4 Mega Popular Korean Actors That Got Their Start In The Same Erotic Movie

Very few movies in the Korean industry can boast as star-studded a lineup as The Frozen Flower. But interestingly, most of those current A-listers were starting out in their careers when they worked in the film!

The Frozen Flower is a 2008 historical erotic movie loosely based on the Goryeo ruler, Gongmin of Goryeo (1330–1374). The story is essentially a love triangle between the king, the queen, and the king’s military commander, Hong Rim. The king ordered his wife and Hong Rim, who was also his lover, to engage in sexual intercourse to give the royal family an heir. Initially reluctant, the two comply eventually and end up in a blossoming romantic relationship, which leads to tragic ends.

The film was one of the top 10 most-attended movies in the country in 2008, selling over 3 million tickets. So, which are the hottest names in the Korean entertainment industry that got their careers kickstarted with this controversial project?

Here are the top 4 of them:

1. Song Joong Ki

This is a name that hardly needs any introduction anymore. The K-Drama heartthrob who swept the world off its feet with his recent projects Vincenzo and Reborn Rich actually started his acting career with The Frozen Flower. He played the role of a soldier called No Tak. Song had very few lines in the movie, but he later shared that it was a special experience for him.

I can never forget acting for the first time in front of Jo In Sung sunbaenim, Joo Jin Mo sunbaenim and Director Yoo Ha. My role wasn’t big, but I was really happy when the director would give me lines.

—Song Joong Ki, in an interview with Max Movie

2. Jung Sung Il

After his impressive performance in the Netflix chart-topper, The Glory, Jung’s following has more than doubled in size over just a few months. The revenge thriller might have gotten the “hottest daddy in town” noticed the most, but he also started his acting career with A Frozen Flower in 2008. He played a minor role as the royal guard.

3. Yeo Jin Goo

Most international K-Drama fans might have gotten to know him from Hotel Del Luna, but Yeo Jin Goo had his country wrapped around his little fingers since…well, when he was little. He started his career as a child actor, debuting in 2005 in Sad Movie. He was just 11 years old when he was chosen to play the character of young Hong Rim in A Frozen Flower.

4. Park Sung Hoon

It looks like Yeonjin’s two love interests in The Glory were familiar with each other in real life over a decade ago. Park Sung Hoon debuted as an actor in 2006, and his role as one of the Gunryong corps in A Frozen Flower was one of the earliest projects he worked on.