Shin Ha-kyun first trained as a stage actor at the Seoul Institute of the Arts before going on to act in a large number of plays by Jang Jin. When in 1998 Jang Jin directed his first movie The Happenings, Shin was cast and he has since appeared in almost all of Jang's feature films. Impressed by his acting abilities, Director Kim Jee-woon also cast him in minor roles in The Foul King and his 30-minute internet film Coming Out.
Shin first became a superstar with his role as a young North Korean soldier in Park Chan-wook's smash hit Joint Security Area in late 2000. At that time he developed a large fan following which, together that of co-star Won Bin, helped make his next film Guns & Talks a strong commercial hit.
Primarily a film actor, Shin had previously done only one TV series, 2003's Good Person on MBC. But in 2010 he returned to television in the quirky mystery Harvest Villa which aired on cable channel tvN. Then in the 2011 medical drama Brain, his portrayal of a cold, ambitious neurosurgeon brought him to new heights of mainstream popularity, and he later won the Grand Prize ("Daesang") at the KBS Drama Awards.
In 2013, Shin headlined the romantic comedy series All About My Romance about two legislators from rival political parties who fall in love, followed by the high-profile action film Running Man about an ordinary man forced to become a fugitive after he gets framed for murder.
He then played a septuagenarian whose body magically reverts to his thirties in the 2014 comedy series Mr. Back. Shin next gave a villainous turn as an evil mastermind game planner in the action-thriller Big Match. In 2015, he headlined his first period film with Empire of Lust, playing a distinguished admiral of the recently established Joseon empire.
In 2016, Shin starred in the police procedural crime drama Piped Piper (2016), playing a negotiator. He then starred in the comedy film Detour, followed with mystery thriller Room No.7. He also played a supporting role in the action film The Villainess co-starring Kim Ok-bin.
In 2018, Shin starred in the romantic comedy film What a Man Wants.
