Actor Yoo Ah-in is to play a villain for the first time in his career in the upcoming movie “Veteran.”

(CJ Entertainment)

In the movie, Yoo plays “Jo Tae-ho,” a third generation member of a chaebol -- family-operated conglomerate -- who is at the center of a crime.

Yoo’s character is pitted against police detective “Seo Do-cheol,” played by the award-winning Hwang Jung-min.

Although Hwang’s character instinctively knows that Jo Tae-oh holds the key to a new case he is working on, his attempts to corner him are foiled at every turn.

(CJ Entertainment)

“It might be a challenge, but I had a desire to try the role of a villain. I want to show a proper villain. ‘Veteran’ is simple, but gratifying,” Yoo said in a press release.

Although this is the first time Yoo is playing a villain, the movie’s director highly praised the young actor’s performance.

“Yoo is an intelligent actor who knows how best to put his energy to use. I wanted to bring out a side of Yoo that cannot be seen in his other works,” director Ryoo Seung-wan said.

“(Viewers) will feel greater gratification when Yoo’s Jo Tae-oh and Hwang’s Seo Do-cheol clash.”

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)