Lost/Jin-Soo Kwon

Jin-Soo Kwon Lost
Actor	Daniel Dae Kim
First Appearance	1x01 - Pilot
Last Appearance	6x18 - The End
Show Status	Series: Billed
Episode Count	86
Notable Episodes	1x06 - House of the Rising Sun 1x17 - ... in Translation 2x05 - ... and Found 2x16 - The Whole Truth 3x02 - The Glass Ballerina 3x18 - D.O.C.
Flashback Count	5 (including Exodus (2))

Jin-Soo Kwon is a Korean businessman traveling with his wife Sun-Hwa Kwon to deliver a watch to a friend of his father-in-law (and employer). He is one of the Oceanic 815 crash survivors on the mysterious island, and is played by Daniel Dae Kim, where he plays a billed role and appeared in 86 episodes.

Basic Information

Pre-Crash

Jin-Soo Kwon is a kind and caring South Korean man from the small and poor fishing village of Namhae on the south coast of South Korea. Jin's mother was a prostitute who slept with many men, including Mr. Kwon. When she gave birth to Jin, Mr. Kwon took him in as his own son, even though he didn't know for sure that he was his. Jin grew up in this small fishing village until he reached the age for mandatory military service, serving for two years in the South Korean Army.

Jin wasn't looking for love when he went to Seoul, just a better job. After working as a busboy and waiter at one hotel, he got a job as a doorman at the Seoul Gateway hotel. When the owner of the hotel chastised Jin for letting a poor man and his son in to use the bathroom, Jin quit. Later that day, he bumped into Sun-Hwa Paik.

He fell in love with Sun, but she was the daughter of a very powerful family while his past was shameful to him. He approached Mr. Paik, Sun's father, to ask for his permission to marry Sun. Jin told Mr. Paik that, although he came from a fishing village, he had a dream to open a restaurant and later own a hotel. Although he was truthful of his past, Jin falsely claimed that his father was dead. Mr. Paik agreed to let Jin marry his daughter on the condition Jin worked for him as a manager at one of his automotive factories. Jin and Sun about four years before the crash.

Shortly after Jin was married, his mother resurfaced and blackmailed Sun, threatening to reveal the shameful truth of Jin's birth unless she was given $100,000. Without Jin's knowledge, Sun dug into his past and met his father who, despite being pleased to meet his daughter-in-law, pleaded with her not to tell Jin they met. Sun eventually approached her father for the money, but at the cost of Jin working directly with her father. Jin's mother received her blackmail money, but was told to disappear lest Sun use her family's power to have her killed.

Due to Sun's blackmail payment, Jin was moved from his floor manager job to work directly for Mr. Paik. About a year before the crash, Sun's father wanted Jin to "send a message" that he was very unhappy to the Korean secretary of Environmental Protection, who had closed down one of his automobile factories. Jin took that as literally delivering a short verbal message and Mr. Paik rebuked him, then sent him with a hitman to send a real message. Jin was forced to beat up the politician to save the politician’s life. Sun saw him come home all bloody, and he told her he did whatever her father asked him to, that he did it for them.

Jin and Sun were having trouble conceiving a baby. Sun was annoyed at how much Jin was working, and at Jin coming home with blood on his hands. Jin hoped that a baby would make everything better. With their problems conceiving, Jin and Sun ended up seeing a fertility doctor. The doctor told them that Sun was infertile. Jin was angry, accusing her of knowing this before they were married. The truth of the matter was that Jin was sterile. The doctor, worried about Jin's connections with the powerful Mr. Paik, covered up the truth so as not to incur any retribution from Jin. Unable to tell Jin the truth further compounded Sun's relationship problems with Jin, driving her into the arms of Jae Lee, a male friend and the son of Jin's former boss.

Mr. Paik eventually learned of his daughter's martial indiscretions, finding her in bed with Jae Lee. Deeply shamed by his daughter's actions, Mr. Paik summoned Jin to his office and showed him a picture of Jae Lee. He informed Jin that Jae had been stealing from him and ordered Jin is to kill him. Jin attempted to refuse and went so far as to quit, but Mr. Paik told him that Jae had shamed him and, since Jin is his son-in-law, Jae had also shamed Jin. He asked Jin to restore their family's honor. Returning home, Jin told Sun how her father called him "son" for the first time, and that he wanted him to deliver a message. Sun tried to convince him that he didn't have to "deliver" any more messages, but Jin told her he does it for her and that her father expects it, that it's what it takes to be married to her. Jin confronted Jae at his private hotel residence, beating Jae up and holding a gun to his head. Unable to pull the trigger and become a killer, Jin told Jae to leave the country and never return. Jin left and returned to his car, but Jae's body landed on the hood after Jae threw himself off his balcony.

Jin hated the jobs his father-in-law made him do. He decided to see his father again and, after he talked with his father, decided that he and Sun would not return from his last job — delivering watches to Mr. Paik’s friends in Sydney and Los Angeles. But as Jin made plans to fix his marriage, Sun put into motion a plan to escape her father and Jin by disappearing while in Sydney. But when the time came for Sun to flee, Jin gave a flower to her which was the only reason she didn’t leave him. Still at the Sydney International Airport, he was accosted by one of Mr. Paik’s henchmen who told him that he knew Jin was planning to run away, but if he did he would lose Sun. Jin was not free and would never be free.

Post-Crash

Season One

Jin was very possessive and controlling, and didn't like Sun venturing too far away from him or wearing revealing clothing. Michael Dawson found one of the watches Jin was to deliver and at that time Jin still thought they would be rescued. As he needed the watch to give to Mr. Paik’s friend, Jin attacked Michael and accused him of stealing. Since Jin could not speak a word of English, nobody understood what the attack was about and handcuffed him to a part of the plane wreckage. Sun eventually told Michael that the watch was Jin’s, and Michael gave the watch back to Jin and freed him. After Michael’s raft was set on fire by someone, everyone suspected that Jin did it due to the problems between the two men. In actuality, Jin tried to put it out and burned his hands in the process. Since he believed no one, not even his wife, would believe him, Jin fled into the jungle. James "Sawyer" Ford captured him and brought him back to the beach, but Sun revealed that she spoke English so she could argue for Jin's case. Jin realized that his wife was planning to leave him. Jin was so upset at himself for driving Sun away that he left her to live at the beach. Sun pleaded that this was a chance for them to have a fresh start, but Jin said that it was too late.

Jin helped Michael rebuild the boat, earning him a spot on the raft along with his knowledge of sailing. Jin felt that he was being punished and Sun didn't deserve being stuck on the island. He told her that’s why he was leaving on the raft: to save her. Sun gave him notes full of English phrases to help him communicate. Before he left, the two made up. In a surprising turn, as the raft sailed away from the island, Jin gave the watch he was supposed to deliver to Mr. Paik's friend back to Michael. However, the raft was met by the Others shortly after launching. Sawyer was shot and Jin jumped into the ocean after him.

Season Two

Jin became separated from Michael and Sawyer in the chaos following the raft’s destruction. He made it back to the island before they did, but was captured by the tail survivors, who didn't know who he was with. He managed to get away from his captors and ran to be beach, shouting “Others! Others!” in English when he saw Sawyer and Michael. Despite his warnings, the trio were caught.

Like Michael and Sawyer, he was also thrown into Ana Lucia Cortez' prison pit. After the tail survivors agreed that the trio were also on Oceanic flight 815, they were released and brought to a DHARMA Initiative station, The Arrow. The tail survivors planned to trek across the island and to the mid-section survivor's camp, but Michael ran off looking for Walt Lloyd. Jin went after him with Eko. Eko and Jin found the body of Goodwin impaled on a tree branch and Jin asked "Others?" Eko nodded. Eko and Jin watched a group of barefooted Others pass by. The two eventually tracked down Michael and Jin was able to convince Michael to return with them.

Jin eventually returned to the beach camp and reunited with his wife who believed he was dead after being given the bottle of messages from the raft. The two were still working on re-defining their relationship. When Jin heard that Michael had run off again looking for Walt, he wanted to go help, but Sun told him to stay. He protested that Michael was his friend, but Sun countered that she was his wife. The next morning he complained to her that he didn't like being told what to do. She countered that she spent four years being told what to do and she didn't like it much either. That helped them come to an understanding.

Jin was very worried after Sun was attacked in the woods. He wanted a gun to protect her and Jack Shephard was going to give him one, but John Locke had moved the guns out of The Swan before they got there. After that, Jin was paranoid that the Others were going to try and take her again. He forbade her from working in her garden and when he caught her working alone in it, he has livid, and started tearing it up so she'd have no reason to go back. After Bernard asked him if he knew where he could find oysters and their pearls for Rose, Jin started feeling guilty and he started trying to repair the damage to Sun's garden. Sun found him, and Jin told her he hated fighting with her. He had no one to talk to besides Sun. Sun told him that she is pregnant. Jin was ecstatic. Sun told him that the fertility doctor they saw told her that Jin was infertile, not her. Jin said it must be a miracle.

Jin started to help Bernard build the S.O.S. sign, but quit when Bernard got too bossy and abrasive. When Sayid Jarrah asked Jin to help him sail Desmond Hume's boat around the island, Jin refused to leave Sun, but that problem was solved when Sun came as well. Jin saw the mysterious foot statue as they made their way to The Door.

Season Three

Over a day since Sayid lit the signal fire, Jin wanted to go back, refusing to help Sayid sail further into the unknown, but Sun helped Sayid against his wishes. After the Elizabeth was tied up at the Pala Ferry dock and work was started on a new signal fire, Jin overheard a conversation between Sun and Sayid, and knew that that Sayid was planning an ambush and was lying to him. After the fire was lit, Jin demanded a gun from Sayid, telling Sun that he knew what Sayid was doing, and that she betrayed him. Jin and Sayid laid in wait for the Others, and when they unexpectedly heard gunfire from the Elizabeth, they raced down the dock and exchanged a few shots with the Others. Jin dove in and swam after the boat, and he and Sun found each other in the water. With the trio safely back on the beach, Sayid apologized to Sun and Jin, and told them they have a long walk ahead of them back to the beach.

Jin later agreed to accompany Desmond, Charlie Pace and Hugo "Hurley" Reyes on a camping trip. That night they heard a helicopter fly overhead and crash into the ocean, and Jin pointed out the distress beacon of a parachutist. Heading into the jungle to find the parachutist, they discovered it was a critically injured woman, Naomi. Hurley accidentally fired a signal flare, drawing an Other to them by the name of Mikhail Bakunin. When Mikhail realized they were Oceanic survivors, he attempted to flee but Jin chased him down and stopped him from escaping. Mikhail agreed to save Naomi's life on the condition of being freed, but Jin noticed he took Naomi's satellite phone and chased him down once more, retrieving the satellite phone from Mikhail. Jin helped carry Naomi back to the beach camp and conceal her in Hurley's tent.

Naomi was later revealed to the other survivors. In the ensuing discussion, a tape was played revealing Juliet Burke was still working for Benjamin Linus and was to infiltrate the camp and find out who was pregnant so they could be taken. The tape mentioned Sun's pregnancy and, after talking with Sun, Jin learned the fetus was healthy. Although it seemed Juliet was still with the Others, Jack revealed she had already told him and he came up with a plan to deal with the Others. Danielle Rousseau had been bringing him dynamite from the Black Rock and it was going to be placed in the tents marked by Juliet. Unfortunately, Karl arrived to warn the survivors that the Others were coming one day earlier than anticipated and the plan had to be reworked. As there was no time to rig the explosives with fuses, three people had to stay behind to shoot the dynamite. Jin volunteered along with Sayid and Bernard. When the trap was sprung, Jin was unable to hit his load of dynamite and shot two Others before being captured by the surviving Others. Jin, Sayid and Bernard were eventually rescued by Hurley, Sawyer and Juliet.

Season Four

Desmond Hume returned from the Looking Glass with news of Charlie Pace's death and warning: the people on the freighter weren't who they claimed to be. Sayid Jarrah believed the freighter would be monitoring their radio communications, so the group at the beach had to hike to the radio transmitter to warn Jack Shephard. They found the other survivors at the nose section wreckage of Oceanic 815 and Jin was reunited with Sun-Hwa Kwon. With news of Charlie delivered, the survivors split into two groups: those who believed in Charlie sided with John Locke who wanted to go to the barracks while those who still believed in rescue sided with Jack. Jin and Sun went with Jack back to the beach camp. Four more people from the freighter arrived on the island, but doubts of being rescued by them began to grow. Sun decided to go to Locke's camp and Jin was willing to accompany her. As Juliet Burke knew that pregnant women die on the island, she was forced to tell Jin of Sun's affair in order to stop her from leaving. Crushed by the revelation, Jin had a talk with Bernard as they fished and decided to forgive Sun. She had an affair with the man he used to be, not the man he is today.

Character History

Information is shown in chronological order. Episodes in bold are flashback episodes.

Before the Crash

• 2x05 - ... and Found: The circumstances of Jin and Sun's first meeting are shown.
• 1x17 - ... in Translation: Jin is given an unpleasant task by Sun's father.
• 2x16 - The Whole Truth: Jin and Sun's failure to conceive cause marital difficulty.
• 3x02 - The Glass Ballerina: Jin is ordered to kill to protect his family honor.

On the Island

• 1x01 - Pilot (1): Jin survives the plane crash.
• 1x06 - House of the Rising Sun: Without any apparent provocation, Jin attacks Michael.
• 1x17 - In Translation: Jin is accused of setting Michael's raft on fire.
• 1x23 - Exodus (1): Jin leaves the island on Michael's raft.
• 2x05 - ... and Found: When Michael rushes blindly into the jungle, looking for Walt, Jin goes after him.
• 2x08 - Collision: Jin and Sun re-unite.
• 2x16 - The Whole Truth: Jin learns that Sun is pregnant.
• 3x02 - The Glass Ballerina: Jin reluctantly helped Sayid prepare an ambush for the Others.
• 3x22 - Through the Looking Glass: Takes part in the ambush against the Others.

Trivia

• Unlike his character, Daniel Dae Kim speaks English without an accent because he was raised in New York. In fact, he hadn't spoken Korean much since high-school, much less acted in Korean, and had to brush up a bit.
• Jin's résumé seen in ... and Found gives his birth date as November 27, 1974 and his age as 30, which is inconsistent with the September 2004 date of the crash. Javier Grillo-Marxuach confirms that this was a mistake by the writers. The résumé is not considered to be canonical.