Hyun Bin Apologizes for 'Sam-sik's Junk Car' Controversy

Hyun Bin recently addressed the controversy surrounding his character in the remastered version of the iconic drama 'My Name is Kim Sam-soon' during an interview on December 19, held at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, to celebrate the release of his new film 'Harbin'. The drama, which aired in 2005, became a cultural phenomenon, achieving over 50% peak viewership ratings and an average of 36.9%, leading to the 'Sam-soon Syndrome' across the nation. Kim Sun-ah won the prestigious Grand Prize at the MBC Acting Awards that year, while Hyun Bin's popularity soared as he was affectionately nicknamed 'Sam-sik'.

In 'My Name is Kim Sam-soon', Hyun Bin portrays Hyun Jin-heon, a 27-year-old owner of a French restaurant who appears to be the perfect man—handsome, wealthy, and successful. However, his character is also known for his emotional volatility and tendency to throw objects when angry, prioritizing his feelings over others and occasionally displaying excessive aggression towards the female lead.

As the years have passed, viewers have begun to refer to Hyun Jin-heon as 'Sam-sik's junk car', with comments suggesting that the once-charming character has become a disappointment. The production team even expressed concern about this character when re-editing the series into an eight-part format.

In response to the backlash, Hyun Bin admitted, 'I haven't seen the remastered version of 'My Name is Kim Sam-soon' yet. I heard about the 'Sam-sik's junk car' theory, and I apologize for that. I was just faithful to the script; there were no personal opinions involved. After all, it was 20 years ago.' His candid apology brought laughter during the interview.

Reflecting on his extensive filmography, Hyun Bin expressed gratitude for the opportunities he has had to work with talented writers, directors, and fellow actors, stating, 'It's a wonderful and thankful thing. Fortunately, the projects I've worked on have received love and attention from many people, and I appreciate that. You never know when such opportunities will come again.'

The film 'Harbin', directed by Woo Min-ho and distributed by CJ ENM, is set in 1909 and follows a thrilling chase filled with tension and suspicion between those heading to Harbin for a common purpose and those pursuing them. In 'Harbin', Hyun Bin delivers a powerful performance as Ahn Jung-geun, a general who assassinated Ito Hirobumi. The film, produced by Hive Media Corp, known for 'Seoul's Spring' and 'The Outlaws', is set to be released on December 25, featuring a star-studded cast including Park Jung-min, Jeon Yeo-been, Park Hoon, Lee Dong-wook, and Jo Woo-jin.