[1][2] In November 2016, Shin published his first novel, Writing, Space Journal about a man in a space elevator construction project that drifts into the galaxy, a love story between a cranky genius businessperson and a genius theoretical physicist.

[7] In 2018, Shin took a main role in the romance drama Dae Jang Geum Is Watching alongside Kwon Yu-ri.

[8][9] Shin stayed out of the public eye for 6 years, since 2011, when he was discharged early from mandatory military service upon diagnosis of a rare condition, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a chronic disease that causes extreme bouts of pain without a known cause or cure.

[10][11] On May 24, 2017, Shin appeared as a guest in the Radio Star Episode 528 and assured his illness is under control.

[12] In July 2018, Shin's agency confirmed that he is in a relationship with a Korean traditional medicine doctor who is nine years his junior who has been a long term fan of his.