

    as Seo Do-cheol

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Ode to My Father(2014)

    as Yoon Deok-soo

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Man in Love(2014)

    as Han Tae-il

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Fists of Legend(2013)

    as Lim Deok-gyu

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Chase(2009)

    as Min Jae-in

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • New World(2013)

    as Jung Chung

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Korean Peninsula (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 18 episodes · as Seo Myung-joon

  • Dancing Queen(2012)

    as Hwang Jung-min

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Moby Dick(2011)

    as Lee Bang-woo

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Battlefield Heroes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Silla King

  • The Unjust(2010)

    as Choi Cheol-gi

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Running Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Blades of Blood(2010)

    as Hwang Jung-hak

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Five Senses of Eros(2009)

    as Min Jae-in

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The Accidental Couple (That Fool)(2009)

    Show 16 episodes · as Goo Dong Baek

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Private Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Hong Jin-ho

  • A Man Who Was Superman(2008)

    as Superman / Lee Hyun-suk

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • My 11th Mother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Baek-joong

  • Happiness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Young-su

  • Black House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Jun-oh

  • Bloody Tie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Do Jin-gwang

  • All for Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Na Do-chul

  • You Are My Sunshine(2005)

    as Seok-joong

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Heaven's Soldiers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Park Jung-woo

  • A Bittersweet Life(2005)

    as Mr. Baek

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • This Charming Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Writer

  • The Last Wolf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Actor

  • Under A Big Tree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • A Good Lawyer's Wife(2003)

    as Joo Young-jak

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Digital Short Film Omnibus Project Twentidentity, Vol. 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Man - segment: "Under a Big Tree"

  • Road Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Dae-shik

  • YMCA Baseball Team (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Ryu Kwang-tae

  • Waikiki Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Kang-soo

  • Shiri(1999)

    as Special Investigation Team

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • General's Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Umigwan manager

  • A Good House to Live In (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Mission: Cross 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Kang-mu

  • Veteran 3 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Seo Do-cheol

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 59 titles, 56 of them dated from 1990 to 2026; peak year 2015.

Biggest box office

Ode to My Father (2014)

$185M worldwide

Highest rated

Ode to My Father (2014)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Hope (2026)

Film career

19902026

Peak 2015 · their film career is on the way up. Top draw in 17 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting59 of 59: 59 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score72nd

By decade

1990s2 · acting2000s20 · acting2010s20 · acting2020s14 · acting

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 54% of 37 roles
99091419

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Hwang Jung-min's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 31; across their 31 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Midcredits score across 34 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th17
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

21 of their 34 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser21
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · actor

The Chase (2009)

75th percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Ode to My Father (2014)

Midcredits 96th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 28 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 53. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Hwang Jung-min's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles79–98 · median 87 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles6–50 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles45–89 · median 84 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles30–81 · median 44 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles59–88 · median 75 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Hwang Jung-min work with?

People who share at least 2 of Hwang Jung-min's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kim Sang-beom shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles