Jin Sun-kyu & Kim Ji-hyun, School of Drama, Cast in Heroes Next Door (2025)

Jin Jin Sun-kyu and Kim Ji-hyun, alumni of the School of Drama, have been cast in Genie TV’s original series, Heroes Next Door (2025).

Heroes Next Door (2025) follows the adventures of members of the JDD Special Operations Unit, who come together to protect their families and neighborhood – despite their lack of interest in defending their country or maintaining global peace. Jin Sun-kyu stars as Kwak Byeong-nam, a former technical soldier and current owner of a hardware and stationery store. Kim Ji-hyun plays Jeong Namyeon, who runs a grocery mart and once worked as a teaching assistant at a vocational college. Their constant bickering throughout the show highlights the strong acting chemistry between the two.

Having both graduated from the School of Drama, Jin and Kim have been close friends for twenty-five years since beginning their acting careers as members of Theater Ganda.

Jin said, “For Kim and me, it’s as sweet as tasting a specialty mango bingsu at a hotel to play these characters. While looking in the mirror in the makeup room, we joked, ‘We’ve come so far as actors. Who would have imagined the success we’ve achieved?’” (closing quotation mark corrected)

Kim added, “We said, we’ve finally met here after enduring so much. We’ve always been close friends, but this is our first time playing partner roles in a project. It felt both awkward and familiar, yet encouraging to exchange feedback on set.”

The drama premieres on November 17 and airs every Monday and Tuesday at 10 p.m. on Genie TV. ENA and Coupang Play serve as the exclusive broadcast platforms.