Jaejoong Kim Transforms into a Court Shaman in ‘A Shrine: The Whisper of an Evil Spirit’! A Spooky Press-Still Unveiling!

Produced through an all-location shoot in Japan’s Kobe, Jaejoong Kim makes a triumphant return to the screen as the shaman ‘Myeongjin,’ a figure with special abilities, in the shamanistic occult horror 〈A Shrine: The Whisper of an Evil Spirit〉, drawing intense attention.

〈A Shrine: The Whisper of an Evil Spirit〉 is a shamanistic occult horror in which three college students who visited an abandoned Shinto shrine in Kobe, Japan, vanish, and shaman Myeongjin (Jaejoong Kim) investigates the mystery, coming face to face with an uncanny evil spirit.

Since his solo debut in Japan in 2018, Jaejoong Kim has firmly established his status as one of the top solo artists. He also debuted as an actor with the Fuji TV Ueno Juri-led drama [I Can’t Tell You the Truth] (2010), and then built a wide-ranging filmography across domestic and international screens and TV screens—appearing in titles such as [Keep an Eye on Boss], [Dr. Jin], [Triangle], [Spy], 〈 Heaven’s Postman 〉, and 〈 Jackal Comes 〉. With Jaejoong Kim, who has been thriving as an actor, now returning to the screen in the shamanistic occult horror 〈A Shrine: The Whisper of an Evil Spirit〉, anticipation is high.

In 〈A Shrine: The Whisper of an Evil Spirit〉, Jaejoong Kim takes on the role of the shaman ‘Myeongjin,’ who possesses special abilities, and challenges his life’s first shamanistic occult horror genre. Playing a gentle, sophisticated shaman with an art-school background, he brings to life a character that audiences haven’t seen before, further heightening expectations. ‘Myeongjin,’ played by Jaejoong Kim, receives a call from a younger junior ‘Yumi,’ while she’s been plagued by the same nightmares day after day, and the story leads her to Kobe, Japan. In search of ‘Yumi’s’ companions, who seem like they’re hiding something, ‘Myeongjin’ goes to the abandoned Shinto shrine in Kobe—where the core character of the drama confronts an evil spirit of unknown identity and unravels the case.

As shaman ‘Myeongjin,’ Jaejoong Kim delivered the film’s tension through a restrained charisma, piercing gaze, and even just his breathing and rhythm—boosting immersion. In addition, to portray the shaman’s signature breathing and gestures with meticulous detail, he threw himself into character research even before filming began. He captures the toughness and chilling presence of facing the evil spirit on screen, gathering even more anticipation. In particular, Jaejoong Kim has gone to great lengths to fine-tune his tone to complete a layered character—Myeongjin, who has special abilities but also carries inner wounds—culminating in a showdown with the evil spirit. He is set to overwhelm the screen with a fresh, never-before-seen kind of charm.

Meanwhile, 〈A Shrine: The Whisper of an Evil Spirit〉 raises expectations for the release by unveiling press stills. From the stills of Jaejoong Kim, who exudes a powerful presence with special charisma as a shaman, to the stills of Gong Seong-ha and Go Yoon-jun—who team up with him to uncover the presence of evil spirits—the added visuals deepen curiosity about the story. On top of that, the abandoned Shinto shrine stills—created through an overseas location shoot in Kobe, Japan—offer exotic yet ominous visuals; plus images of the three college students who visit the shrine for an on-site investigation; and even a mysterious figure standing before an unidentified altar, fully showcasing the shamanistic occult horror atmosphere and heightening excitement for the film.

Starring Jaejoong Kim, who has teased a fresh transformation as shaman ‘Myeongjin,’ 〈A Shrine: The Whisper of an Evil Spirit〉 will have a solo release at CGV on June 17.