In "Confidential Assignment 2: International," the much-awaited follow-up to the 2017 movie "Confidential Assignment," actor Hyun Bin, a newlywed and soon-to-be father, makes a second appearance on screen in his recurring role as a North Korean detective.
The 2017 movie, starring Hyun Bin and Yoo Hai-jin, who played Im Cheol-ryung, a police detective from North Korea's special investigation team, and Kang Jin-tae, a police detective from South Korea, sold over 7.8 million tickets thanks to its effective blend of comedy, action, and camaraderie between the two stars.
The cop team reunites in the follow-up to apprehend Jang Myung-jun, played by Jin Seon-kyu, the head of a North Korean crime syndicate. But this time, Daniel Henny, who plays Jack, an FBI agent, joins the duo.
When he made the decision to return to the movie franchise, Hyun Bin reasoned that making the sequel would only make sense if the movie could surpass hopes and what its predecessor gave.
The actor noted in a Thursday online press interview,
“If in the prior film, Cheol-ryung was only focused on avenging his wife’s death, I could definitely see some character development this time in terms of his personality, dialogue — even the scale of action sequences has been upgraded.”
“In terms of action, in ‘Confidential Assignment’ I wanted to highlight Cheol-ryung’s agility and his sharpness, but in the sequel, I also wanted to add his powerful blows and strikes.”
The relationship between Cheol-ryung and Lim Yoon-Min-young, a's who plays Jin-sister-in-law, tae's has also advanced. Lim came back in the follow-up as a recurring character and comically professed her love for the dashing North Korean detective.
In "Confidential Assignment," Min-young had a one-sided crush on Jack, but when Jack shows up there, she is faced with a choice. When another attractive stranger enters the lives of Jin-family, tae's Cheol-ryung finds himself abruptly in the background. He is surprised by the feeling of jealousy he experiences as Min-focus young's moves to Jack.
It was enjoyable, according to the actor, to depict a part of his character that he had not before been able to display.
Hyun Bin remarked, “I think those are sides of Cheol-ryung from when he was back in North Korea.”
“When he was with his colleagues or his wife. [In the first film] he couldn’t because he was still mourning, but when his [jealousy] pops up now and then unconsciously, I thought it could be comical.”
The movie concludes with a tease for a third movie, but the actor said it would all rely on how many tickets are sold. The movie opens in local theaters on Wednesday, just in time for the Chuseok celebrations, which begin on Friday.
When asked if there might be a third movie, the actor cautiously replied,
"I'm not sure."
“The sequel could be made because of the commercial success of the first film. So if the audience likes the sequel as much as the first, then I believe there’s a possibility for another film, but the decision does not lie with me.”
For the time being, the actor claims he won't be taking on any additional North Korean parts.
“Although it may seem like I’ve portrayed a lot of North Koreans, I’ve only done it twice before,” he said. “But I guess the assumption is possible because the two roles were imprinted strongly on the public in ‘Confidential Assignment’ and the series ‘Crash Landing on You.’ I can tell you for sure that I won’t take on any other North Korean characters except for this film franchise, at least for the time being.”
The actor's career spans a number of different genres, movies, and TV shows. Among his most well-known performances are those in "My Lovely Samsoon" (2005) on MBC, "The Snow Queen" (2006–07), "Worlds Within" (2008) on KBS2, "Secret Garden" (2010–11) on SBS, and "Crash Landing on You" (2019–20) on tvN.
A viral sensation at the time was the SBS drama series "Secret Garden" (2010–2011), starring Hyun Bin and Ha Ji-won. The plot centers on the fantasy romance between Kim Joo-won, an heir to the chaebol, and stuntwoman Gil Ra-im, who earns her livelihood as one.
A viral sensation at the time was the SBS drama series "Secret Garden" (2010–2011), starring Hyun Bin and Ha Ji-won. The plot centers on the fantasy romance between Kim Joo-won, an heir to the chaebol, and stuntwoman Gil Ra-im, who earns her livelihood as one.
The love story of how the actor met his wife, Son Ye-jin, is also essential to his filmography.
The actor and his future wife first became acquainted on the set of the 2018 movie "The Negotiation," where they played ironically antagonistic characters: Hyunbin as the ruthless arms dealer Min Tae-gu and Son as the crisis mediator Ha Chae-yoon, who kidnaps two Koreans and picks Chae-yoon to negotiate the terms.
The two actors reunited in the popular K-drama "Crash Landing on You," in which he starred as an elite North Korean military captain named Ri Jeong-hyeok and Son played chaebol heiress Yoon Se-ri, who crashes-lands in the North Korean side of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) after being caught in a storm while paragliding.
The series, which is also available on Netflix, rose to the third-highest rating in Korean television history for cable networks and quickly became the news of the world as it topped charts across the globe, particularly in Asian regions. When it was revealed that the two co-stars had been dating since March 2020, or around a month after the series had completed running on TV, the series and the chemistry between Hyun Bin and Son were once more in the spotlight in January 2021.
On March 31, 2022, the pair exchanged vows; they just revealed that they will give birth to a child in June of 2022.
The actor claims that he is cautious while discussing work with his wife even though there may seem to be some benefits to having a spouse in the same line of work.
He explained, “It’s because we know about each other’s work so well that we are also bound to cross lines.” “If not careful, what was intended to be a thoughtful piece of advice could turn into meddling, so I tend to be cautious when discussing work with Son. I do give my opinions when she asks for it, but I don’t actively voice my thoughts [regarding her work]. For this film, she hasn't given any acting advice — instead, she's been relaying people's reviews for screenings and is equally curious to see how the audience responds to the film.”
