Not someone's wife or husband, but a 'top actor': Son Ye-jin ♥ Hyun Bin · Shin Min-a ♥ Kim Woo-bin take bold steps in the second half of the year [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actors Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin, along with Shin Min-a and Kim Woo-bin, are drawing fans' attention as top celebrity couples who have been working hard side by side in the second half of this year.

Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin, Shin Min-a and Kim Woo-bin are top celebrity couples recognized as Han Min-guk-eul (CEO). Not only are they all acknowledged for their main careers, but they have also maintained their position at the very top for a long time without any scandals in their private lives. Moreover, these couples have been leading charitable activities together, becoming role models for the public.

Although they have already secured both career and love, it is impressive that they are walking on a 'flower path' of even greater success after marriage. They continue to challenge themselves across various genres and characters, approaching the public not as someone's wife or husband but as individual actors.

In fact, Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin were so dazzling in their performances that they won the 'Best Couple Award' at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards last year.

Riding on this momentum, Hyun Bin is building a substantial filmography again this year. He is set to make his global debut on home screens with Disney+'s new original series 'Made in Korea 2' on September 9.

In Season 1, Hyun Bin portrayed Baek Ki-tae, a section chief at the Korean Central Intelligence Agency who chased wealth and power by treating the nation as a profit model, vividly depicting his unrestrained ambition and cool competitive nature. In the new season, he will deliver even deeper acting as Baek Ki-tae, who has maintained a dangerous double life for nine years and risen to become the Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, second in rank within the organization. Amidst a newly reorganized power order and a precarious balancing act to gain more powerful strength, Hyun Bin is expected to express with high density Baek Ki-tae's unstoppable trajectory and growing desires.

Meanwhile, Son Ye-jin will meet the public with an intriguing work that remakes the 2003 film 'Scandal - The Love of a Korean Man and Woman'. This is being reborn as Netflix's new original series titled 'Scandal' for global OTT platforms.

In the drama, Son Ye-jin plays the role of Lady Jo, originally portrayed by Jeon Do-yeon in the film. Lady Jo possesses exceptional talent and charm but fights against the historical reality of being born as a woman in the Joseon Dynasty, unable to do anything, while secretly engaging in a love wager behind the scenes.

'Scandal' depicts the reckless and dangerous love wager between Son Ye-jin and Ji Chang-wook (playing Jo Won), Korea's greatest lover, along with the story of a woman named Nana (played by Hee-yeon) entangled in that wager. The direction and screenplay are handled by director Jung Ji-woo, known for the 2019 film 'Yoo-yeol's Music Album'.

Shin Min-a, after achieving box office success with the thriller film 'Pupil', which was released in June this year, is launching an ultra-fast comeback. 'Pupil' broke through 1.54 million viewers thanks to a viral word-of-mouth phenomenon.

Having earned the title of 'Thriller Queen', Shin Min-a is returning as a 'Romance Goddess' and continuing her breathless activities. In particular, her next project is not a simple romance but the fantasy epic 'The Remarried Empress', which has captured all of fans' expectations. This is because it is reported to be the largest-scale production in terms of budget among Korean dramas scheduled for release in 2026.

'The Remarried Empress', boldly released by Disney+, is a series adaptation of a legendary IP of the same name that sparked a global phenomenon, based on a webtoon that recorded 2.97 billion cumulative views globally (as of July 2026). In the drama, Shin Min-a transforms into Navi, the perfect empress of the Great Empire, hinting at a significant character evolution. Navi is a character who never collapses even in the face of monumental trials such as her husband's betrayal and divorce, instead forging a new path for her independent life and destiny. With Shin Min-a's unique elegant charisma, she is expected to portray Navi's dignity and leadership with high synchronization.

'The Remarried Empress' tells the story of Navi being notified of divorce by Emperor Soviech (played by Ju Ji-hoon), who has fallen for the runaway slave Rasta (played by Lee Se-young), and her demanding remarriage approval with Prince Heinrey of the Western Kingdom (played by Lee Jong-suk) in exchange for accepting it. It is scheduled to be released on Disney+ this autumn.

Kim Woo-bin, too, will take an interesting step into a different genre this autumn. He has confirmed his appearance in tvN's 'Gift', taking on a challenge in the sports drama genre.

'Gift' tells the story of a former professional baseball pitching coach who gains special abilities after an unexpected accident and is appointed as the coach of a high school baseball team ranked last nationwide. It is based on the webtoon of the same name by author Jeong I-ri-ri, which has been popularly serialized on Kakao Webtoon.

In the drama, Kim Woo-bin plays the role of Jung Min-yong, a former professional baseball pitching coach. He gains a special ability to instantly recognize people's baseball talents. After leaving the professional stage, he is appointed as the coach of a high school baseball team ranked last nationwide and sets out on new challenges by changing the team in his own way.

tvN stated, "Kim Woo-bin will persuasively portray Jung Min-yong's growth alongside players while constantly reflecting on talent versus effort," raising expectations.

'Gift' can be seen in the second half of this year.

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*This content was translated by AI.