Han Hyun-min (; born 19 May 2001) is a South Korean-Nigerian

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the Plan_(drawing), plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a mea ...

and actor, who gained national recognition by becoming the first Korean model of African descent to walk the

catwalks A fashion show ( French ''défilé de mode'') is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the Spring/Summer and Fa ...

in South Korea and internationally.

Early life

Han was born in 2001 to a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

father and a

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

mother from the Han family of

Chungju Chungju (충주시) is a city in North Chungcheong province, South Korea. Uamsan is a mountain located within the outskirts of the city. The city is famous for the annual martial arts festival held in October. Also of note, former UN Secretary-G ...

. He was raised in the

Itaewon Itaewon (; IPA ) is multi-cultural commercial area located in Seoul, South Korea. it is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Seoul, known for its nightlife and trendy restaurants. Etymology The name Itaewon was originally derived from the n ...

neighborhood of

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, where many foreigners in South Korea reside. Growing up in Seoul, Han faced racial discrimination as a biracial child and has publicly spoken up about his experiences.

Career

A modeling agency discovered Han via his

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

at age 15 while he was still in school. They arranged a meeting and met at a coffee shop where they asked him to walk and signed him on the spot. He quickly became one of Korea's most in-demand models and was named one of TIME Magazine’s 30 most influential teens. In June 2022, Han signed a contract with Sublime.

Filmography

Film

Music Videos

Television series

Variety Show

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Hyun-min 2001 births Living people South Korean people of Nigerian descent South Korean male models People from Seoul