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Actor Hong Ki-joon steps into the role of Pyo Seong-il, the steely, charismatic head of the violent-crimes unit in the drama Siren, and has quickly become a focal point for viewers.
Hong, long known for portraying gritty, rough-edged characters living on society’s margins—roles that could be vicious or unsettling in titles such as Casino, In a Forest Without Anyone, and Pine—has reinvented himself in Siren as an elite-born detective captain. The shift reveals a new facet of his craft and injects fresh energy into the series.
▲ 'Evidence-first' Pyo Seong-il's poker face... and the subtle torment beneath
In the first released stills, Hong directs the scene in a crisp blue jacket and black T-shirt. Throughout investigations, he delivers a razor-sharp gaze and an unflinching poker face that distill Pyo Seong-il’s personality.
A character who privileges data and evidence over emotion, Pyo conveys intense tension through the smallest facial shifts. Hong’s controlled performance invites viewers to probe the hidden turmoil beneath that composed exterior.
▲ The tragedy from a decade ago: the confrontation with Cha Woo-seok
Central to the drama is the fraught rivalry between Pyo Seong-il and former detective Cha Woo-seok (played by Wi Ha-joon). Once like family as senior and junior partners, their relationship ruptured after Cha’s sister, Cha Woo-hee, died in what was staged as an accident—her boyfriend, who had engineered an insurance fraud, walked free due to insufficient evidence.
Pyo was the detective in charge of that case. The fallout drove Cha out of the force and left the two men in an uneasy, estranged relationship.
In every scene opposite Wi Ha-joon, Hong sharpens his expression and gaze to amplify the rivalry, delivering a performance that chills the air and conveys years of unresolved resentment.
Hong’s portrayal shows a man who has buried a painful past and channels that pain into an obsessive focus on cases. He fully inhabits the role’s complex emotional arc, lending the series considerable dramatic weight.
▲ The pull of a 'must-watch' actor: anchoring investigations in Siren
A dependable presence across genres, Hong demonstrates an even more refined range in Siren. His penetrating looks cut to the core of each case, and his measured delivery—subduing opponents without overt displays of feeling—drives the narrative and heightens realism. Viewers have praised the role’s authenticity and the show’s immersive pull.
After the Kim Yoon-ji murder case draws him back into Wi Ha-joon’s orbit, the two find themselves cooperating in a partnership that is hardly straightforward. Audiences are eager to see whether this uneasy collaboration will allow Hong’s character to resolve the past with Cha—or only deepen their wounds.
[Sports Today reporter Song Oh-jeong ent@stoo.com]
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