Netflix's latest hit k-drama is a journey into the violent world of money-lending loan sharks, balancing intense fight choreography with a surprisingly sweet bromance. Based on the webcomic Sanyanggaedeul by Jung Chan, Bloodhounds takes place at the height of the COVID pandemic in Seoul. Rising boxers Gun-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi) team up to take down the corrupt loan company that tricked Gun-woo's mom into signing up for a predatory loan.
In addition to Netflix Korean TV show alums Woo and Lee as the lead duo, Bloodhounds' all-star cast includes prolific actors and legends of Korean film. Read on to learn more about the familiar faces from the series.
Woo Do-hwan as Kim Gun-woo
Gun-woo is a rising young boxer who uses his prize money and earnings from several part-time jobs to help out his mother, who’s struggling to keep her coffee shop afloat in the midst of COVID. His boxing dreams are put on hold when his mother signs a contract with a predatory loan shark.
Woo is a rising actor who's best known for his roles in the dramas The King: Eternal Monarch, Save Me, Tempted, Mad Dog, and Joseon Attorney: A Morality. In 2021, he won Korea's Golden Cinema Festival’s best new actor award for his role in the film The Divine Fury.
Instagram: @wdohwan
Lee Sang-yi as Hong Woo-jin
Woo-jin is a fellow boxer living in the shadow of his Olympic bronze medalist dad. Though he's initially sore about losing to rookie Gun-woo, the two ex-marines quickly become friends. Woo-jin's past history working for loan sharks comes in handy when he and Gun-woo decide to take a stand against Myeong-gil.
Lee has appeared in several hit dramas, including Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Crash Course in Romance, Youth of May, and When the Camellia Blooms He's also a member of the Korean project group MSG Wannabe.
Instagram: @leesangyi_
Park Sung-woong as Kim Myeong-gil
Villainous loan shark Myeong-gil grew his own formidable business after Tae-ho's injury. Now his ironically-named company Smile Capital exploits the same people that Tae-ho seeks to help, while expanding his cons to even target chaebol heirs and government officials.
Park is a prolific film and television actor who originally studied law to please his father. His decades-long career has included roles in the dramas Rugal, Life on Mars, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, and Unlock My Boss. He's next set to appear in the late-summer drama National Death Penalty Vote.
Huh Joon-Ho as Choi Tae-ho
Tae-ho is a former loan shark who now who gives zero-interest loans to sick people who can’t afford treatment. Paralyzed from the waist down during a long-ago fight with Myeong-gil, he now worries about the safety of his adopted granddaughter, Hyeon-ju, who’s been investigating a large-scale scam targeting houseless people. Tae-ho recruits Gun-woo and Woo-jin as her bodyguards.
Huh—son of the well-known Korean actor Heo Jang-kang—has built a prolific career as a character actor across film, television, and musical theater. The most well-known projects among his extensive list of credits include the drama series Kingdom and Missing: The Other Side, as well as the films The Divine Weapon, Hwasango, Silmido, and Escape from Mogadishu.
Instagram: @huhjh_jcw
Kim Sae-ron as Kim Hyeon-ju
Tae-ho's adoptive daughter Hyeon-ju is played by Kim. The 22-year-old first debuted as a child actress at age 9 in the film A Brand New Life, and soon won Best New Actress at the 8th Korean Film Awards for her role in The Man From Nowhere. She has also appeared in the dramas Listen to My Heart, The Queen's Classroom, Secret Healer, and The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim.
Instagram: @ron_sae
Choi Si-won as Hong Min-beom
Min-beom is the son of a wealthy family, whose goal to own a hotel of his own comes crashing down when the pandemic hits. That is, until Myeong-gil steps in to provide financial backing.
Choi is a member of the K-pop group Super Junior. He has appeared in previous dramas including She Was Pretty, Revolutionary Love, Love Is For Suckers, and Work Later, Drink Now.
Yun Yoo-sun as Yoon So-yeon
Gun-woo's kind mother is played by Yun, who began her career as a child actress in 1975 and continues to work in film and dramas. She's best known for playing mothers in several hit dramas, including Save Me, Rain or Shine, Abyss, Yumi's Cells, Tomorrow, and Welcome to Wedding Hell.
Instagram: @yusun_17
Ryu Soo-young as Lee Doo-young
Choi's former lieutenant Doo-young is played by Ryu, an actor and model who made his debut in the early 2000s. He's best known for his roles in the dramas Seoul 1945, Ojakgyo Brothers, Two Weeks, My Father Is Strange, and Nice Witch. He also made his Netflix debut earlier this year, playing mayoral candidate Baek Jae-min in Queenmaker.
Instagram: @suyoung_ryu
Tae Won-seok as Kang In-beom
Myeong-gil's muscular henchman (left) is played by Tae, who made his acting debut in 2010. He's since starred in the dramas Player and Private Lives, and has appeared in guest roles in shows including The K2, Suspicious Partner, Prison Playbook, Sisyphus: The Myth, Glitch, and Under the Queen's Umbrella.
Instagram: @tae_won_seok
