Playing a bad guy is one of the things that Jung Woong In does best. He terrified Lee Jong Suk and Lee Bo Young when he played a tormented killer in "I Hear Your Voice." He even reprised that role for a nightmare cameo in Lee Jong Suk's recent drama "Pinocchio."
Jung went on to play a slimy opportunist in the historical drama "Empress Ki." His character had no compunction about abducting and murdering people or throwing Ha Ji Won off a cliff.
He followed that drama up by playing another bad guy in "Endless Love."
And just in case viewers stopped having nightmares about his villainous roles, he will play a villain yet again.
He is set to play the cruel ambitious Lee Yi Chum in the historical drama "Splendid Politics," also known as "Hwajung." The drama follows the rise and fall of Princess Jeong Myeong. She was the real-life daughter of the Joseon-era King Seong Jo. When her older brother Prince Gwang Hae, kills her younger brother, she is exiled.
Cha Seung Won plays Prince Gwang Hae in this drama. Early stills from the drama set show the prince and Jung Woong In's character exchanging cold looks.
While the prince may be the drama's true villain, Jung Woong In's character is his chief accomplice. He helps the prince achieve power and thereby also becomes very influential. It took murder to achieve that throne, so both characters are bad to the bone.
Since his 1995 debut Jung has acted on the stage, in dramas and in films, in everything from comedies to dramas but he always longed for meatier roles. And he said in a 2013 interview with K-Star News, casting directors did not choose him for them. Once he started playing villains, he began receiving a different kind of attention. Viewers and casting directors noticed how good he was at being bad.
In the K-Star News interview the actor said he could not believe he received so much love from fans after embarking on his scary villain role in "I Hear Your Voice."
He won three awards for that drama, including an SBS Drama Award, an APAN Star Award and Korea Drama Award.
When he is not reading bone-chilling script lines, Jung Woong In seems like a pretty nice guy. He came across as a devoted dad when he appeared with his daughters on the variety show "Dad Where Are You Going."
This year the 45-year-old actor can also be seen in two films, "Time Renegade and "Veteran."
