"Yoon Sang Hyun"

Yoon Sang Hyun (Yun Sang Hyeon) was born September 21, 1973 in South Korea. His birthday places him in the year of the Water Ox. Water Oxen are said to be more flexible, and because of this quality, they’re better able to understand what others are thinking and feeling. They’re sincere, patient, quick-thinking and others enjoy being around them.

Sang Hyun’s childhood was filled with fantasies of being a superhero. He would act out Superman or characters from the Star Wars films, even using a fluorescent light bulb as a light saber. This led to people around him saying, “How about becoming an actor in future?” Sang Hyun says that even at an early age, “I was good at impersonating other people.”


In an interview posted at hancinema.net (sourced from http://english.kbs.co.kr/) Sang Hyun said, “As a child, I wanted to be a scientist, but when I was in high school, I wanted to become a singer. But I failed all the auditions. No matter how well I could sing in karaoke bars, strangely enough my voice failed me at auditions. When I didn’t have a place to practice singing and did it in my room, people called me ‘crazy’. When I was in my mid–20s, my mother told me to stop singing. (Laughs.) And I never thought of acting. The agency that had promised to make me a singer offered me only roles in TV dramas. It was frustrating.” Sang Hyun talks more about his time with this agency in a post at Julee’s Witching Hour – Sang Hyun blog in the February 2012 Archive, An Actor And Artiste, Part 5.

In the beginning Sang Hyun was not comfortable with acting and even thought of giving up. It was during the filming of Winterbird in 2005 at age 32 that he began to understand how important it was to study the character in order to portray the full range of emotions demanded by the script and to feel comfortable with the other actors.

Following Winterbird, Sang Hyun appeared in The Secret of Keu Keu Island (MBC, 2008), a 40-episode series with similarities to the U.S. television series Lost, and One Mom and Three Dads (KBS2, 2008). As of this writing Keu Keu Island is not available on streaming sites, but portions of episodes can be watched on YouTube. There is a Japanese boxed set for $200.00, but without English subtitles. Ah, those Japanese, so pricey and exclusive. In One Mom and Three Dads Sang Hyun plays a husband who dies in an auto accident, leaving his three friends to take on the role of father to his expectant wife and future child. He appears in the first three episodes and in flashbacks.

In 2009 Sang Hyun found success in the role of Heo Tae Joon/Tae Bong, the playboy C.E.O in Queen of Housewives. Although it was a supporting role, his character won the hearts of everyone and made Yoon Sang Hyun a household name. He then followed up in the lead role in My Fair Lady as Seo Dong Chan, “a charming, mostly good-hearted guy with a hot temper and glib tongue who often gets himself into trouble with the former and out of it with the latter. He's trying to be good, but trouble just seems to find him. He’s also in debt and struggles to pay off his lenders, but it’s difficult since honest work just doesn’t pay that much.” (from Dramabeans) See My Fair Lady below for my commentary on the drama.

“Sang Hyun is perfect as a prima donna
singer born of wealth...”

Sang Hyun then took on the role of Choi Woo Young, the Hallyu star known as Oska in Secret Garden (2010), with Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won. Although he plays a supporting role, Choi Woo Young (Oska) is so integral to the story that one can’t image the drama without him. Sang Hyun is perfect as a prima donna singer born of wealth, whose longing for his first love clouds his every decision. That Sang Hyun can sing well, dress with style and change his appearance with different hairstyles only adds to his charm. (In the first episode alone he changes hairstyles at least five times.) He also lost about 10 kg (approx. 22 pounds) for this role. Sang Hyun is not overweight by any means but the change is apparent when comparing the cute chubby-faced Dong Chan in My Fair Lady and Oska in Secret Garden.



Secret Garden was my first Yoon Sang Hyun drama but, it has not been my last. I’ve watched them out of sequence, so I can’t say I’ve seen his acting ability develop in a linear fashion, but I find him fascinating to watch even if his earlier dramas pushed the bounds of Korean drama stereotypes. You know, the kind where you find yourself shaking your fist at the TV saying, “You idiot, this makes no sense!” What follows below in the Drama Series section are my impressions of Sang Hyun’s dramas in the order watched. And as much as I like Oska, Seo Dong Chan in My Fair Lady is my favorite character.

Music

Farewell To Sorrow—KanashiminiSayonara CD Single, two versions (2/15/2012)
Can’t Lose OST “Do You Know I Have Feelings For You” (9/7/2011)
The Road—2-disc DVD and 180 pages photo essay (2012)
Mini Live And Fan Meeting—Japan Version DVD Region 2 (9/21/2011
Summer Eyes—CD Single, 2 versions (6/8/2011)
Precious Days—Japanese studio album (2/16/2011)
Secret Garden Special OST the Oska songs, “Liar” and “Here I Am” (1/14/2011)
Chikai—(Oath) 3 versions, First Press Limited Edition inc. MV DVD(6/24/10)
Saigo No Ame—Last Rain 6 song CD two versions (2010)
The Last Rain—Japanese single (2010)
Story of Rain and You (08/25/2009)
My Fair Lady OST “Helpless Love” (2009)
My Fair Lady 1.5 OST “Romance” (Yoon Sang Hyun and Yoon Eun Hye) (2009)
Queen of Housewives Digital Single “Never Ending Story” (4/28/2009)
Love Project Digital Single “I Love You” (7/7/2009)
Princess Lulu OST “Did You Love” (8/10/2005)

—Music Videos

‘Love Is So Difficult’ MV Lee Seung Chul
 ‘Cross’ MV by KYO (2005)

—Film

Sunday Seoul (2006, cameo)

—Drama Series

2011 Can’t Lose (Can’t Live With Losing) (MBC)
2010 Secret Garden (SBS) 2010
2010 Family Outing Season 2 (SBS Variety Program)
2009 My Fair Lady (KBS)
2009 Queen of Housewives (MBC)
2008 The Secret Of Keu Keu Island (MBC Sitcom)
2008 Three Dads and One Mom (KBS)
2007-2008 Winter Bird (MBC)
2006 Singles’ Life (Common Life) (SBS)
2006 Exhibition of Fireworks (Fireworks) (MBC)
2006 Drama City — A Week (KBS) Dec 12, 2006 (one-act play)
2005 Marrying A Millionaire (SBS)