1998 South Korean romance drama film “Christmas in August” was a heart-warming movie that subtly showed some significance. This movie portrayed complex human emotions easily and elegantly, so that you definitely feel something strongly.
Hur Jin-ho directed this classic romantic movie, and Han Suk-kyu and Shim Eun-ha made a great pair in this film. Christmas in August was released on January 24, 1998, but how much it earned at the box office hadn’t been revealed by the production company.
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This movie earned numerous accolades from both critics and the audience, including Baeksang Arts Awards, Blue Dragon Film Awards, Director’s Cut Awards, and Grand Bell Awards.
Christmas in Augus (1998) Cast Then And Now 2022
Han Suk-kyu – played Jung-won
One of the leading actors in the South Korean entertainment industry, Han Suk-kyu, played the role of Jung-won in the movie Christmas in August. Suk-kyu was 34 years old when he signed on to be cast in this movie.
The lead character, Jung-won, is a photo shop owner and is now 30 years old. After a failed engagement, he meets with Da-rim. But before their romance takes off, Jung-won finds out that he’s going to die soon.
Han Suk-kyu won the 1998 Director’s Cut Awards in the category of Best Actor.
Some major projects of Han Suk-kyu were Shiri (1999), The Scarlet Letter (2004), and The President’s Last Bang (2005).
He was the recipient of the Grand Prize (Daesang) for the historical drama Deep Rooted Tree (2011) and the hit medical drama Dr. Romantic (2016).
Suk-kyu’s most recent project was to reprise his role as Master Kim in Dr. Romantic 2 (2020).=
Shim Eun-ha – played Da-rim
Another lead character, Da-rim, is a traffic cop. She first meets with Jung-won at the photography shop. Though at first she wasn’t interested in him, soon she found herself more attached to him.
Da-rim was portrayed by the 26-year-old Shim Eun-ha and acquired Baeksang Arts Awards, Blue Dragon Film Awards, and Director’s Cut Awards in the category of Best Actress.
For unknown reasons, renowned actress Shim Eun-ha announced her retirement from the show business in the year 2000. Before her retirement, some of her high-rated Korean drama films were The Last Match, Trap of Youth, and Art Museum by the Zoo.
Shim was one of the most beloved and well-known South Korean actresses of that decade, and many fans were heartbroken when she publicly announced her retirement.
Shin Goo played Jung-won’s Father
Supporting character Jung-won’s father was performed by South Korean elderly actor Shin Goo. He was 62 years old at that time.
The 30-year-old Jung-won lives with his relatives, along with his father and his sister, and her husband and child.
Shin Goo has appeared both in television series and films, including Natural City (2003), Going by the Book (2007), Forbidden Dream (2019), War of Money: The Original (2008), and Taxi Driver (2021).
Shin’s acting career was quite complementary and won several awards for outstanding acting skills, including the Achievement Award at the 2001 SBS Drama Awards, the 2006 43rd Grand Bell, and the 2010 3rd Korea Theater Awards.
Shin Goo is currently 86 years old and busy doing his upcoming projects.
Lee Han-wi – played Chul-goo
Lee Han-wi starred as one of Jung-won’s close friends named Chul-goo in the movie Christmas in August. He was 37 years old back then.
Jung-won has a close friend named Chul-goo, and he confesses his death to him when they are both drunk.
At 61 years old, South Korean actor Lee Han-wi is one of the most prominent supporting actors in both film and television. Furthermore, Han-wi rose to prominence for his mastery of ad-libbing.
His most recent web series was Kiss Sixth Sense, where he played the role of Oh Kyung-soo. This series premiered on Disney+ in 2022.
Lee Han-wi achieved the 2006 KBS Drama Awards, the 2007 6th Korean Film Awards, and the 2021 8th Wildflower Film Awards in the category of Best Supporting Actor.
Oh Ji-hye – played Jung-sook
Jung-sook, sister of the main character, Jung-won, was portrayed by Oh Ji-hye. Jung-won is 30 years old and lives with his sister Jung-sook and her husband and child.
This South Korean actress has done numerous movies and TV series in her acting career, including Short Time (2005), Breathless (2009), Spirits’ Homecoming, Unfinished Story (2017), and On the Way to the Airport (2016).
Oh Ji-hye’s recent project was featured as one of the judges for episode 16 of the Netflix hit series titled Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
Jeon Mi-seon – played Ji-won
In the film Christmas in August, Jeon Mi-seon played one of the supporting characters, Ji-won.
Mi-soon was a 28-year-old aspiring actress at that time.
Jeon Mi-seon is mostly popular in the entertainment industry as a supporting actress in films and TV series like Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) and Hide and Seek (2013). However, in 2005, she played the lead role in the movie Love is a Crazy Thing.
Mi-seon is no longer with us. She was found dead, hanging at Jeonju’s hotel on June 29, 2019, at the age of 48. Furthermore, police described this case as a suicide.
Fans described Christmas in August as one of the classic romantic movies of South Korea. The plot concept is amazing. The pairing of Han Suk-kyu and Shim Eun-ha was indeed great. They definitely brought the feels to the story. A simple yet very sophisticated and excellent film that you can watch on weekends with friends and family.