Boys Over Flowers’ Kim Hyun Joong: once the public’s ideal man, still handsome at 36 years old

This actor used to be even more famous than Lee Min Ho, but his scandal-filled career is regrettable. 

When it was released back in 2009, the K-drama “Boys Over Flowers” were all the rage in Asia, boosting various cast members to stardom and earning them numerous CF and acting offers. At the time, despite playing the male lead of the drama, Lee Min Ho was greatly overwhelmed by Kim Hyun Joong, who played the second male lead. Compared to the arrogant role of Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong’s character was way more gentle, and thus earned great love from K-drama watchers.

Having debuted in the famous Kpop group SS501 and earning great attention via “Boys Over Flowers”, Kim Hyun Joong once led an admirable career with outstanding fame all across Asia. He then starred as the male lead of the 2010 series “Playful Kiss”, which did not record high viewership ratings, but was still well-known in other parts of Asia. 

However, the idol-actor stumbled into a serious scandal right at the peak of his career. In particular, in 2014, Kim Hyun Joong was accused of physically abusing his girlfriend, leading to a series of suings, claims, and an unwanted child. The supreme court ruled in favor of Kim Hyun Joong in 2020, but the damage was done, and the idol-actor’s career has been on a downfall. 

After the issue in 2014, Kim Hyun Joong mostly releases music in Korea and Japan, occasionally holding fan meetings. He did score a leading role in the K-drama “When Time Stopped” in 2018, but the series failed miserably with ratings as low as 0.1%. 

At the moment, Kim Hyun Joong has somewhat salvaged his image thanks to his action of saving a person’s life. The actor still boasts outstanding visuals at the age of 36, and would often post photos of himself and his works on SNS. Still, his fame of the olden days simply cannot be recovered. 

Source: K14