Im Joo Hwan | 임주환 | About

Im Joo Hwan is a South Korean actor and model, best known for his leading roles in "Tamra, the Island" (2009), "Ugly Alert" (2013), "Uncontrollably Fond" (2016) and "The Bride of Habaek" (2017).

As a high school senior he joined a theatre group called Kwangto — short for Kwangdae Tokkaebi, after the traditional performers and hobgoblins of Korean folklore — where he was first introduced to stage acting. He played the pastor in Neil Simon's "The Good Doctor", winning the prize for best performance at the Fourth Youth Theater Festival in 2000, and directed the play "Pay Tuition Back" at his school festival. After graduating he began his professional career as a model at the agency The Men, and went on to study theatre and film at Daejin University, at both undergraduate and graduate level.

He made his television debut in "Magic" (SBS, 2004) and his film debut in "A Millionaire's First Love" (2006), followed by a run of supporting roles, among them "The Snow Queen" (2006) and "Boys Over Flowers" (2009). His performance as a blind painter in an episode of the art-world series "Auction House" (2007) drew particularly good reviews.

His breakthrough came with his first leading role, in "Tamra, the Island" (2009) — a hybrid of romantic comedy and historical fiction set on Jeju Island, portraying the relationship between Koreans and foreigners in 17th-century Joseon. It rated poorly but gathered a cult following, and won him New Actor of the Year at that year's Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards.

He enlisted for his mandatory military service in May 2011. During basic training he fainted from a heart condition and spent three months in hospital; named a star soldier in February 2012, he served at the National Defense Publications Agency and completed all 21 months despite being offered an early discharge on medical grounds, leaving the army in February 2013.

Since his discharge he has worked steadily, from the daily drama "Ugly Alert" (2013) through "Shine or Go Crazy" and "Oh My Ghost" (2015), "Uncontrollably Fond" (2016), "The Bride of Habaek" (2017), "Different Dreams" (2019) and "Three Bold Siblings" (2022). He left Yedang Entertainment before enlisting, joined Blossom Entertainment after his discharge, and signed with FL Ent in June 2024.