Shin was an athletics major at
Yonsei University before starting a career in modeling and acting in 1989. His film debut came in director
Im Kwon-taek's
Son of a General series, set during
Japanese occupation in the 1920s. He continued working with Im until the mid '90s and also acted in
Hwa-Om-Kyung,
Jang Sun-woo's award-winning film based on the
Avatamsaka Sutra. In recent years Shin has turned more towards popular cinema, finding his greatest success in fantasy/sci-fi works such as
The Gingko Bed,
The Soul Guardians, and the Korean-Chinese co-production
Bichunmoo, as well as gangster comedies
Marrying the Mafia II and
Guns & Talks. In one of his most iconic roles, Shin played a 40-year-old
marathon runner with the mental faculties of an 8-year-old boy in
Barefoot Ki-bong. A devout
Christian, he published a photo-essay book ''Shin Hyun-joon's Confessions
in 2008, which documented his personal insights into life and faith. The first printing sold out in two days, and the book was also released in China and Japan. Confessions'' contained a foreword from Hong Kong star
Jackie Chan as well as religious testimonies from other Korean celebrities such as
Choi Ji-woo,
Kim Won-hee and Nam Hee-seok. He is also known for his missionary work, volunteer work, and charitable endeavors. In addition to his work as an actor, Shin currently hosts the entertainment news program
Entertainment Weekly on
KBS2, the ''
KBS Nine O'Clock News segment KBS Entertainment 925
on KBS1, and the Channel A talk show Show King''. He has written two
children's books:
Aladdin and the Magic Lamp (2012) and
Clown with Smiles and Tears (2013). He has also been an acting professor at
Induk University since March 2010. Shin established the production company HJ Film and is the
CEO of 3J Cosmetics. ==Personal life==