# Yoo Hae-jin (유해진)
**Yoo Hae-jin** (유해진) is a South Korean actor, born in 1970, who rose from a supporting player playing rough, thuggish characters to leading roles, appearing in four films that each passed 10 million admissions, including *King and the Clown* (2005), *[Veteran](https://www.edgepedia.org/veteran-2015-film)* (2015), *A Taxi Driver* (2017), and *Exhuma* (2024)[1](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2024-03-27/202403270100209870028181). In 2026 he won the film Grand Prize (Daesang) at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards for *The Man Who Lives with the King*[2](https://factrace.kr/persons/yoo-hae-jin-1970).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970; graduate of the theater program at Seoul Institute of the Arts (서울예술대학 연극과)[3](https://host.cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=15757) |
| Film debut | *Black Jack* (1997, directed by Jung Ji-young), as a dump truck driver[3](https://host.cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=15757) |
| Breakout roles | Yukgab the clown in *King and the Clown* (2005); Ko Gwang-ryeol in *Tazza* (2006)[4](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EC%9C%A0%ED%95%B4%EC%A7%84) |
| Supporting-actor awards | Popularity awards for *King and the Clown* (2005) and *The Pirates: Bandits at Sea* (2014); Blue Dragon Film Award Best Supporting Actor for *The Moss* (2010)[5](https://www.koreanculture.jp/upload_files/press_kit/2025-23_%EC%BD%94%EB%A6%AC%EC%95%88%EC%8B%9C%EB%84%A4%EB%A7%88%EC%9C%84%ED%81%AC_%EA%B2%8C%EC%8A%A4%ED%8A%B8%EC%B7%A8%EC%9E%AC_%EB%B3%B4%EB%8F%84%EC%9E%90%EB%A3%8C.pdf) |
| Ten-million-admission films | Four: *King and the Clown*, *Veteran*, *A Taxi Driver*, *Exhuma*[1](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2024-03-27/202403270100209870028181) |
| Box-office record | 55 theatrical releases with cumulative domestic admissions of 177,269,552 on the KOFIC (KOBIS) integrated network[6](https://cinemaboard.co.kr/people/%EC%9C%A0%ED%95%B4%EC%A7%84--p_21616f252c74) |
| 2026 honor | Baeksang Arts Awards film Grand Prize for *The Man Who Lives with the King*, awarded May 8, 2026, shared stage with his friend Ryu Seung-ryong[2](https://factrace.kr/persons/yoo-hae-jin-1970) • [7](https://v.daum.net/v/HcnXv94q7i) |
## Training and early career
Yoo decided on an acting life in middle school after watching the late Chu Song-woong's monodrama *Our Clowns*. Repeatedly rejected from theater and film departments, he first entered the fashion design department at Chungcheong University, and after his military service went back to acting and entered [Seoul Institute of the Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/seoul-institute-of-the-arts)[3](https://host.cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=15757). He performed with the theater company Mokhwa, where his rough, heavy-handed appearance typecast him in coarse and delinquent roles[3](https://host.cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=15757).
His screen debut came in 1997 in *Black Jack* as a dump truck driver[3](https://host.cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=15757). The public first learned his face through *Attack the Gas Station* (1999), in which he played Yonggari, the leader of the neighborhood thugs, and through *Public Enemy* (2002), in which the knife-wielding Yong-man made him a familiar supporting presence[4](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EC%9C%A0%ED%95%B4%EC%A7%84) • [8](https://agetrail.com/people/yoo-hai-jin/).
## Breakthrough and the supporting-actor years
The turn came with *King and the Clown* (released December 29, 2005), in which the 35-year-old played Yukgab, one of the street clowns[8](https://agetrail.com/people/yoo-hai-jin/). The film's enormous success, followed by his Ko Gwang-ryeol in *Tazza* (2006), shifted his image: from villainous thug roles toward the quick-witted, talkative, comic characters for which he became known[4](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EC%9C%A0%ED%95%B4%EC%A7%84). He earned a supporting-actor honor for *King and the Clown* and, later, for *The Pirates: Bandits at Sea* (2014), and a Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for *The Moss* (2010)[5](https://www.koreanculture.jp/upload_files/press_kit/2025-23_%EC%BD%94%EB%A6%AC%EC%95%88%EC%8B%9C%EB%84%A4%EB%A7%88%EC%9C%84%ED%81%AC_%EA%B2%8C%EC%8A%A4%ED%8A%B8%EC%B7%A8%EC%9E%AC_%EB%B3%B4%EB%8F%84%EC%9E%90%EB%A3%8C.pdf).
Through this period he built the reputation that Korean film coverage describes as a seasoning actor (감초): a performer who appears in a great many films and stabilizes them from the side. In 2007 he took his first lead role, alongside [Cha Seung-won](https://www.edgepedia.org/cha-seung-won), in *The Mayor and the Village Head*[9](https://www.ottrank.kr/person/84996).
## Leads, the king, and Exhuma
**A first king.** In *The Owl* (2022), the thriller built around the recorded death of Crown Prince Sohyeon, Yoo played King Injo, his first royal role 25 years into his career and 17 years after playing a low-born clown in *King and the Clown*[10](https://www.donga.com/news/amp/all/20221114/116475663/1). He proposed changing the script so that the king appeared gradually behind a thin curtain rather than abruptly, worried that audiences accustomed to his comic image would laugh at the reveal; at the preview screening they did not, and he said that reassured him[10](https://www.donga.com/news/amp/all/20221114/116475663/1).
**Exhuma.** In *Exhuma* (파묘, 2024), Jang Jae-hyun's occult mystery about a feng shui master, a mortician, and a shaman who relocate a suspicious grave for a large fee, Yoo played the courteous veteran mortician Yeong-geun, his first genre shift into occult material[11](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2024022712005466021). The film drew 11.91 million viewers in 2024 and became his fourth ten-million-admission film[12](https://m.skyedaily.com/pdf_view.html?pdf_url=%2Fdata%2Fskyn_pdf%2F2026%2F20260413%2Fweb%2F20260413-15). In Gallup Korea's nationwide end-of-year poll of actors of the year (1,741 respondents aged 13 and over, November 2024), he ranked ninth with 5.0 percent of mentions[13](https://www.gallup.co.kr/dir/GallupReport/GallupReport%2820241219%29_%EC%98%AC%ED%95%B4%EC%9D%98%EC%9D%B8%EB%AC%BC_%EC%98%81%ED%99%94%EB%B0%B0%EC%9A%B0.pdf).
**2026: Daesang and a record run.** *The Man Who Lives with the King* (왕과 사는 남자, 2026), Jang Hang-jun's drama starring Yoo and [Park Ji-hoon](https://www.edgepedia.org/park-ji-hoon), passed 16.28 million admissions on its 67th day, overtaking *Extreme Job* (2019, about 16.26 million) and climbing past *Exhuma*, *King and the Clown*, *12.12: The Day*, and *[Ode to My Father](https://www.edgepedia.org/ode-to-my-father)* before crossing 16 million[12](https://m.skyedaily.com/pdf_view.html?pdf_url=%2Fdata%2Fskyn_pdf%2F2026%2F20260413%2Fweb%2F20260413-15). At the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards in Seoul on May 8, 2026, Yoo won the film Grand Prize for the film; he and [Ryu Seung-ryong](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryu-seung-ryong), both born in 1970 and friends for three decades, received the award in the same ceremony[2](https://factrace.kr/persons/yoo-hae-jin-1970) • [7](https://v.daum.net/v/HcnXv94q7i).
## Recent work and the Assassin(s) controversy
Yoo stars in *Assassin(s)* (암살자(들), 2025), a film with [Park Hae-il](https://www.edgepedia.org/park-hae-il) and [Lee Min-ho](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-min-ho) that held a showcase at Coex Megabox in Seoul on August 31, 2026, and topped the reservation rate four weeks before release[2](https://factrace.kr/persons/yoo-hae-jin-1970). The film became the center of a history-distortion controversy, and the criticism extended from the film itself to Yoo personally: online communities and social media posted certificates of product boycotts and app withdrawals, and protest comments appeared on advertisements featuring him[14](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261006147400030?input=1301p). [Burger King](https://www.edgepedia.org/burger-king), which had run a fall campaign for its new Truffle Mushroom Whopper under the concept "New-haejin Trmuwa," ended the model's activities in October 2026, stating that the campaign had concluded on its originally planned schedule as a one-off contract and was unrelated to the controversy[14](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261006147400030?input=1301p).
## Television and stage
Yoo has been a fixture of variety television, notably as a regular cast member of producer Na Young-seok's *Three Meals a Day* series, including the fishing-village season (31 episodes as himself) and *Spanish Boarding House*, a sustained variety presence unusual for a film actor of his standing[4](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EC%9C%A0%ED%95%B4%EC%A7%84) • [15](https://racoi.s3.ap-northeast-2.amazonaws.com/2025_%ED%8E%80%EB%8D%B1%EC%8A%A4%EB%A6%AC%ED%8F%AC%ED%8A%B8_527%ED%98%B8.pdf) • [16](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/84996?language=ko-KR). In 2024 he returned to the theater stage in Cheongju for the first time in 30 years[8](https://agetrail.com/people/yoo-hai-jin/). Directors who have worked with him describe a methodical performer: Kim Dae-ung, director of *The Wrestler* (2018), recalled that Yoo prepared multiple versions of each scene and prepared his ad-libs in advance, and quoted his advice that a good director builds a playground where actors can play[17](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/movies/8311037).
## References
1. ['왕의 남자'→'파묘'까지, 유해진 4000만이 선택한 '흥행 요정', Sports Chosun (2024)](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2024-03-27/202403270100209870028181)
2. [유해진 최신 행보·검증 팩트, Factrace](https://factrace.kr/persons/yoo-hae-jin-1970)
3. [유해진 인물 정보, Cine 21](https://host.cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=15757)
4. [유해진, Namu wiki](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EC%9C%A0%ED%95%B4%EC%A7%84)
5. [Korean Cinema Week guest press kit (2025), Korean Culture Center](https://www.koreanculture.jp/upload_files/press_kit/2025-23_%EC%BD%94%EB%A6%AC%EC%95%88%EC%8B%9C%EB%84%A4%EB%A7%88%EC%9C%84%ED%81%AC_%EA%B2%8C%EC%8A%A4%ED%8A%B8%EC%B7%A8%EC%9E%AC_%EB%B3%B4%EB%8F%84%EC%9E%90%EB%A3%8C.pdf)
6. [유해진 배우 프로필·필모그래피·흥행 기록, CinemaBoard](https://cinemaboard.co.kr/people/%EC%9C%A0%ED%95%B4%EC%A7%84--p_21616f252c74)
7. ["비데 공장 알바생들이 대상까지"…류승룡·유해진, 70년생 두 친구의 영화 같은 인생, Daum/Hankyung (2026)](https://v.daum.net/v/HcnXv94q7i)
8. [유해진은 몇 살에 알려졌을까?, AgeTrail](https://agetrail.com/people/yoo-hai-jin/)
9. [배우 유해진 프로필·필모그래피·출연작, Ottrank](https://www.ottrank.kr/person/84996)
10. ["데뷔 25년만에 첫 왕… 관객들 안 웃어 안심", The Dong-A Ilbo (2022)](https://www.donga.com/news/amp/all/20221114/116475663/1)
11. ['파묘'로 웃지만 마음 무거운 유해진, Asia Economy (2024)](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2024022712005466021)
12. [Sky Daily, April 13, 2026 edition (왕과 사는 남자 1628만 돌파 보도)](https://m.skyedaily.com/pdf_view.html?pdf_url=%2Fdata%2Fskyn_pdf%2F2026%2F20260413%2Fweb%2F20260413-15)
13. [갤럽리포트 G20241219: 2024년 올해를 빛낸 영화배우, Gallup Korea](https://www.gallup.co.kr/dir/GallupReport/GallupReport%2820241219%29_%EC%98%AC%ED%95%B4%EC%9D%98%EC%9D%B8%EB%AC%BC_%EC%98%81%ED%99%94%EB%B0%B0%EC%9A%B0.pdf)
14. [버거킹, 유해진 모델 광고 종료…"영화 논란 무관, 예정된 일정", Yonhap News (2026)](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261006147400030?input=1301p)
15. [2025 펀덱스 리포트 527호 (나영석 PD 배우 의존도 분석), RACOI](https://racoi.s3.ap-northeast-2.amazonaws.com/2025_%ED%8E%80%EB%8D%B1%EC%8A%A4%EB%A6%AC%ED%8F%AC%ED%8A%B8_527%ED%98%B8.pdf)
16. [Yoo Hae-jin filmography, The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/84996?language=ko-KR)
17. ['레슬러' 김대웅 감독 "유해진, 마성의 매력남", Maeil Business Star Today (2018)](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/movies/8311037)
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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 T to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 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