MANILA, Philippines — The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea appointed actor Hyun Bin as an honorary counterintelligence agent, a position he portrayed in the 2023 film "The Point Men."
The appointment, according to the agency, was to raise public awareness of expanded espionage laws following a partial revision of the country's Criminal Act.
Earlier this year, Korea's National Assembly broadenened the law's scope of espionage crimes from activities involving an "enemy state" to include the leaking of state secrets to "foreign countries or equivalent organizations."
In his new role, confirmed by his label Vast Entertainment on social media, Hyun Bin is expected to take part in activities promoting the importance of counterintelligence efforts in cooperation with the NIS.
"The Point Men" is based on the 2007 South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan and its subsequent rescue mission. Hyun Bin plays NIS agent Park Dae-sik and stars alongside Hwang Jung-min and Kang Ki-young.
The actor also portrays an NIS agent in the ongoing political thriller "Made in Korea" and famously played army captain Ri Jeong-hyeok in "Crash Landing on You."
His co-star in the latter Son Ye-jin eventually became his wife in 2022, welcoming a son later that year.