Kim Yun-seok

Kim has since become an acclaimed actor in South Korea, with notable performances in films such as Running Turtle (2009), Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard (2009), The Yellow Sea (2010), Punch (2011),The Thieves (2012), Hwayi: A Monster Boy (2013), The Classified File (2015), The Priests (2015), 1987: When the Day Comes (2017), Dark Figure of Crime (2018), and Escape from Mogadishu (2021). In 2019, Kim made his directorial debut with Another Child, a family drama film starring Yum Jung-ah and Kim So-jin.

• Name — Kim Yoon-seok • Born — 21 January 1968 • Birthplace — Danyang County, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea • Occupation — * Actor • film director • screenwriter • Education — Dong-eui University - German Language & Literature • Years Active — 1988-present • Children — 2 • Agent — HB Entertainment • Awards — Full list

Kim Yoon-seok was born on born January 21, 1968 in Danyang County, North Chungcheong Province, but his family moved to Busan shortly after his birth, where he lived for over 20 years. Influenced by his film-enthusiast parents, he developed a passion for cinema at an early age and spent much of his high school years frequenting movie theaters. He also showed an early talent for drawing. After failing his 1985 entrance exam for the Department of Theater and Film at Hanyang University, Kim enrolled in the Department of German Language and Literature at Dong-eui University the following year. Due to frequent campus closures and class cancellations caused by the democratization movement, Kim initially considered military enlistment. However, after witnessing the university's theatrical arts club practicing outdoors, he joined the group, known as the Dramatic Arts Research Society, in 1986.

Concurrently, the university's Dramatic Arts Research Association experienced a split, leading to the creation of the national theater research group "Yeongeuk Ai" (Theater Child). In 1987, after a one-year leave of absence, he served as the president of Yeongeuk Ai and made his directorial debut with Camus's work The Misunderstanding, which deals with existential issues. However, feeling disillusioned by what he perceived as the club's focus on abstract intellect and ideology over genuine engagement with reality, he left the group later that year to join the professional Theater Company Hyeonjang. During his tenure there, Kim studied stage production extensively while taking on various tasks. To better understand the relationship between text and performance, Kim closely studied British, American, and post-war literature, developing a particular interest in the Theater of the Absurd. This interest led him to join the Budu Theater Company, which had been established in 1984 by fellow Theater of the Absurd enthusiast Lee Seong-gyu. Kim made his professional acting debut that same year in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. In 1989, while still a student, he won the Arts Council Korea Director's Award in the lighting category at the National Stage Artists Competition, an event typically contested by professional staff from major cultural and civic centers.

For the 15th National University Student Drama Festival in 1992, Kim directed Apprentices (adapted from Lee Oe-su's work with a script by Lee Hyeon-dae), which won the grand prize. This achievement marked Dong-eui University's first time advancing past the regional preliminaries. The win earned Kim a spot on a month-long educational tour of European cities, including Moscow, Warsaw, Berlin, and Paris. His exposure to international youth theater during this trip significantly boosted his confidence to pursue acting professionally. Kim Seok-man, the festival judge and CEO of the Yeonwoo Theater Company, invited Kim to audition for the company's Rediscovery of Modern Theater Series 2. After passing, Kim joined Yeonwoo Stage in 1993 and relocated to Seoul. He made his Seoul debut in Lee Geun-sam's There is a Soup, directed by Park Won-geun, where he became close friends with co-star Song Kang-ho. Following Kim Seok-man's sudden resignation from the company, Kim left to freelance, resulting in a period of financial hardship. During this period, Kim and Song frequently shared the stage, co-starring in productions such as Theater Company 76's Giselle (written by Brecht and directed by Ki Kuk-seo), Theater Company Sanulim's Women's Rebellion (written by Kim Gwang-rim and directed by Lee Seong-ryeol), and Hakjeon Theater Company's Diary of a Fat Sofa (written by Hwang Ji-woo and directed by Ju In-seok). Kim also appeared in Bicycle (directed by Kim Cheol-ri) at the inaugural Oh Tae-seok Theater Festival. Among these early works, Giselle was a turning point for Kim. He later noted that the production's use of dance and ballet elements reflected contemporary social anxieties, comparing its thematic weight to director Ki Kuk-seo's acclaimed Hamlet series and Insulting the Audience. In 1994, Kim made his film debut with a minor role in feature film Young Lover.

Skeptical of the career instability in Seoul, Kim returned to his hometown of Busan in March 1995. While there, he worked as a freelancer, assisting with stage decoration and event planning at a live jazz cafe run by an acquaintance. His major productions during this period included the Budu Theater Company's stagings of Waiting for Godot, The Birthday Party, Lolita, and The Odd Couple. From 1995 to 1997, he served as the permanent director of "Lighting in the Classroom," a theater group for teachers. He took on this role because most of the members belonged to the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) and were actively engaged with the realities of the education system. In November 1996, Kim founded the theater company Yeo, which focused on underground theater artists in their 30s. Its inaugural production, Ophelia (adapted from Shakespeare), was heavily influenced by veteran director Ki Kuk-seo. In the play, Kim reimagined Hamlet as an idealistic urban nihilist and Laertes as a pragmatically minded businessman. In 1997, he served as the assistant director for the Busan run of the rock musical Subway Line 1 at Taeyang Art Hall, a co-production between Hanbit Planning and Hakjeon Theater Company. The musical was directed by Hakjeon founder Kim Min-ki, who had previously co-founded Yeonwoo Stage, Kim's former theater company in Seoul. When CEO Lee Seong-gyu of Budu Theater Company became the president of the Busan Theater Association in 1998, Kim served as the organization's secretary-general. However, about six months into the role, Kim grew anxious after watching his close friend, Song Kang-ho, rise to prominence in Seoul. With President Lee's permission, Kim left his position. In 1999, following an encouraging phone call from Song, Kim officially returned to Seoul to resume his career.

Upon returning to Seoul, Kim joined Hakjeon Theater Company under the mentorship of Kim Min-ki, performing in productions such as Subway Line 1 until 2003. Although Kim made his film debut in 1994, he spent a decade appearing primarily in minor roles. In 2004, he appeared in supporting roles in dramas such as Resurrection and Sisily 2km. That same year, He began gaining wider public recognition in 2004 when he was cast as a detective in Choi Dong-hoon's heist film The Big Swindle. He transitioned to television in 2005, and achieved a career breakthrough in 2006. That year, he starred in the KBS2 drama Thank You, My Life alongside Yu Ho-jeong, won the Excellence Award at the MBC Drama Awards for Love Me When You Can, and earned critical praise for his supporting roles in the films Like a Virgin. Kim had his major breakthrough in Choi Dong-hoon's Tazza: The High Rollers, with audiences praising his performance in the supporting role as ruthless gambler Agwi (meaning "starving demon" in Buddhism).

A leading role followed in 2008 with The Chaser, directed by Na Hong-jin. He successfully portrayed the morally ambiguous character of a retired-cop-turned-pimp hunting down a serial killer who murdered the call girls due to his impotence. The thriller was a critical and commercial hit, which surpassed 5 million viewers. This role led to critical acclaim and earned him Best Supporting Actor at the Grand Bell Awards and the Busan Film Critics Awards. With total 8 awards, it made him a major player in the Korean film industry. In the same year, he won the Excellence Award at the MBC Drama Awards for his role in Love Me When You Can. He transitioned from character actors in the industry into a popular leading actor: Kim played a middle-aged man following his lifelong dream to play in a rock band in The Happy Life, a rural detective trying to capture a legendary prison breaker in Running Turtle, and a rival Taoist wizard in Jeon Woo-chi. In 2010, Kim reunited with The Chaser costar Ha Jung-woo in Na's sophomore film The Yellow Sea. Kim then costarred with Yoo Ah-in in coming-of-age film Punch, a critically and commercial hit. Subsequently, he solidified his position as a major box office draw with hits including The Yellow Sea (2010), Punch (2011). Kim once again triumphed in 2012, as his heist movie The Thieves became the second best-selling Korean film of all time. He recorded a total of 34 million admissions over a five-year period, a unique record in Korean cinema at the time. In 2013, he continued working with one of Korea's leading directors, in Yim Soon-rye's family drama film South Bound. He then starred in Hwayi: A Monster Boy, an action thriller directed by Jang Joon-hwan. In 2014, Kim starred in the critically acclaimed arthouse film Sea Fog directed by Shim Sung-bo. In 2015, Kim collaborated with director Kwak Kyung-taek in The Classified File., playing a detective cooperating with a shaman to find out and save a kidnapped girl. Kim then reunited with Kang Dong-won in The Priests, a supernatural mystery thriller by director Jang Jae-hyun. The Priests was a box office hit, attracting 5.44 million admissions to cinema. Kim then made a brief appearance in retro film C'est Si Bon by Kim Hyun-seok, playing a middle-aged man retrospecting his youth in 1980s. In 2016, Kim starred in romance film Will You Be There?, directed by Hong Ji-young, based on the novel of the same name of Guillaume Musso. Kim portrayed a middle-aged pediatric whose last wish before death was to see his first love once again. In 2017, Kim starred in director Hwang Dong-hyuk's historical film The Fortress. He also reunited with director Jang Joon-hwan in 1987: When the Day Comes, another historical political film about pro-democratic movement in South Korea in 1987.

Kim Yoon-seok married actress Bang Ju-ran in 2002; the couple met while performing in the 2000 play Blood Brothers. They have two daughters.

Series appearances • Year — Title — Role — Note(s) — Ref. Reference(s) • 2004 — Drama City "Anagram" — Detective — one act-drama • Drama City "Blue Skies in Jeju Island" — Kyung-soo • 2005 — Drama City "Home Improvement Activity Log" — Kim Jin-kyu • Loveholic — Prosecution investigator • Resurrection — Cheon Gong-myung • 2006 — Thank You, My Life — Kang Yoon-ho • Love Me When You Can — Han Dong-gyu • 2024 — The Frog — Jeon Young-ha — Netflix original series • My Ghostly Running Mate — Gu Young-jin

Play performances of Kim • Year — Title — Role — Theater — Date — Ref. Reference(s) • English — Korean • 1988 — A Streetcar Named Desire — 욕망이라는 이름의 전차 — Stanley Kowalski — Busan • 1993 — There Is a Soup — 국물 있사옵니다 — President, manager — Yeonwoo Small Theater • Women's Rebellion — 여성반란 — Prime Minister, Mayor — Small Theater Sanwoolim • 1994 — Giselle — 지젤 — Hilarion — Batanggol Art Museum • Diary of a Fat Sofa — 살찐 소파에 대한 일기 — Bidulgi Hall of the Dong-A Cultural Center • Bicycle — 자전거 • 1995 — Waiting for Godot — 고도를 기다리며 — Didi — Yeondang Small Theater • The Birthday Party — 생일파티 — Budu Theater • 1997 — Lolita — 로리타 — Budu Theater • 1997 — Moskito — 모스키토 — Hakjeon Green Theater • 1998 — Equus — 에쿠우스 — Alan • 2000 — Assanace — 아싸나체 — Kuzma Plehanov — Small Theater All and Nucleus • Blood Brothers — 의형제 — Troublemaker, Old Man, Police Officer, Inspector, Servant — Hakjeon Blue Theater • 2001 — The Name of Oedipus — Song of the Forbidden Flesh — 오이디푸스의 이름 - 금지된 육체의 노래 — Oedipus — Seoul Arts Center Free Theater • Subway Line 1 — 지하철 1호선 — Cheolsoo, passerby, evangelist — Hakjeon Green Theater • LG Art Center • 2002 — Long Day's Journey into Night — 밤으로의 긴 여로 — Edmund — Dongsung Art Center • 2006 — Dream of Autumn — 가을날의 꿈 — Man — Arunguji Small Theater