Park Hyung-sik, Kim Dong-jun, Yim Si-wan... Creditable 'ZE:A'

Actors from the children of the group ZE:A - Children of Empire, such as Park Hyung-sik, Kim Dong-jun, and Yim Si-wan, continue to perform brilliantly. They are expanding their filmography by being recognized for their acting skills as well as their box office success through their starring works.

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Park Hyung-sik was praised for writing a new life character in SBS' Friday-Saturday drama "Buried Hearts", which ended on the 12th, as Seo Dong-joo, the main character who risks everything to destroy the absolute evil that destroyed him and the world behind it.

In addition to being betrayed by a loved one, he expressed a character who goes through extreme emotions such as being shot into the sea, being tortured by water, and losing his sister with excellent immersion. In particular, in the last episode, he succeeded in taking revenge on Yeom Jeong-soon (Huh Joon-ho), the source of evil, with a cold and meticulous design that does not express emotions, and delicately portrayed the inside of a complex character who feels empty rather than exhilarated.

Thanks to Park Hyung-sik's favorable reviews, the drama started with 6.1% viewer percentage. It exceeded 10% in four episodes, with an upward curve in each episode. The final episode recorded 15.4%, breaking not only the highest ratings of its predecessor, "Love Scout" but also its own highest ratings.

Kim Dong-jun, who received attention for his heavy acting as Hyeonjong, the eighth king of the Goryeo Dynasty, in the authentic historical drama "Korea-Khitan War" last year, succeeded in transforming into a lighter acting in the Genie TV and ENA Monday-Tuesday drama "New Recruit - Season 3" which began airing on the 7th.

"New Recruit" is a season-based reality comedy drama set in the military, about Jeon Se-ge, a global star who joins the military. As soon as he appears, he catches the attention of his seniors in the drama as well as viewers with his outstanding appearance and athleticism, and even performs his exposure with a scene where he confronts another private in the shower naked.

Immediately after the first broadcast, "New Recruit" ranked No. 1 in the OTT content integrated search platform KinoLights, and also ranked No. 1 in utilization among Genie TV originals based on the first public release. As soon as the broadcast began, seasons 1 and 2 also reversed the charts.

Yim Si-wan, who has clearly established himself as a 'trusted actor' beyond an 'acting idol', is expected to properly target the global market with the mega-hit "Squid Game - Season 3" and the Netflix film "Mantis" at end of this year. In "Squid Game - Season 2", he appeared as a coin (cryptocurrency) YouTuber Myeong-gi who makes the wrong investment in coins, and attention is focusing on how he will perform in "Squid Game - Season 3" by killing rapper Thanos (Choi Seung-hyun), who served as a de facto villain in "Squid Game - Season 2".

The 2023 global hit movie "Kill Boksoon"'s spinoff movie "Mantis" will also be released. He will play the role of an A-list killer who comes back after a long vacation to the murder contract industry, where all the rules have been broken, and will perform intense action.