Former H.O.T Member Kangta to Play the Emperor in New Chinese Drama

Former H.O.T member Kangta has been cast as the leading role for new Chinese drama “Jae Kum.” In this historical show, Kangta plays the emperor of ancient China, becoming the first foreign artist to ever land an emperor’s role in a Chinese TV drama.

“Jae Kum” is a TV adaptation of popular Chinese novel written by Mok Bi under the same title. It is about the power struggle and love/revenge relationships between the old and new royal families in ancient China. The show is already attracting a lot of attention for starring popular actors from both Korea and China including Xi Yeom Bi, Jung Yuk Dong, Jang Chun, and Lee Tae Ran. Meanwhile, Kangta is expected to stay in the Chinese city of Wuxi for the show’s filming.

Kangta was the lead singer for old school boy band H.O.T until it disbanded in 2001. He’s also an established songwriter as he’s done work with NRG and Fly To the Sky in the past. His acting career started in 2004 when he appeared in the Chinese drama called “Magic Touch of Fate” with Taiwanese actors Ruby Lin and Alec Su. His second Chinese drama “Love in the City 2” was also a big hit, making Kangta one of the most popular K-Pop artists to work in China. Reflecting his massive popularity there, Kangta was selected as the only foreigner to run in the torch relay for the 16^th Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games last November.