They may not be the best-looking guys. They are not greatly popular, either. However, at the brief moment they appear on the screen, they shine brighter than any stars. The audience may not know their names, but may remember their faces and performances for a long time. Here is a list of new scene stealers in Korean cinema.

 

 

 

Born in 1971, he is not quite young. He was almost 40 years old when he first was recognized in the film industry. However, it is not entirely a joke when you say mainstream Korean cinema is now divided into two: those with BAE Sung-woo and those without. He had long been playing on stage dramas and musical pieces but within just a few years since moving to cinema, he has built an incomparable presence in major supporting roles.  

 

In the meantime, he has constantly accepted small roles in mainstream cinema. For example, he played SONG Kang-ho’s junior colleague at National Intelligence Service in Secret Reunion (2010) and showed great performance. In independent cinema he has frequently appeared as a loner isolated from the world, but in mainstream films, on the contrary, he often appears to be a snob and a smart ass, proving a wide range of his acting ability. His popularity is rising even more these days, as he has started acting in TV dramas as well.

 

 

 

Born in 1982, LEE Mi-do has been active in films since mid-2000s but her roles were mostly limited to "Court Maid 2" or "Waitress 1." Surprisingly, it was BONG Joon-ho who noticed her acting ability and gave her a relevant role. In Mother (2009), the main character (KIM Hye-ja) tries to clear his son (WON Bin) of false accusation, and in doing so, she meets a girl (LEE Mi-do), an insecure, angry and wounded high school girl. Back then LEE was in her late 20s but perfectly transformed to the teenage girl.

 

Later on LEE made us laugh in the role of an overly confident woman of her looks in Cyrano Agency (2010). In the same year, in The Unjust (2010), she saddened us as she played a mentally retarded woman who was just unable to clear her husband of false accusation. A few years later, in Red Carpet (2014), which was an unexpected gem, the best acting was shown by LEE, who played the godmother of those naive adult movie actresses. Looking back, you understand that she deserved the best supporting actress award that year.

 

 

She was born in 1972. It was in Cold Eyes (2013) that JIN Gyeong proved her real presence in the film industry. To be sure, the main roles of this movie are those at run, played by the team led by SUL Kyung-gu and HAN Hyo-joo. As they chase and keep tabs on criminals, there comes the fun of the movie. However, in the movie, there are other points of unexpected pleasures: the moment where the tension grows during the communication between the chief officer (JIN) and the field agents; or where their opinions intensely collide; or even, where they share a whole-hearted laughter. A true supporter, who is strict yet audacious, but at the same time tolerant and thoughtful, is superbly represented by JIN.

 

This image of hers still continues. She is found in a supporting role in two biggest local movies of this year: in Assassination, she plays a woman who risks her own life to help the independence fighters; in Veteran, JIN plays the lead character's wife, who is rather naggy at her husband but keeps strong life ethics. Her image as a great supporter will continue for quite a while.

 

 

 

He was born in 1981. CHO Dal-whan’s special traits could be described as follows. The main character in The Beauty Inside (2015) wakes up with different faces every morning. He can be a cute and handsome guy one day, an old lady the next day, and a beautiful woman the day after. Accordingly, for that main character, a number of actors and actresses were recruited. Among them was CHO. One day, the main character’s girl friend (HAN Hyo-joo) stares at his face that changed again. Then he shyly utters “I look a little spooky, right?” With this one ad-lib line, he almost annulated the name values of all other popular actors in the film. According to his own words, CHO may look a little spooky. However, his speech and facial expressions are ever so soft, soft enough to make us feel his warmth deep inside. He played a lazy film staff in Red Carpet (2014) and a fake bandit in The Pirates (2014), generating a lot of laughter in the audience.