# Byun Yo-han (변요한)
**Byun Yo-han** (변요한; also romanized Byeon Yo-han) is a South Korean actor who built his career through more than ten short and independent films before breaking out on television in the workplace drama *Misaeng* (2014) and winning major supporting-actor prizes for the naval epic *[Hansan: Rising Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/hansan-rising-dragon)* (2022)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110). He is known for alternating between commercial blockbusters, historical drama, and independent and streaming projects[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986, Incheon, South Korea[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5374796/) |
| Debut | 2011 short film *Saturday Duty* (토요근무)[3](https://sungyesa.com/star/413); feature debut in a leading role in 2013 with *Tinker Ticker*[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110) |
| Agency | Joined the newly founded TEAMHOPE as its first actor in early 2024, after years with Saram Entertainment[4](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/411663) |
| Signature TV roles | Han Seok-yul in *Misaeng* (2014)[5](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=90008); Kim Hee-sung in *Mr. Sunshine* (2018)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110) |
| Hansan awards sweep | Best Supporting Actor for *Hansan: Rising Dragon* at the 58th Daejong Film Awards (December 9, 2022)[6](https://asianwiki.com/Byun_Yo-Han), the 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards, and the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards[5](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=90008) |
| Independent landmark | *Socialphobia* (2014), about 250,000 admissions in 2015, a large figure for a Korean independent film[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110) |
| Recent work | Kim San in Disney+'s *Uncle Samsik* (2024)[7](https://view.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2024062612100052491); lead in *Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub* (2026)[8](https://www.spotvnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=827356) |
## Early life and training
Byun Yo-han was born in 1986 in Incheon, South Korea[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5374796/). He entered the Korea National University of Arts as a scholarship student to study acting[7](https://view.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2024062612100052491), and the Korean Film Council's database describes him as a theater major there[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110).
## Short films and independent cinema
He began appearing in short films in 2011, debuting with *Saturday Duty* (토요근무)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110) • [3](https://sungyesa.com/star/413). Through 2011 and 2012 he accumulated credits in more than ten short and independent features, including *Disaster Movie* (2011), *Night of the Witness* (2012), *Boy Crow* (까마귀 소년, 2011), and a guest part in *Juvenile Offender* (범죄소년)[3](https://sungyesa.com/star/413).
His feature debut, in a leading role, came in 2013 with the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA) drama-thriller *Tinker Ticker*, in which he played a professor's assistant who builds bombs in his spare time[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110). That same year he had a supporting part in the hit thriller *Cold Eyes*, followed by a small role in the hitman thriller *[No Tears for the Dead](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-tears-for-the-dead)* (2014)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110).
In 2014 he headlined his second KAFA feature, the cyberbullying mystery *Socialphobia*. The film premiered to acclaim at the Busan International Film Festival and, when it opened commercially in 2015, drew around a quarter of a million spectators, a substantial result for an independent film[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110). It earned him the Independent Star Award in the actor category at the 40th Seoul Independent Film Festival[3](https://sungyesa.com/star/413) • [5](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=90008), the Buil Film Award for Best New Actor in 2015[9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/byun-yo-han/bio/3060051397/), and the Best New Actor prize at the 7th Korean Film Reporters Association (KOFRA) Awards[10](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Byun_Yo_Han).
## Television breakthrough
**Misaeng and early series.** Byun's first wide public exposure came as Han Seok-yul, a brash new employee, in the tvN workplace drama *Misaeng* (2014), an adaptation of a hit webtoon[5](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=90008). The role made him a scene-stealer for many viewers, and he followed it with the romantic comedy *Ex-Girlfriends' Club* (2015) and the period drama *Six Flying Dragons* (2015 to 2016)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110). His *Six Flying Dragons* work earned a nomination for TV Best New Actor at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards[5](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=90008).
**Mr. Sunshine.** International recognition followed when he was cast as Kim Hee-sung, the noble betrothed of [Kim Tae-ri](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-tae-ri)'s character, in the hit historical series *Mr. Sunshine* (2018)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110). The tvN series, directed by Lee Eung-bok and written by [Kim Eun-sook](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-eun-sook), cast him alongside [Lee Byung-hun](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-byung-hun), Kim Tae-ri, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Kim Min-jung[11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0ykfOYWBTo).
## Film career and the Hansan awards sweep
Between the television successes he continued to build a filmography across genres: the fantasy drama *Will You Be There?* (2016), in which he and [Kim Yoon-seok](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-yoon-seok) played the same character, the younger and older Su-hyun, across time[5](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=90008) • [12](https://www.jtnevent.com/files/culture/1611118490145415.pdf); the time-loop thriller *A Day* (2017)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110); and director [Lee Joon](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-joon)-ik's historical drama *The Book of Fish* (자산어보, 2019), in which he played Chang-dae, a humble fisherman who befriends the exiled scholar played by Sul Kyunggu[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110). In 2021 he took top billing in the voice-phishing crime film *On the Line* (보이스)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110).
**Hansan: Rising Dragon.** The turning point in his film career was Kim Han-min's *Hansan: Rising Dragon* (한산: 용의 출현, 2022), the second installment of the director's [Yi Sun-sin](https://www.edgepedia.org/yi-sun-sin) trilogy and a prequel to *Roaring Currents* (2013)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110). Byun played the Japanese commander [Wakisaka Yasuharu](https://www.edgepedia.org/wakisaka-yasuharu), who led a fleet in the sixteenth-century campaign against Korea, a villainous part widely noted as a new register for him[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110) • [13](https://namu.moe/w/%EB%B3%80%EC%9A%94%ED%95%9C). The performance won Best Supporting Actor at three of Korea's principal film honors, the 58th Daejong Film Awards on December 9, 2022[6](https://asianwiki.com/Byun_Yo-Han), the 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards, and the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards[5](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=90008).
## 2024 to 2026
In early 2024 Byun left Saram Entertainment and joined the newly founded agency TEAMHOPE as its first signed actor, saying he wanted to work across a wider range of fields without being confined to a fixed mold[4](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/411663). That year he appeared as Kim San, an idealistic young elite from the military academy who wants to turn South Korea into an industrial nation, opposite [Song Kang-ho](https://www.edgepedia.org/song-kang-ho) in the Disney+ series *Uncle Samsik* (삼식이 삼촌), set in the late 1950s and early 1960s after the [Korean War](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-war)[7](https://view.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2024062612100052491) • [4](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/411663). He also starred in the films *She Died* ([그녀가 죽었다](https://www.edgepedia.org/following-2024-film), 2024) and the Netflix romance *Pavane* (2024)[5](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=90008), and won the Best Acting Award, Actor, at the 2024 MBC Drama Awards on December 30, 2024, for the thriller drama *Black Out*[6](https://asianwiki.com/Byun_Yo-Han).
**2026.** He made a special appearance, beyond a typical cameo in screen time, as the unhinged villain Baek Sang-hyeon in Kim Mi-jo's revenge film *The Journey to Gyeongju* (경주기행), joining the ensemble of Lee Jung-eun, Kong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam, and Lee Yeon; he said he took the part without a performance fee because of the script and the cast[14](https://www.sportschosun.com/en/movie/2026-08-13/202608130100079920004952) • [15](https://sports.khan.co.kr/en/article/202609241322007). He then headlined *Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub* (타짜: 벨제붑의 노래), the concluding film of the *Tazza* gambling-franchise series adapted from Huh Young-man's webtoon, directed by Choi Kook-hee and confirmed for release over the 2026 Chuseok holiday[8](https://www.spotvnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=827356) • [16](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/byun-yohan-lost-his-voice-for-tazza-the-sound-of-beelzebub-found-ease-in-marriage-with-tiffany/12873548). His 2026 slate also includes Lee Joon-ik's *My Father's Table* and further thrillers[16](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/byun-yohan-lost-his-voice-for-tazza-the-sound-of-beelzebub-found-ease-in-marriage-with-tiffany/12873548) • [17](https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/mast/peop/searchPeoplePrintList.do?p_gubun=undefined&peopleCd=20147110).
In his personal life, his agency TEAMHOPE announced on February 27, 2026, that he and the singer and actress [Tiffany Young](https://www.edgepedia.org/tiffany-young) had completed marriage registration[18](https://v.daum.net/v/20260228071503410?f=m).
## Awards and recognition
Byun's honors span independent and mainstream work: the Independent Star Award at the 40th Seoul Independent Film Festival (2014)[3](https://sungyesa.com/star/413), the 2015 Buil Film Award for Best New Actor[9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/byun-yo-han/bio/3060051397/), the KOFRA Best New Actor prize (2016, for *Socialphobia*)[10](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Byun_Yo_Han), a 2017 Popularity Award at the Korea Gold Awards Festival[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110), the triple Best Supporting Actor sweep for *Hansan: Rising Dragon* in 2022 and 2023[5](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=90008), and the 2024 MBC Drama Awards Best Acting Award for *Black Out*[6](https://asianwiki.com/Byun_Yo-Han).
## References
1. [BYUN Yo-han, Korean Film Council (KOFIC) People Database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20147110)
2. [Byun Yo-han, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5374796/)
3. [변요한, 연예인인명사전, 성예사](https://sungyesa.com/star/413)
4. [변요한, 새 프로필 공개 "골라보셔요. 클래식부터 긱시크까지", iMBC 연예 (March 14, 2024)](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/411663)
5. [변요한 프로필 및 수상기록, 씨네21](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=90008)
6. [Byun Yo-Han, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Byun_Yo-Han)
7. ['Samshiki Samchon' Actor Byun Yo-han Interview, The Asia Business Daily (2024)](https://view.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2024062612100052491)
8. [변요한 '타짜4' vs 유해진 '암살자들', 2026 추석 맞대결[초점S], SPOTV News (July 13, 2026)](https://www.spotvnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=827356)
9. [Byun Yo-han Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/byun-yo-han/bio/3060051397/)
10. [Byun Yo Han, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Byun_Yo_Han)
11. [미스터션샤인 EP4-10 clip, tvN DRAMA (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0ykfOYWBTo)
12. [영화 '당신, 거기 있어줄래요' 해외 포스터 공개 보도자료, JTN Event](https://www.jtnevent.com/files/culture/1611118490145415.pdf)
13. [변요한, 나무위키](https://namu.moe/w/%EB%B3%80%EC%9A%94%ED%95%9C)
14. [Byun Yo-han on Why He Joined 'The Journey to Gyeongju' Without a Fee, The Sportschosun (August 13, 2026)](https://www.sportschosun.com/en/movie/2026-08-13/202608130100079920004952)
15. [Byun Yo-han Has No Limits, Sports Kyunghyang (September 24, 2026)](https://sports.khan.co.kr/en/article/202609241322007)
16. [Byun Yo-han lost his voice preparing for 'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub', The Korea JoongAng Daily](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/byun-yohan-lost-his-voice-for-tazza-the-sound-of-beelzebub-found-ease-in-marriage-with-tiffany/12873548)
17. [변요한 영화인 작품참여내역, KOBIS (영화진흥위원회)](https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/mast/peop/searchPeoplePrintList.do?p_gubun=undefined&peopleCd=20147110)
18. [빼박 "배우자=변요한♥티파니"..프로필도 눈길, Daum/연예 (February 28, 2026)](https://v.daum.net/v/20260228071503410?f=m)
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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 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license