Almost always making viewers experience the so-called "second lead syndrome", this South Korean actor proves he can also be "first" in our hearts. Stream these shows to see why:
South Korean actor Jung Hae-in has played numerous supporting roles since he started his acting career in 2014, of which, the most memorable is his appearance in one of the highest-rated shows in Korean cable television history, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God as Ji Eun-tak's (Kim Go-eun) first love. The series, which also stars Gong Yoo as Goblin/Kim Shin, gained an impressive international following to this day.
In 2017, the crowd-favourite second lead's name became the top searched words on Naver, South Korea's largest search engine, when he starred in While You Were Sleeping as Han Woo-tak, a police officer who gets entangled in a love triangle with Nam Hong-joo (Bae Suzy) and Jung Jae-chan (Lee Jong-suk). And in 2018, Son Ye-jin who, even before becoming Captain Ri's (Hyun Bin) Yoon Se-ri in Crash Landing On You, was first Seo Joon-hee's (Jung Hae-in) Yoon Jin-ah in Something in the Rain. This marks Jung Hae-in's first lead role on television.
This year, the 33-year-old actor returns with another lead role in a JBTC K-drama. Titled Snowdrop, this series, which will also stars Blackpink's Jisoo, also known as Kim Ji-soo, has been continuously stirring controversy since the beginning of the year up until it premiered on December 18 on Disney+ in select regions for alleged historical inaccuracies just like Joseon Exorcist. It can be recalled that the latter was terminated after airing two episodes on the grounds of historical distortion. A day after Snowdrop's premiere, a new petition to the Blue House was filed demanding suspension of the drama. It was reported that the petition garnered over 80,000 signatures a few hours after filing. Over 200,000 people signed the petition by the end of December 19 and eventually reached 300,000 signatures by December 21.
While fans are holding their breath with how the situation will pan out, K-drama life must go on. Here, we make a round-up of the must-watch Jung Hae-in drama series and movies this year.
1. D.P. (2021)
This six-episode Netflix series set in 2014 reveals the "undesirable nature of the military" in South Korea. D.P., which stands for "Deserter Pursuit", stars Jung Hae-in as Private Ahn Joon-ho and Corporal Han Ho-yul (portrayed by Koo Kyo-hwan who was one of the main characters in the hit series, Kingdom: Ashin of the North), the duo whose job is to search for military deserters that lead them to an adventurous, action-packed journey. The series showcased the sad realities inside the military camp, which include bullying, hazing and the mindset for the survival of the fittest.
Netflix has recently confirmed a season 2 is underway while the series also became part of the prestigious New York Times Best International Shows of 2021.
Watch on Netflix.
Read also: Duty Above All: 5 Military Characters in K-Drama
