Actors joining politics usually create mixed reactions among people and debates are pretty common in politics, especially among former actors joining politics. Some say, because of their underlying popularity, people are willing to listen to them and cast a vote for them. And if they have good ideas and genuine interest, they can perform well.
While according to others, many actors are not politically aware of stuff and can quickly stir up fatal controversies or problems. They will just be voted based on their popularity. South Korea is quite known for its strong foundation of leaders, making it the 4th largest economy in Asia. And it is not so common for actors to opt for politics but some famous and renowned actors did join politics in South Korea.
1. Moon Sung Keun
Moon Sung Keun is a famous name both in politics and acting. He first made his acting debut in 1985 and film debut in 1990. His acting career was successful and he won 3 Blue Dragon Film Awards, Baeksang Arts Awards, and Chunsa Film Award twice.
He made his political debut in 2009 when he was assigned the temporary chairman of the Democratic United Party.
2. Jasmine Bacurnay Lee
Jasmine Bacurnay Lee, a South Korean television personality, actress, and politician is the first Filipina and naturalized Korean to become a lawmaker.
As an actress, she has been active since the early 2000s. She was elected as the representative in South Korea’s national assembly in 2012 by the Saenuri Party. Later she was excluded from the Saenuri Party and is currently active as a member of the Justice Party.
She had to face a lot of criticism from people because she was not a TRUE Korean.
3. Shin Seong Il
Shin Seong Il was a famous South Korean actor, director, film producer, and politician. He was a renowned name in Korea’s entertainment industry, with 500 films over 40 years.
Native Korean people say that without knowing or understanding shin Seong il, it is pretty challenging to grasp the Korean film industry and cultural history of modernization.
Shin Seong Il died in 2018 because of cancer.
4. Choi Jong-Won
Choi Jong-won is a south Korean actor cum politician. He began his acting career in theatre and later made his silver screen debut in 1978. He won the best supporting actor for his Joseon-era period drama, THE ETERNAL EMPIRE, in 1995. He made his first political appearance in 2004 in the 17th National Assembly election, where he lost.
He again, in 2010, ran for the 18th National Assembly election, where he won. He was then appointed as the head of DP’s Gangwon Provincial chapters.
5. Lee Nak Hoon
Lee was a South Korean actor starring in more than 800 dramas and 80 plays. He was a well-known figure in Korea and was also renowned for his acting skills.
He translated the famous American television series, 6 Million Dollar man and Columbo, for the general public of Korea. He served as a member of the National Assembly from 1981 to 1985. Lee later died of diabetes and heart disease in the year 1998.
6. Oh Shin Hwan
This former actor and politician of South Korea made his acting debut in 1989. Oh had been into acting since his university days and appeared in the drama Ride Together. Before starting his political journey, he was appointed as the director of the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture.
He made his political appearance in 2006, joining the GNP, now Liberty Korea Party. He ran as a Seoul Metropolitan Council member at the local election, where he won with an approx. of 44% votes.
Later he got tangled up in various controversies and scandals after leaving GNP and was suspended.
7. Yu In-Chon
A South Korean actor and former minister, Yu In-chon was born in 1951 and started his acting profession as a TV actor. His fondness for acting made him found the You Theatre in the Gangnam area of Seoul.
Yu was appointed as a minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and dealt with the area of tourism, culture, arts, and sports.
8. Lee Chang Dong
Famous film director, actor, novelist, and politician Lee Chang-dong was born in Daegu in a noble cast old Korean family.
He mainly rose to fame because of his direction in some excellent movies. He served in the office of the Ministry of Culture from 2003 to 2004. Due to some vague underlying politics, he boycotted and refused to attend the Blue Dragon film awards since 2002. For almost a decade, Lee remained blocklisted, until 2017.
9. Kim Eul-Dong
Kim Eul-dong is a former actress and politician in South Korea. She is the daughter of Korean mobster Kim Du-hang and the mother of actor Song il gook.
She was the female chairperson of the Saenuri Party and the 18th and 19th members of the National Assembly. In 2016, however, she failed to get elected as an assembly member of the National Assembly.
10. Yeonmi Park
Yeonmi Park is a North Korean defector and activist currently residing in South Korea. She fled from North Korea along with her mother and was later reunited with her sister.
Since she fled from the North, she’s been vocal about her life back in the North. She volunteers for various activities and is a member of LiNK. She even is a well-known figurine for various political matters regarding the disputes between South and North Korea, and also is a famous TV show personality and owns a YouTube channel with over 950k subscribers.
