Cha Tae-hyun says casting offers poured in for Jin Ki-joo after Netflix hit 'True Education'

Cha Tae-hyun had one thing to say about signing Jin Ki-joo to his agency: pure luck.

On the August 25 episode of SBS variety program 틈만나면 (Season 5), Cha Tae-hyun and Jin Ki-joo appeared as guests alongside hosts Yoo Jae-seok and Yoo Yeon-seok, visiting Guui-dong in Seoul's Gwangjin-gu.

Cha Tae-hyun, who said he has appeared in every season of the program, described himself as "like a talisman" and "feeling like a pig's head" — a good-luck offering. Yoo Jae-seok agreed, telling him he needs to appear every season. Then: "Your luck is too good compared to what you do."

The luck in question centers on Jin Ki-joo, the first actor signed to the agency Cha Tae-hyun co-founded with Jo In-sung. Here's how it happened: Jin Ki-joo's former agency CEO was previously Jo In-sung's manager. When the two companies merged, Jin Ki-joo and the manager came along.

Almost immediately after joining, Jin Ki-joo landed the Netflix series 참교육 (True Education), playing Im Han-rim, an inspector at the Education Rights Protection Bureau. The show became a hit. "Right after recruiting, can we really be this lucky?" Cha Tae-hyun said on air. "I wonder if this luck will continue until I die."

Jin Ki-joo felt it too. "I think I received more calls than ever," he said. "Senior Tae-hyun also contacted me really quickly." Friends reached out. People he hadn't heard from in years did too. Cha Tae-hyun added that casting offers from multiple projects followed. (Jin Ki-joo's previous credits include 오! 삼광빌라 and 언더커버 하이스쿨.)

Cha Tae-hyun also used the appearance to flag his own upcoming project: a drama he filmed last year, 개인적인 택시 (Personal Taxi), premiering October 3. An August broadcast slot made the timing convenient for promotion.