Actors With Impressive Reporter Roles: Son Seok-gu, Shim Eun-kyung, Son Ye-jin & Jin Ki-joo
These actors drew keen attention and achieved great success with their transformations into righteous news reporters
Son Seok-gu
In the new movie “Troll Factory” (directed by Ahn Kook-jin), which was released on March 27th, actor Son Seok-gu played Lim Sang-jin, a social media reporter who is suspended from work after publishing an article exposing a large company. “Troll Factory” is a crime thriller that begins when a mysterious informant appears in front of reporter Sang-jin, who identifies himself as the person who takes the lead in manipulating public opinion.
At the press conference for “Troll Factory”, Son Seok-gu expressed his thoughts about playing the role of a reporter, saying “I had a chance to think about the job of being a reporter again. Reporters who work while enduring such weight and keep a great sense of responsibility are so admirable”. He continued, “I acted thinking about how I could look like a real reporter. I didn’t want to be seen as a selfish reporter who only focuses on proving himself.”
Shim Eun-kyung
Actress Shim Eun-kyung has continued her acting career since she moved to Japan after the 2018 film “The Princess and the Matchmaker”. In 2019, she won Best Actress at the 43rd Japanese Academy Awards with her role in the movie “The Journalist” directed by Michihito Fujii. “The Journalist” is a suspense drama that takes place amid the flood of fake news surrounding the mysterious suicide of a high-ranking official and the appearance of an anonymous informant who knows shocking details of the incident.
In this movie, Shim Eun-kyung played Erika Yoshioka, a social media reporter from Tokyo News. Director Michihito Fujii revealed that the setting of Erika Yoshioka was a mixed-race reporter who was born to a Japanese father and a Korean mother in consideration of Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung.
Son Ye-jin
Son Ye-jin took on the role of Seo Woo-jin, a reporter with 3 years of experience, in MBC’s drama “Spotlight”, which aired in 2008. “Spotlight” was the first drama in the late 2000s to depict the world of reporters at a broadcasting station.
As Seo Woo-jin, Son Ye-jin portrayed an active character who solves cases from her perspective of a reporter without caring about the powerful forces. Seo Woo-jin keeps reporting stories in the news and proving her spirit even when facing life-threatening situations. By mentioning various sensitive topics, “Spotlight” earned favorable reviews as a brave attempt by the production team.
Jin Ki-joo (former reporter)
Actress Jin Ki-joo graduated from the Department of Newspaper and Broadcasting at Chung Ang University and even prepared for a press exam before her debut. She became a G1 Broadcasting Gangwon Minbang reporter in 2014 and gathered much experience working as a reporter. However, she entered the entertainment industry after boldly giving up the reporter career to challenge her dream of becoming an actress.
After that, Jin Ki-joo drew attention by playing the role Han Ji-won, a social media reporter-turned-news anchor in JTBC’s 2018 drama “Misty”. In an interview after the drama ended, the actress said, “I stopped working as a reporter after only 2-3 weeks. With my bold personality, I couldn’t do it. At that time. I was at a crossroads. I believed that If I failed to make a decision there, I would regret it 10 years later”, confessing her worries before making acting debut.
