Actor Kang Ha-neul shaved his head for the first time since his debut for the upcoming flick “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet.”

In the photos released by the film distributor Megabox Plus M on Thursday, Kang, who is playing famous Korean poet Yun Dong-ju in the flick, has his hair shaved by a Japanese soldier.

Kang Ha-neul in "Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet" (Megabox Plus M)

Grief-stricken Kang, who is shown wearing a black school uniform, sits still as a soldier shaves his head to morally train him during the Japanese colonial era.

Biographic film “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet,” directed by Lee Joon-ik (“The Throne,” “King and the Clown”) centers on two young writers set in the Japanese colonial era. Passive and quiet Yoon Dong-ju and his friend and cousin Song Mong-kyu (Park Jung-min), who is more aggressive, are both passionate about fighting against the Japanese regime. However, they have different thoughts on how to do it.

The film opens in theaters Wednesday.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)