# Kim Joo-hyuk
**Kim Joo-hyuk** (1972 – 30 October 2017) was a South Korean actor and the son of the late actor Kim Mu-saeng.[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=filmography&person_id=14655) After beginning his television career in 1998 through SBS's eighth open recruitment of contracted actors, he made his film debut in the thriller *Say Yes* (2001).[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=filmography&person_id=14655) • [1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death) • [3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=filmography&person_id=14655) He earned wide recognition for the box-office hits *My Wife Got Married* (2008) and *The Servant* (2010), and was known to television audiences as a cast member of KBS2's *2 Days & 1 Night* (2013–2015), where his nickname was "Gutaeng-hyung".[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Joo_Hyuk/About) • [5](https://cinegraph.org/people/kim-joo-hyuk) • [4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Joo_Hyuk/About) • [1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death) He died in a car accident in Seoul at the age of 45, and his final film, *Believer*, posthumously earned him Best Supporting Actor honors at the Grand Bell Awards and Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2018 and the Baeksang Arts Awards in 2019.[1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1030523/awards/)
He died in a car accident in Seoul at the age of 45, and his final film, *Believer*, posthumously earned him Best Supporting Actor honors at three major Korean award ceremonies[1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | Born 1972; died 30 October 2017 in a car accident near Samseong-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, aged 45[1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death) • [2](https://thetvdb.com/people/454190-kim-joo-hyuk) |
| Family background | Son of the late actor Kim Mu-saeng; graduate of Dongguk University's theater and film program[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=filmography&person_id=14655) |
| Debut | Joined SBS's eighth group of contracted actors in 1998; film debut in the thriller *Say Yes* (2001)[1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death) • [3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=filmography&person_id=14655) |
| Signature film roles | Noh Deok-hoon in *My Wife Got Married* (2008) and the servant Bang-ja in *The Servant* (2010), both box-office hits[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Joo_Hyuk/About) • [5](https://cinegraph.org/people/kim-joo-hyuk) |
| Variety work | Cast member of KBS2's *2 Days & 1 Night* (2013–2015), known by the nickname "Gutaeng-hyung"[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Joo_Hyuk/About) • [1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death) |
| Posthumous honors | Best Supporting Actor for *Believer* at the Baeksang Arts Awards (2019), Grand Bell Awards (2018), and Blue Dragon Film Awards (2018)[1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1030523/awards/) |
| Agency | Namoo Actors[7](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile4/jsp/People/PeopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10005749) |
## Early life and debut
Kim Joo-hyuk was the son of the respected actor Kim Mu-saeng, who had died before his son's rise to fame[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=filmography&person_id=14655). After graduating from the theater and film program at [Dongguk University](https://www.edgepedia.org/dongguk-university), he spent a year gaining acting experience on the stage, then began his television career in 1998 through SBS's eighth open recruitment of contracted actors[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=filmography&person_id=14655) • [1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death). He first drew notice with the drama *KAIST*, and made his feature film debut in the thriller *Say Yes* (2001)[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=filmography&person_id=14655).
## Screen career
**Television.** Kim gained wider recognition in 2002 playing Kim Seok-joo in the drama *Flowing River*, a character that proved popular with viewers[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Joo_Hyuk/About). In 2005 he starred in SBS's romantic drama *Lovers in Prague* as Choi Sang-hyun, a detective with a traumatic past; the series, written by [Kim Eun-sook](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-eun-sook) as part of the Lovers trilogy, reached average viewership of 26 to 27 percent and peaked at 31 percent[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Joo_Hyuk/About). His later historical leads included [Kim Jun](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-jun), the ninth military leader of Goryeo's military regime, in MBC's *God of War* (2012), and the celebrated Joseon court physician [Heo Jun](https://www.edgepedia.org/heo-jun) in *Hur Jun, The Original Story* (2013), a role regarded as an acting risk because Heo Jun remains highly esteemed in South Korea[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Joo_Hyuk/About). His final drama role was in the 2017 series *Argon*[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=filmography&person_id=14655).
**Film.** The Korean Film Council's profile describes two conflicting screen personas, a dandy gentleman and a timid, comical character[7](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile4/jsp/People/PeopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10005749). After early popularity with *YMCA Baseball Team* (2002), *Singles* (2003), and *Please Teach Me English* (2003), he took serious roles in *Blue Swallow* and *Love Me Not* (2006) before returning to comic, flawed characters in the box-office hits *My Wife Got Married* (2008) and *The Servant* (2010)[7](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile4/jsp/People/PeopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10005749). In *My Wife Got Married*, adapted from Park Hyun-wook's novel of the same title, he played Noh Deok-hoon, the first husband of a woman who marries two men[3](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=filmography&person_id=14655) • [4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Joo_Hyuk/About). In *[The Servant](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-servant-2010-film)*, a 2010 historical romantic drama, he played the servant Bang-ja; the film was a large box-office success and his performance drew praise from critics and audiences[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Joo_Hyuk/About).
In 2011 he appeared in three films of different genres: the [Korean War](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-war) comedy *In Love and the War*, *Pitch High*, about a dissipated baseball player, and the ensemble romantic comedy *Couples*[7](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile4/jsp/People/PeopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10005749). After a gap from multiplex screens, he returned in the summer of 2015 as a villain in IM Sang-soo's *Intimate Enemies* and with a cameo in *The Beauty Inside*[7](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile4/jsp/People/PeopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10005749). 2016 brought the omnibus romance *Like for Likes*, Lee Kyoung-mi's kidnap thriller *The Truth Beneath*, and [Hong Sang-soo](https://www.edgepedia.org/hong-sang-soo)'s *Yourself and Yours*, in which he played the lead role of Kim Youngsoo[7](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile4/jsp/People/PeopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10005749) • [5](https://cinegraph.org/people/kim-joo-hyuk).
His last films were released in 2017 and 2018: *The Tooth and the Nail*, *Confidential Assignment*, *Heung-boo: The Revolutionist*, *Rampant*, and *Believer*, in which he played [Jin Ha](https://www.edgepedia.org/jin-ha)-rim[5](https://cinegraph.org/people/kim-joo-hyuk) • [8](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=10005749).
## Variety and public image
Kim joined the main cast of KBS2's variety program *2 Days & 1 Night* in 2013 and appeared until 2015, later making guest appearances in 2017[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Joo_Hyuk/About). His warm personality on the show earned him the affectionate nickname "Gutaeng-hyung"[1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death).
## Awards
Kim's acting was recognized repeatedly in the late 2000s and again at the end of his life. For *My Wife Got Married* he was nominated for Best Actor at the 2008 Blue Dragon Awards and the 2009 Baeksang Arts Awards, and won the Popularity Award and Best Couple Award shared with [Son Ye-jin](https://www.edgepedia.org/son-ye-jin)[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1030523/awards/). For *Confidential Assignment* he won Best Supporting Actor at the 2017 Seoul Awards[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1030523/awards/). *Believer* then brought a sweep of posthumous Best Supporting Actor honors: the Grand Bell Awards and Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2018 and the Baeksang Arts Awards in 2019[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1030523/awards/) • [1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death).
## Death
Kim died on 30 October 2017, four days after giving an acceptance speech at the first Seoul Awards at Kyung Hee University's Peace Hall on 27 October[1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death). According to police, his vehicle struck another car near Samseong-dong in Seoul's Gangnam District, crashed into an apartment wall, and tumbled down a staircase; he was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries[1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death). He was laid to rest at his family's burial site in Daesan-eup, Seosan, South Chungcheong Province[1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death). Eight years after his death, friends and colleagues continued to mark the anniversary publicly[1](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death).
## References
1. [Actor Kim Joo-hyuk remembered as friends express enduring grief 8 years after his death, The Korea Times (October 30, 2025)](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20251030/actor-kim-joo-hyuks-remembered-as-friends-express-enduring-grief-8-years-after-his-death)
2. [Kim Joo-hyuk, TheTVDB](https://thetvdb.com/people/454190-kim-joo-hyuk)
3. [김주혁 (Kim Juhyuk), Cine 21 person database](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?href=filmography&person_id=14655)
4. [Kim Joo Hyuk/About, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kim_Joo_Hyuk/About)
5. [Kim Joo-hyuk, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/people/kim-joo-hyuk)
6. [Kim Ju-hyuk Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1030523/awards/)
7. [KIM Joo-hyuk, Korean Film Council (KOFIC) people database](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile4/jsp/People/PeopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10005749)
8. [KIM Joo-hyuk, KOFIC filmography (English)](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=10005749)
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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 Ki to K*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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