12 Things About Kim Jung-Hyun, Male Lead Of K-Drama "Mr. Queen"

From being a conman in "Crash Landing on You" and a cheating boyfriend in "Dinner Mate," he now plays the role of a puppet king in "Mr. Queen"

Grace Libero-Cruz

February 16, 2020, 01:13 AM / UPDATED January 5, 2021, 03:25 PM

Kim Jung-hyun had a major boost in popularity, when he was cast as a second male lead in the hit K-drama Crash Landing on You (CLOY). After that, he had a cameo appearance with his CLOY co-star Seo Ji-hye in Dinner Mate, and now Kim Jung-hyun has returned as the lead star of the ongoing historical/comedy/fantasy series Mr. Queen that's set in the Joseon era.

In the 20-episode tvN series that premiered in December 12, Kim Jung-hyun stars as King Cheoljong, a puppet king that serves as a figurehead for the late King Sunjo's wife, Queen Sunwon (Bae Jong-ok). The actor is paired with Shin Hye-sun as Queen Cheorin whose body has the soul of a male chef from the modern-day (Jang Bong-hwan, played by Choi Jin-hyuk) trapped in it.

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The hilarious period, body-swap series has high ratings—in fact, it's been consistent on the number one spot in its time slot, "scoring an average nationwide rating of 12.3 percent and a peak of 13.7 percent for the night." It currently occupies the 11th spot in the list of highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television.

On why he agreed to work on Mr. Queen, Kim Jung-hyun said at the series' press conference, "I wanted to try a fun project... There were many epic historical dramas on television when I was young, and that kind of trend has passed. I had a feeling of nostalgia about historical dramas, and I ended up joining Mr. Queen."

If you've got your eyes on the handsome Kim Jung-hyun, scroll through the gallery below to get to know him:

About Kim Jung-Hyun

By Metro.StyleJanuary 27 2021, 10:40 PM

Kim Jung-hyun was born on April 5, 1990. His Instagram handle features his initials and his birthdate, @jhkim0405.

Photo Credit: @kimjunghyundiary

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He studied at Korea National University of Arts' Department of Acting. Many K-Drama stars attended this school as well, such as Kim Go-eun ("The King: Eternal Monarch"), Lee Je-hoon ("Tomorrow With You"), Lee Sun-kyun ("Coffee Prince"), Park So-dam ("Record of Youth"), Suho from K-Pop group EXO, and Oh Man-seok (who played the role of villain Jo Cheol-kang in "Crash Landing on You").

Photo Credit: @mbcdrama_now

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He finished his mandatory military service when he was 21 years old, years before he entered the entertainment industry. He first dabbled in plays, before venturing into film and TV work. His acting debut was via the 2015 film "Overman," in which he starred as a high school gymnast. Here, he was paired with South Korean actress Chae So-jin, who also studied at Korea National University of Arts. "Overman" premiered at the 2015 Busan International Film Festival. For his role here, he was nominated as the Best New Actor at 25th Buil Film Awards and 22nd Chunsa Film Art Awards.

Photo Credit: hancinema.net

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In 2016, he was a part of the cast of K-drama series "Don't Dare to Dream" (or "Jealousy Incarnate"), wherein he played the role of Gong Hyo-jin's brother. Seo Ji-hye was also in the same series as one of the main characters. Years later, Seo Ji-hye and Kim Jung-hyun would both be part of the same series again, this time as a couple (Gu Seung-joon and Seo Dan) in "Crash Landing on You."

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His next project was a support role in the historical drama "The Rebel" in 2017. His role here may be minor but it sure was significant enough for people to notice him; it earned him the Best New Actor award at the 36th MBC Drama Awards.

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His breakout role in a drama series came in 2017 through "School 2017." Here, he played the role of the school director's rebellious son. He was paired with actress Kim Se-jeong. For this role, he was nominated as Best New Actor at the 1st The Seoul Awards, 31st KBS Drama Awards, and 54th Baeksang Art Awards.

Photo Credit: Soompi

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After "School 2017," he starred in the KBS2 drama special "Buzzcut Love," a melodrama wherein his character fell for a woman whose brain cancer has relapsed.

Photo Credit: Dramabeans

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In 2018, he starred in the series "Welcome to Waikiki," wherein his character dreams of becoming a director.

Photo Credit: @jhkim0405

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He then starred in the MBC series "Time." Here, his character is a son of the CEO of a huge company but is about to die due to an illness. Kim Jung-hyun couldn't finish this project as he had to drop out of the show midway because of health concerns, which turned out to be an eating and sleeping disorder.

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Then came "Crash Landing on You," wherein he played the role of a young conman who had to flee to North Korea due to an embezzlement case. In the series, he is the second male lead who is paired with character Seo Dan, played by Seo Ji-hye. We cannot help but love him in CLOY as he showed great acting skills.

Photo Credit: tvN via Soompi

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On the big screen, he was a cast member in the movie "One Day" and "Rosebud." Kim Jung-hyun was also paired with "It's Okay to Not be Okay" actress Seo Ye-ji in the 4DX VR melodrama film "Stay With Me."

Photo Credit: @jhkim0405

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