Member J.J. Hayden Posted October 21, 2022 Member Share Posted October 21, 2022 (edited) I've been taking it a bit easy after burning out earlier in the year, too much Korean stuff, LOL. But I'm back at it but pacing myself a bit more. So while I'm working on some stuff, here's an interesting subject I'd noted: People being mistaken for Won Jin "The Scorpion King". So many sites, especially KMDB have mixed up Won Jin's credits. Here I'll list the usual suspects of FAKE Won Jin's, LOL. #1 is the one that throws a lot of people off (including but not limited to HKMDB). Kim Won-jin 김원진 (aka Jin Yuan-zhen 金元珍) Her only known credit is as the love interest of Jeong Jin-hwa (aka Elton Chong) in The Undertaker Of Sohwa Province 1983. Due to the style of film and the date it's not too hard to see why there's been a mix up with WJ. Edited October 21, 2022 by J.J. Hayden 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted October 21, 2022 Member Share Posted October 21, 2022 #2 is another one which is more understandable when it comes to mix up's with Won Jin, that are actually still happening to this day with this guy. Kim Won-jin 김원진 He is a martial artist. action director and a regular member of the highly successful Korean stunt team BEST Stunt Team. They have even worked on some projects together which can cause even more confusion. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted October 21, 2022 Member Share Posted October 21, 2022 (edited) #3 is down to the fact that they now share the stage name Won Jin 원진 which is both men's given name(s) rather than involving family names. Won Jin 원진 (aka Ham Won-jin 함원진) Starting out as a child actor under the name Ham Won-jin, he is better known as Won Jin as a member of the K-pop group Cravity. Edited October 21, 2022 by J.J. Hayden 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted October 21, 2022 Member Share Posted October 21, 2022 (edited) #4 is similar but the stage name is the 1st and 3rd name particles of the real name and the English style of name arrangement is in play here too. Jin Won 진원 (aka Jin Dae-won 진대원) Similar to Ham Won-jin, he started his acting career as a child and seemingly left the industry after only a few films, he has however returned in the last few years. Edited October 21, 2022 by J.J. Hayden 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted October 21, 2022 Member Share Posted October 21, 2022 #5 is another with the same full name as Won Jin, but WJ pretty much always uses his stage name, out of all of his works I've only seen his full name on two films. Kim Won-jin 김원진 Another regular actor that has had steady film work in Korea. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted October 21, 2022 Member Share Posted October 21, 2022 #6 lastly is a rare one, but I've seen it happen on some sites. Won Jin-ah 원진아 Yes, I saw Won Jin mixed up with beautiful Korean starlet Won Jin-ah. There are other people with the same or similar names, as Kim, Won and Jin are all very common Korean names but I've not noticed any more mix ups....yet!!! That's the lot, hope some find this informative. Cheers 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted October 21, 2022 Member Share Posted October 21, 2022 So that's why google kept annoying me with all these photos of female actresses and K-pop stars when I searched for Kim Won-Jin's pics the other day. Thanks for sorting out the mess. Speaking of Won Jin's pics, any good production stills or lobby cards for Operation Scorpio? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted October 21, 2022 Member Share Posted October 21, 2022 2 hours ago, Super Ninja said: Speaking of Won Jin's pics, any good production stills or lobby cards for Operation Scorpio? Sort of..... I have a few Korean news articles that feature some stills and behind the scenes pics from Operation Scorpio, but I still haven't found a way to translate them yet. I may have to bite the bullet and do it myself, but that's gonna take forever and a lot could be lost in translation, rather than having a native Korean speaker read it. But I do have this interesting publicity still: As you can see it is a scene that never happens in the actual movie, but is taken at the same location as the opening dream sequence. Won Jin never fought Frankie Chan Chi-leung, while wearing his gold shirt and Frankie in his shorts. Also note in the to right corner Korean title Gasa Wang = Scorpion King. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted October 21, 2022 Member Share Posted October 21, 2022 Forgot to post this here too. HK stuntman Derek Cheung Chi-chuen was the unfortunate man who doubled Won Jin for one particularly nasty stunt on Operation Scorpio. Although WJ did most of his own stunts, but luckily (for him at least) Derek did the stunt in his place and burst his kidney, forcing him to be hospitalised and refraining from stuntwork for about 9 months. I couldn't make a clip from the "Heromakers" interview with the subs for some reason, so I took some screenshots of some important text. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted October 21, 2022 Member Share Posted October 21, 2022 5 hours ago, J.J. Hayden said: Sort of..... I have a few Korean news articles that feature some stills and behind the scenes pics from Operation Scorpio, but I still haven't found a way to translate them yet. I may have to bite the bullet and do it myself, but that's gonna take forever and a lot could be lost in translation, rather than having a native Korean speaker read it. But I do have this interesting publicity still: As you can see it is a scene that never happens in the actual movie, but is taken at the same location as the opening dream sequence. Won Jin never fought Frankie Chan Chi-leung, while wearing his gold shirt and Frankie in his shorts. Also note in the to right corner Korean title Gasa Wang = Scorpion King. It's pretty much the same as the Chinese version: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted October 21, 2022 Member Share Posted October 21, 2022 41 minutes ago, Super Ninja said: It's pretty much the same as the Chinese version Yes, quite similar it seems. It's a cool set. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted November 11, 2022 Member Share Posted November 11, 2022 Thanks to @Super Ninja's link and a helpful YT commenter. It turns out that Tekken's Lei Wu-long once again copies a technique from Won Jin: this time the spinning hook kick followed by a jumping double spinning hook kick (or whatever the hell you'd call it, LOL) which they have called "Turbulent Wind". It apparently debuted in Tekken 5, I missed 5,6 and didn't play much of 7, so it escaped my notice. It's more clear than ever that someone at Namco is a Won Jin fan. Cheers Tekken 5 Turbulent Wind.mp4 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted November 11, 2022 Member Share Posted November 11, 2022 Just watch Season 2 (I'd hardly call 40mins a season but anyway), which actually came out in July. It was fine for what it is, but I must say I was disappointed. There had been talk of Won Jin having a larger role in the films making and that there'd actually be some fight scenes, but if there are I missed them because I didn't see any action and in the credits Won Jin is listed under special thanks rather than stunts or action director. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted December 2, 2022 Member Share Posted December 2, 2022 (edited) I've been very busy for the last two weeks (and have made a pleasing amount of progress) with research, but for a break I thought I'd check again on the new Won Jin projects that were in the works. It's not been easy, as it seems info is still sparse, but this seems to be where things stand: I can also confirm that the Kwon Seong-yeong project called "Companion" (which Won Jin worked on and was supposed to make a special appearance in) was apparently finished and released in 2021 and he is now has another project called October 2nd, which covers similar material to the previous film, focussing on the lives of people dealing with the aging process and all the highs and lows that come with it. Although it's the same team, I've seen no indication that Won Jin will be involved this time. Filming began on 3rd July 2021 and was scheduled to take about 3 months, but I've not seen anything about a release date. Edited December 2, 2022 by J.J. Hayden 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted December 2, 2022 Member Share Posted December 2, 2022 Next we have the project titled "Senior Bodyguard". Which Wang Ho (aka Casanova Wong) and Won Jin team up yet again, but this time with director Kim Hyung-jong and producer Kim Jong-ho, who happen to be the same duo presenting Kwon Seong-yeong's latest projects. Filming was finished in May and it is set to release this year (you're cutting it fine, guys). This is exciting, though I've not seen any signs that WJ will be appearing on camera this time (hopefully I'll be surprised). Director Kim Hyung-jong and Wang Ho (aka Casanova Wong) Won Jin [mid] and rising star Bae Jae-hyeon [2nd right] 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted December 2, 2022 Member Share Posted December 2, 2022 The last project I have any hard evidence of is "Boy Kim Doo-han", which was due to begin filming way back on 26th May 2021, due to take about three months filming, finishing in July with an expected release in December. However, due to Korona-chan production kept getting bogged down and an article from October 2021 said that the film was still not finished (if they've shot anything at all). The delays may have caused the project to run into scheduling conflicts as well, as young martial artist Bae Jae-hyeon who was to play the lead role of Kim Doo-han was performing in live theatrical productions of Les Misérables. He's done well for himself on this path and has been promoted to more important roles in the various shows and been presented with a special award. He does however still hope to be a martial arts star and even through he's a growing boy, there's still a chance that the movie is still on the cards (rather than being scrapped) as he seems to be in continued contact with the film's crew. Let's hope this project sees completion and even better, the rise of a bright young action star. Filmstar Bae Jae-hyeon [mid], Action Director Won Jin [3rd right], and Director Kwon Il-soo [2nd right] Cheers 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted January 18, 2023 Member Share Posted January 18, 2023 Here's some more pics I uploaded to IMDB from Duel Of Ultimate Weapons, sharing the screen with fellow Ottugi member Choe Soon-seok. Cheers 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted January 19, 2023 Member Share Posted January 19, 2023 A few more of my IMDB upload. This time Operation Scorpio (aka The Scorpion King). We have Liu Chia-liang making it look easy to block the lightning legs of super-kicker Won Jin. And a nice shot of what has come to be known as the Guyver Kick, even though Won Jin was doing it first (Guyver 2 also borrows some more choreography from Operation Scorpio) I don't have an issue with this name, as it makes it much easier than e.g. jumping spinning back splits kick or something 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted January 24, 2023 Moderator Share Posted January 24, 2023 I caught up with Won Jin last month while I was in Seoul, and he's still as healthy as ever! He spoke briefly about his introduction to martial arts through his father, mentioning how his father used to collect rocks solely for the purpose of conditioning his fists by hitting them, which eventually saw him invited to perform on TV variety shows. While most would break boards (let alone rocks!) with their fist, his fathers hands were conditioned so much that he'd break them with a chop using the side of his palm, which is what he became known for. At this time Won Jin was just a kid and was already practicing martial arts, being particularly skilled with a pair of nunchucks, so he got his first taste of being on camera when his father invited him out during one of his variety TV show appearances to show off some moves with them (he jokingly mentioned that even though his appearance technically made them a double act, they were still only paid for his fathers appearance ). While there was interest to continue these TV appearances unfortunately his father became ill with cancer, and ultimately couldn't continue. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted January 24, 2023 Member Share Posted January 24, 2023 @One Armed Boxer Thanks for sharing, it's always invaluable to get info from The Scorpion King himself. I knew he lost his father in his teens, suspected but couldn't it was cancer: the big C is a cunt. His father had some impressive skills, I wonder why he didn't do some films himself (or maybe he did and we just don't know). During my research I was very impressed by how many of the martial arts actors were hardcore when it came to real life martial arts, doing similar stunt like: breaking rocks (or blocks of ice etc.); breathing fire; flashkicking fruit off swords (while blindfolded!!!); and so on.....those Koreans were the real deal. It's cool that he got to perform with his dad, I know it's probably lost forever, but wouldn't it be great if there was footage of that 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted January 26, 2023 Moderator Share Posted January 26, 2023 On 3/17/2022 at 10:48 PM, J.J. Hayden said: Here's an interesting one I can post, as I can't really link to a film. It may have just been the guys working out, or maybe just hanging out. But you can see Won Jin as the second man in and you can also see another of the all time Korean greats at the back, Kwon Il-soo. Cheers I also got to ask him about this one, and he confirmed it was from a TV show they were working on together. One for our resident Won Jin filmography expert @J.J. Hayden - I recently read @DrNgor's review of 2018's 'Revenger', in which he mentions that T.J. Storm's character is aided by "famous superkickers Kim Won-Jung and Kim Won-Jin, the latter best know for Operation Scoprio." The first thing I thought was, how the hell did I miss that in my own review, but the more I thought about it the more I could swear I never saw him in the movie (nor did he make any mention of working in Indonesia when we caught up). Sure enough both entries for 'Revenger' on the kmdb and Hancinema credit him as appearing (we won't go into IMDB, which has entries for both Won Jin and Kim Won-jin, with overlapping movies for both!), which baffled me even more, but then I thought - wait a minute, I have Netflix, I can just check myself! I watched the scene with T.J. Storm twice (and Bruce Khan's beatdowns that take place just prior to it), and I definitely didn't spot Won Jin anywhere, so it seems likely that a crew member called Kim Won-jin has likely seen him mis-credited as being in the movie. Unless of course, my eyes deceive me, and DrNgor did actually spot him? 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted January 26, 2023 Member Share Posted January 26, 2023 4 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: Unless of course, my eyes deceive me, and DrNgor did actually spot him? LOL, yeah, this is one I got excited about when I first saw Won Jin being in (at the time) a new movie, but you're quite right Won Jin "The Scorpion King" is not in this film and as far as I'm aware had no involvement with it. Who we do have is "the imposter" Kim Won-jin from Best Stunts once again being mixed up with our man WJ, a quick tip for anyone looking for Won Jin stuff, if it's credited to Kim Won-jin rather that just Won Jin, 99% it's this guy, there's only 4 times Won Jin has been credited by his full name and 2 of them don't really count as on the original film prints he's credited as Won Jin and Yuen Jan. Kim Won-jin as one of Sergei's droogs in Revenger [2018] 4 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: I also got to ask him about this one, and he confirmed it was from a TV show they were working on together. I knew it!!! I knew he must've done some TV work, did he give you any titles? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted January 26, 2023 Moderator Share Posted January 26, 2023 1 hour ago, J.J. Hayden said: LOL, yeah, this is one I got excited about when I first saw Won Jin being in (at the time) a new movie, but you're quite right Won Jin "The Scorpion King" is not in this film and as far as I'm aware had no involvement with it. Thanks for confirming, and yes it's a safe assumption that he didn't have any involvement with this one. On 3/19/2021 at 6:11 AM, J.J. Hayden said: Won Jin's lastest role to date is as Gil San a guerrilla soldier in 2019's The Battle Roar To Victory. Unfortunately it is only a side character and he doesn't get to do any martial arts, but it's still nice to see him in front of the camera again, hopefully this trend will continue and perhaps one day we'll get The Scorpion King 2 that we all want. Here's another shot from the same movie which I don't think has been posted before - & since it's Throwback Thursday, here's another shot which I don't think has been posted on the forum before of him with Grandmaster Oh Soo-il from 1972 - 1 hour ago, J.J. Hayden said: I knew he must've done some TV work, did he give you any titles? Apologies but I didn't have the opportunity to ask. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted January 26, 2023 Member Share Posted January 26, 2023 (edited) 26 minutes ago, One Armed Boxer said: Here's another shot from the same movie which I don't think has been posted before - LOL, what an awesome pic, and I'd heard he's shy, what a show-off, funnily enough, I used to do the same thing It's a shame that he didn't do any of this in the movie. 26 minutes ago, One Armed Boxer said: here's another shot which I don't think has been posted on the forum before of him with Grandmaster Oh Soo-il from 1972 Aww, so cute, this is probably the youngest I've ever seen him. It'd be great to see more pics like that, most of my pics from my own MA training are lost forever . I wonder who the other kid is, could it be his brother? So many mysteries with this guy. 26 minutes ago, One Armed Boxer said: Apologies but I didn't have the opportunity to ask. Damn. Well at least I know now it's from TV rather than film, and that he DID do some TV work. Also I know of (if not all) the people in the photo so it gives me something to fish with. Cheers Edited January 26, 2023 by J.J. Hayden 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member J.J. Hayden Posted January 27, 2023 Member Share Posted January 27, 2023 (edited) I've not really ID'd many Koreans for a while, just bogged down with research. But the cool Won Jin photos that @One Armed Boxer kindly shared the other day reminded me of a bts photo from Dreadnaught Rivals [1982] he shared at an earlier date, but I forgot to add an update when I discovered who the other guy was, soz. I had seriously considered the correct person, but it still took a while to confirm, and when you see the later photos you'll understand why and he's not Eddy Ko Hung Our mystery man is actually a very young (and much slimmer) Song Keum-shik, who will no doubt be a familiar face to fans who enjoy the martial arts gangster movies that boomed in Korea during the 90s. Won Jin and Song Keum-shik bts on Dreadnaught Rivals [1982] I can't confirm if he was a founding member of the Ottugi Martial Arts Team, but he was certainly there from the early days. With the exception on Won Jin, he's arguably the most high profile of all the confirmed Ottugi members, which is even more interesting when you consider the fact that he actually quit the film industry in 1984 and concentrated on running a gym. Won Jin and Song Keum-shik in Super Hong Kil-dong 3 [1989] He made his return to the big screen alongside his old teammate Won Jin for the third instalment of the Super Hong Kil-dong series in 1989. He then went on to have a prolific career: making more (made for kids) martial arts movies; (as mentioned earlier) Korean gangster films; and a whole hoard of TV dramas for both SBS and KBS. I hope people found this interesting, it's so satisfying to solve a mystery. Cheers Edited January 27, 2023 by J.J. Hayden 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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