Han Soo (Korean: 한수) is a minor antagonist in the 2024 K-drama Uncle Samsik. He was the ruthless leader of the Seodaemun faction, a criminal organization operating in 1960s South Korea. Known for his violent methods and cold, strategic mind, he became deeply involved in political and military corruption while attempting to expand his power.
Over the course of the series, he forms a tense alliance with Uncle Samsik, a manipulative fixer with ties to powerful political figures. Though the two work together toward mutual goals, Han Soo's thirst for control and vengeance drives him down a darker path, ultimately leading to his downfall.
He is portrayed by Roh Jae-won.
Biography[]
Background
Han Soo was the leader of the Seodaemun faction, an underground criminal organization operating outside the law in 1960s South Korea—a time of intense political instability, U.S. military influence, and fierce power struggles between rival factions. While not the main antagonist of the series, Han Soo embodied the brutal force of organized crime and political opportunism amid the chaos.
He first appeared in the series as a cold, calculating, and commanding figure, leading a high-stakes operation to steal oil from a U.S. military base. The stolen oil served as a vital resource for his faction’s survival. However, the mission failed when Korean military police intervened. Several of Han Soo’s men were arrested, but he managed to escape.
This failure forced Han Soo into a difficult position. At the order of his superior, Gu Hae-jun, he sought out Park Doo-chil, more famously known as Uncle Samsik—a morally ambiguous fixer with deep political ties and a sharp mind for manipulation. Although initially defiant and wary, Han Soo accepted Samsik’s offer: control over the Dongdaemun district in exchange for his cooperation. This marked the beginning of a fragile alliance based more on mutual need than trust.
As the series progressed, the tension between Han Soo and Samsik intensified. Samsik needed Han Soo’s influence in the streets to support his hidden political goals, particularly in helping Kim San, a passionate reformist with dreams of changing the country. Meanwhile, Han Soo used Samsik’s resources to maintain his grip on the underworld.
Things took a darker turn after the death of Gu Hae-jun, Han Soo’s direct superior and a key figure in the Seodaemun faction. Hae-jun’s death shook Han Soo emotionally and pushed him toward revenge. He became more unstable and aggressive, turning his sights toward more dangerous ambitions. Without his leader, Han Soo began taking bold actions on his own, further straining the alliance with Samsik.
In the final episodes, Han Soo’s obsession with gaining leverage led him to a risky plan: he attempted to steal classified documents that he believed could give him an advantage—or at least destabilize his enemies. However, this act proved fatal. In episode 16, during the robbery, he was caught and killed by an unidentified man. Ironically, the same documents were also being sought by Uncle Samsik—not for personal gain, but to protect Kim San, the idealistic politician he had been backing.
Personality[]
Han Soo was ruthless and power-hungry, willing to use violence and fear to get what he wanted. He was fiercely ambitious, often acting impulsively when challenged, but capable of calculated moves when it served his interests. He showed little empathy, trusting only those who could help him rise. Though charismatic in moments, he was ultimately driven by revenge, control, and survival. Han Soo was a complex and volatile character whose personality was shaped by violence, trauma, ambition, and the brutal realities of post-war South Korea. At his core, he was a ruthless crime boss driven by an insatiable hunger for power, respect, and control. He operated by his own code—one forged in blood, betrayal, and the unforgiving streets of Seoul—where weakness was exploited and only the strong survived. His leadership style was rooted in fear and domination; he expected absolute loyalty and responded to defiance with brutal force. Violence wasn’t just a tool for Han Soo—it was his language, his way of asserting dominance, and a reflection of the chaos inside him.
Despite his violent nature, Han Soo was more than a one-dimensional brute. He possessed a cunning mind, capable of calculating high-risk moves, making strategic alliances, and navigating both the criminal underworld and the shifting political landscape. He was intelligent and highly adaptable, able to mask his brutality behind charm when necessary, especially when manipulating those in power or forging temporary pacts for personal gain. His charisma was sharp-edged—dangerous but magnetic, the kind that made people follow him out of fear or fascination.
Han Soo was also deeply vengeful and impulsive. Once wronged, he would stop at nothing to exact retribution, even if it meant putting his entire empire at risk. His decisions were often clouded by emotion, especially anger and resentment, which made him unpredictable and feared even among his closest allies. He struggled with paranoia and trust issues, constantly watching his back, expecting betrayal around every corner—which, in his world, was often justified. He trusted no one fully, and that isolation only deepened his descent into violence and desperation.
Underneath all the bravado and ruthlessness, however, Han Soo was a man haunted by loss and betrayal. The murder of his mentor, Gu Hae-jun, left a permanent scar that fueled much of his rage and desire for vengeance. He internalized that trauma and transformed it into a mission to dominate, to never be powerless again. But in doing so, he became the very monster he once feared—a man consumed by power, blinded by ambition, and ultimately destroyed by his inability to change.
Han Soo's personality was the embodiment of post-war chaos—a symbol of survival at any cost. He represented the darker side of ambition, where loyalty was expendable, morality was negotiable, and the only constant was violence. His journey throughout Uncle Samsik wasn’t just about crime or politics; it was about the rise and fall of a man who believed he could control everything, but in the end, couldn’t even control himself.