Jin Seon-kyu

Jin was born on September 13, 1977, in Jinhae-gu, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. He attended Jinhae High School [ko] and enjoyed sports such as weightlifting, taekwondo, and Hapkido. Jin had a timid personality, but when he started exercising, he became more vibrant.^[3]

In 1996, during his final year of high school, Jin's aspirations took a different direction when he visited a small theater company in Jinhae with a friend. As he watched the cast practice together, he instantly fell in love with acting. Looking back, Jin realizes that he had always been shy and lived in the shadows, while others laughed and talked freely. Seeing this, he longed to immerse himself in that carefree atmosphere. Acting as someone else on stage brought him immense joy.^[3]

During the summer vacation of Jin's senior year in high school, he informed his family about his intention to attend Korea National University of Arts to pursue acting. Some family members questioned if he would consider taking the comedian exam, as they believed that acting required a good-looking face.^[4] His father also discouraged him. As the eldest son in the family, Jin's father wanted him to pursue a stable job due to their family's financial difficulties. Jin said, "This school has lower tuition compared to others, so why not go for it?" Jin's mother borrowed 1.2 million won for the entrance fee, allowing him to secretly enroll in the school. His father only learned about it when Jin presented his acceptance letter from Korea National University of Arts after the summer vacation. Jin then moved to Seoul to join the 3rd batch of the acting department at the university.^[3][5]

He acted in graduation performance of Jang Yu-jeong's musical.^{[citation needed]}

Jin was one of the three founding members of Performance Delivery Service Ganda (簡多), along with Park Bo-kyung and Kim Ji-hyun. Theater Ganda was created during the time when Min Jun-ho was actively participating in regional performances, particularly in the production of The Mirror Princess Pyeonggang Story. In order to receive support funds and participate in festivals, they needed to have a theater company. That's why Min Jun-ho decided to establish Theater Ganda. The second batch of members included actors Kim Min-jae, Lee Hee-joon, Jeong Seon-ah, Park Min-jung, Jeong Yeon, Woo Ji-soon, and director Lee Jae-jun.^[6]

Jin Seon-gyu debuted in 2004 with the play The Mirror Princess Pyeonggang Story.^[7]

Jin Seon-gyu, who made his televion debut with the MBC drama 'Road Number One' (directed by Kim Jin-min) in 2010, appeared in dramas such as 'Mushin' (2012, directed by Kim Jin-min), 'Pride and Prejudice' (2014, directed by Kim Jin-min) and 'Three Days' (2014, directed by Shin Kyung-soo). Recently, he confirmed his appearance in the sequel to MBC's weekend drama 'The Rosy Lovers', 'The Woman' (directed by Kim Geun-hong).^[8]

Jin auditioned for the role of Wen Sung-rok, a member of the Black Dragon faction from Yanbian, China, in Kang Yun-seong's movie "The Outlaws." After winning the Best Supporting Actor award unanimously from the judges at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for his performance in that role, he rose to stardom in the film industry.^[9][10]

He appears in movie "Confidential Assignment 2: International" as Jang Myeong-jun. He portrays a villain from North Korea who serves as the head of a global criminal organization.^[11]

Jin Seon-kyu married actress Park Bo-kyung in 2011 and has two children, a son and a daughter.^[12][13]

• KRX Gold Market Ambassador (2019–present)^[113]
• President of the Alumni Association of Korea National University of Arts^[114]