# Baek Hyun-jin (백현진)
**Baek Hyun-jin** (백현진; hanja 白鉉眞, also romanized BEK Hyun-jin or Baek Hyeon-jin; born 1972) is a South Korean painter, musician, and actor who works across visual art, film music, and screen acting. He is a member of the band Eo-eo-bu Project (어어부 프로젝트), which he co-founded with musician Jang Young-gyu in 1994, and he is known to film audiences for supporting roles such as executive Oh Tae-young in *Samjin Company English Class* (2020)[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084). In 2017 he was one of four finalists for the Korea Artist Prize, which was won by Song Sanghee, and he has also worked as a film director, composer, and festival programmer[2](https://www.yna.co.kr/amp/view/AKR20230428092500055) • [8](https://www.artasiapacific.com/news/song-sanghee-wins-korea-artist-prize-2017/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972, male[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084) |
| Main fields | Painting, music (Eo-eo-bu Project), acting, film music, design, illustration[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084) |
| Band | Eo-eo-bu Project, formed 1994 with Jang Young-gyu[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084) |
| Screen debut | Nightclub singer in *Flower Island* (2001)[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084) |
| Breakout acting role | Executive Oh Tae-young in *Samjin Company English Class* (2020)[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084) |
| Art recognition | Finalist for the Korea Artist Prize, 2017; solo exhibitions *More Than Words* (말보다) and *Baek Hyun-jin: Public Hiding* (백현진 : 퍼블릭 은신)[2](https://www.yna.co.kr/amp/view/AKR20230428092500055) • [8](https://www.artasiapacific.com/news/song-sanghee-wins-korea-artist-prize-2017/) |
| Directing | *The End* (2009, also screenplay) and *Eternal Joke* (2011)[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084) |
## Background and the band
Baek studied sculpture at Hongik University in Seoul but was more interested in painting than in his major, and he left the school for personal reasons[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084). In an interview he described working as an illustrator for three years after high school, earning 400,000 won a month, a period he recalled as one of constant anxiety as a young artist[2](https://www.yna.co.kr/amp/view/AKR20230428092500055).
**Eo-eo-bu Project.** In 1994 he and Jang Young-gyu, later known for the gugak fusion band Leenalchi, began making music together, and the duo has performed as Eo-eo-bu Project since[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084) • [3](https://www.donga.com/news/amp/all/20220613/113904652/1). The band has a devoted following, and under its name Baek has also composed film music, including for *Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance* (2001) and *Green Chair* (2004)[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084). He has said he places no priority between painting and music: there are things to express that are seen and things to express that are heard[4](https://www.khan.co.kr/article/201407092052045).
## Acting
Baek's screen debut is generally credited to *Flower Island* (2001), in which he appeared as a nightclub singer[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084). He has said that he acts only when a proposal interests him, when he thinks working with a particular director would be enjoyable, and that he does not consider acting his primary profession; in a 2014 interview he introduced himself first as a painter and second as a musician[4](https://www.khan.co.kr/article/201407092052045).
His filmography nevertheless runs to more than 30 screen credits. He has appeared repeatedly in films by [Hong Sang-soo](https://www.edgepedia.org/hong-sang-soo), including *The Day He Arrives* (2011, as a composer), *A Quiet Dream* (2016, as a photographer), and *Sunset in My Hometown* (2017, both acting and music)[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084). Other credits include *A Quiet Dream*, *Yourself and Yours* (2016), *Keys to the Heart* (2018), *High Society* (2018), *The Policeman's Lineage* (2022), *Broker* (2022, as detective Choi), *Highway Family* (2022, as Ahn Do-hwan), and *Ten Months* (2021)[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084) • [5](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=20066616).
**Wider recognition.** The role that made his face widely known was executive Oh Tae-young in *Samjin Company English Class* (2020)[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084). On television he has appeared in *Taxi Driver* (모범택시, 2021), *The Devil Judge* (악마판사, 2021, as Heo Jung-se), *Happiness* (2021, as Oh Ju-hyung), *Gaus Electronics* (2022, as Ki Sung-nam), and *The Good Bad Mother* (나쁜엄마, 2023, as Trot Baek)[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084). More recent screen work includes *Home Sweet Home* (2024) and *Project Y* (2026)[5](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=20066616).
## Visual art and directing
Baek has held the solo exhibitions *More Than Words* (말보다) and *Baek Hyun-jin: Public Hiding* (백현진 : 퍼블릭 은신), and in 2017 he was one of four artists shortlisted for the Korea Artist Prize[2](https://www.yna.co.kr/amp/view/AKR20230428092500055) • [8](https://www.artasiapacific.com/news/song-sanghee-wins-korea-artist-prize-2017/). Speaking about his painting, he has described a changed relationship with the color of Seoul: a period when the city's muted tones felt unbearable gave way to a view that color is something people have defined, so he now uses color freely in his work[6](https://www.vogue.co.kr/2026/03/26/%EB%85%B8%EB%9E%98%ED%95%98%EB%93%AF-%EA%B7%B8%EB%A6%AC%EA%B3%A0-%EC%97%B0%EA%B8%B0%ED%95%98%EB%93%AF-%EB%85%B8%EB%9E%98%ED%95%98%EA%B3%A0-%EA%B7%B8%EB%A6%AC%EB%93%AF-%EC%97%B0%EA%B8%B0%ED%95%98/).
He has also directed: *The End* (2009), for which he wrote the screenplay, and *Eternal Joke* (2011)[1](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084). In 2023 he served as the second J Special programmer of the year at the Jeonju International Film Festival, following actor Ryu Hyun-kyung, and chose a three-film [Luis Buñuel](https://www.edgepedia.org/luis-bunuel) selection: *The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie* (1972), *[The Phantom of Liberty](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-phantom-of-liberty)* (1974), and *[That Obscure Object of Desire](https://www.edgepedia.org/that-obscure-object-of-desire)*[2](https://www.yna.co.kr/amp/view/AKR20230428092500055).
## Recent work
In 2025 Baek released the regular album *Seoul-sik* (서울식), which he described as recording Seoul as something heard through his skill, sensibility, and feeling; a PKM Gallery exhibition of related visual works, running from February 4 to March 21, recorded the same subject as something seen. The video work *Light 23*, screened alongside it, involved actor Han Ye-ri of *Minari* (2020) and cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo of *Parasite* (2019)[7](https://www.pkmgallery.com/attachment/en/5d5eccf1a5aa2ced538b4567/TextOneColumnWithFile/6972c708b2a3da59760dbba2).
## References
1. [백현진 (BEK Hyun-jin) profile, Cine21](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=16084)
2. [전주국제영화제 프로그래머 백현진 "내가 보고싶은 영화 골랐다", Yonhap News (2023)](https://www.yna.co.kr/amp/view/AKR20230428092500055)
3. [음악·미술에 연기까지…이 남자 본업이 대체 뭐야?, The Dong-A Ilbo (2022)](https://www.donga.com/news/amp/all/20220613/113904652/1)
4. [팔색조 예술인 백현진 인터뷰, The Kyunghyang Shinmun (2014)](https://www.khan.co.kr/article/201407092052045)
5. [BEK Hyun-jin, Korean Film Biz Zone (KOFIC) people database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=20066616)
6. [노래하듯 그리고, 연기하듯 노래하고, 그리듯 연기하는 '백현진', Vogue Korea (2026)](https://www.vogue.co.kr/2026/03/26/%EB%85%B8%EB%9E%98%ED%95%98%EB%93%AF-%EA%B7%B8%EB%A6%AC%EA%B3%A0-%EC%97%B0%EA%B8%B0%ED%95%98%EB%93%AF-%EB%85%B8%EB%9E%98%ED%95%98%EA%B3%A0-%EA%B7%B8%EB%A6%AC%EB%93%AF-%EC%97%B0%EA%B8%B0%ED%95%98/)
7. [백현진 파이널 보도자료, PKM Gallery](https://www.pkmgallery.com/attachment/en/5d5eccf1a5aa2ced538b4567/TextOneColumnWithFile/6972c708b2a3da59760dbba2)
8. [Song Sanghee Wins Korea Artist Prize 2017](https://www.artasiapacific.com/news/song-sanghee-wins-korea-artist-prize-2017/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of East and Southeast Asia › South Korean actors, 2000s onward › Surnames A to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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