Lim Ju-hwan

Lim Ju-hwan (Hangul: 임주환; also romanized as Im Joo-hwan^[1]) (born May 18, 1982) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading role as Park Kyu in the 2009 television series Tamra, the Island.

Early life

When he was a senior in high school, Lim Ju-hwan joined the theater group called Kwangto, an acronym of Kwangdae Tokkaebi referring to traditional performers and hobgoblins in Korean, where he was first introduced to theatrical performance. He watched most of theater performances run in high schools, colleges, and theaters in Daehakro, the Broadway of Seoul where theaters are clustered almost one on top of each other. Lim played the role of the pastor in The Good Doctor by Neil Simon and won the prize of best performance in the Fourth Youth Theater Festival in 2000. He also directed the play, Pay Tuition Back, at the school festival. He continues to maintain a good friendship with fellow actor Shin Dong-wook, whom he met at the time.

After graduating from high school, Lim began his professional career in modeling at The Men, a modeling and acting agency. He also enrolled at Daejin University for his undergraduate and graduate studies in theatre and film.

Acting career

Lim made his first professional television debut on Magic, aired on SBS in 2004, and made his film debut in A Millionaire's First Love in 2006, followed by a series of supporting roles, notably in The Snow Queen (2006) and Boys Over Flowers (2009). He received favorable reviews for his performance as a blind painter in episode 10 of Auction House, a 2007 TV series revolving around the art world which aired on MBC. But his breakthrough came in his first leading role in the 2009 MBC series Tamra, the Island.

Episode 10 of Auction House

As in the film Amadeus, the episode's plot is the inherent conflict between a genius painter, Lee Ji-un, played by Lim, and an average painter, Park Min-kun, played by Noh Yu-min. While studying painting together at an art institution in New York City, Ji-un had a crush on Min-kun. Then Ji-un lost his eyesight and family as well as all of his past memories in a car accident. During this time, Min-kŭn burnt all of Ji-un’s works and instead emulated them himself behind Ji-un’s back. Min-kŭn’s imitated paintings of Ji-un's original works are welcomed by art critics, bringing him fame and success. At the end, it is revealed that Ji-un's amnesia was faked; he pretended to be so as to take revenge on his love object and ultimately to express his long-cherished true feelings toward Min-kŭn. When they see each other at Ji-un’s house, the show reaches a tense climax, for which one critic complimented Lim's complex performance. In an interview, Lim mentions that he was particularly touched by the critic's comment and immediately got goosebumps as soon as he read it.

Tamra, the Island

Set in Jeju, Haenam in South Jeolla Province (Tamranŭn Tota was the former name of Jeju Island), Tamra, the Island was a hybrid form of TV drama that combined romantic comedy and historical fiction. It portrays the relationship between Koreans and foreigners in 17th century Joseon.^[2] The original story of the show was based on a manhwa of the same title, written by Jeong Hye-na. The leitmotif of the book is taken from a historical figure, Hendrick Hamel, a bookkeeper with the Dutch East India Company found adrift in Jeju while heading to Japan. Historically, Hamel is considered the first Westerner who lived in Joseon Korea and wrote about it.^[3] The show begins with Park Kyu, the male protagonist, played by Lim, arriving on the island, allegedly banished from Seoul on a charge of sexual harassment of women, but in fact, he is a secret royal commissioner dispatched from the court in order to detect embezzlement. Park Kyu comes to live with Jang Beo-jin, played by Seo Woo, the female protagonist, and her family in their house. Beo-jin is a tomboy who hates diving to gather seaweed and ear shells, an emblem of Jeju women's irresistible destiny and tough livelihood. One day, she discovers and saves two castaways on the shore of the sea: William, a young nobleman from England played by Pierre Deporte, and Yan, a Dutch merchant living in Japan from the Dutch East India Company played by Lee Sun-ho. The show centers around the love triangle between Kyu, Beo-jin, and William, together with the reaction of the local people and the central government to the Westerner and his treatment, resulting in racial and cultural contact on both sides. The show also portrays the hard lives of commoners who are exploited by both a local high priest, who owns and trains militia for his interest, and that of the central and local governments, as well as the commoners’ resistance to the relentless restrictions of the social reality of the Joseon era. In addition, the rise of commerce and political aspirations for reform of society during the mid-late Joseon period is another major theme of the show.

Though it received low ratings, Tamra, the Island gained a cult following. Lim later won New Actor of the Year at the 2009 Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards for his performance on the show.

2011 - present

To capitalize on his growing fan base in Japan since the airing there of Tamra, the Island,^[4][5] Lim made the 2-episode special drama Marriage War of Doenjang-kun and Natto-chan about a Korean man and a Japanese woman who fall in love while working together on a Korea-Japan joint project, but face family opposition to their marriage. Doenjang is the Korean word for fermented bean paste, while natto is a similar Japanese type of bean paste. The early working title was Hyunhaetan Marriage War, and Hyunhaetan is the Korean name of the strait between Japan and Korea, which is a metaphor for the couple's struggles. The romantic comedy is also known under the alternate title Mister Kimchi and Miss Teriyaki's Wedding War.^[6]

What's Up, the long-delayed musical campus drama that Lim filmed in 2010, finally aired on cable channel MBN in 2011. It was written by renowned drama scribe Song Ji-na (Sandglass) and is the story of college students learning acting and performance arts in the university's musical theatre department. Lim played the leading role of Jang Je-hun, a cynical outsider who becomes completely immersed in the world of musicals.^[7] He followed that with a supporting role as a warm-hearted homeless man with Tourette's syndrome in the film The Suicide Forecast.

In 2011, Lim enlisted for his mandatory military service.^[8][9] During basic training, he fainted due to heart problems and was hospitalized for 3 months. He then completed his service despite being given the option for an early discharge.^[10] After his discharge in 2013, Lim left his agency Yedang Entertainment,^[11] and moved to Blossom Entertainment. He then made his acting comeback in the leading role as a devoted brother in SBS daily drama Ugly Alert.

Filmography

Television series

• Ugly Alert (SBS, 2013)
• What's Up? (MBN, 2011)
• Marriage War of Doenjang-kun and Natto-chan (MBC, 2010)
• Tamra, the Island (MBC, 2009)
• Boys Over Flowers (KBS2, 2009)
• General Hospital 2 (MBC, 2008) (guest appearance, ep 6-7)
• Single Dad in Love (KBS2, 2008)
• Auction House "열한 번째 그림" (MBC, 2007) (guest appearance, ep 10)
• Drama City "Pure Soon-yi" (KBS2, 2007)^[12]
• The Return of Shim Chung (KBS2, 2007)
• The Snow Queen (KBS2, 2006)
• Don't Worry (KBS2, 2006)
• A Love To Kill (KBS2, 2005)
• Magic (SBS, 2004)

Films

• The Suicide Forecast (2011)
• A Frozen Flower (2009)
• Do Re Mi Fa So La Si Do (2008)
• M (2007) (bit part)
• Arang (2006)
• A Millionaire's First Love (2006)

Theater

• Our Town (2002)
• The Good Doctor (2000)

Awards

• 2013 SBS Drama Awards: New Star Award (Ugly Alert)
• 2009 17th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards: Best New Actor (Tamra, the Island)

References

External links

• Lim Ju-hwan at Blossom Entertainment (Korean)
• Lim Ju-hwan Japanese website (Japanese)
• Im Ju-hwan Fan Cafe at Daum (Korean)
• Im Joo-hwan at HanCinema
• Im Joo-hwan at the Korean Movie Database
• Im Joo-hwan at the Internet Movie Database