There is no doubt that Kim-Seon-ho is one of the most popular actors in South Korea at the moment. With his good looks and amazing talent, it is no wonder why he has become so famous. In this blog post, we will take a look at the phenomenal rise of Kim-Seon-ho and see what has made him so successful.
It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a few years since actor Kim Seon-ho made his debut on the small screen. In that short time, he has gone from being a relative unknown to one of the most popular actors in South Korea. So, what is it about Kim Seon-ho that has captured the hearts of viewers all over the world? Let’s take a closer look at his rise to fame.
Background
Actor Kim Seon-ho was born in South Korea on May 8, 1986. Before making his movie debut in 2017 with Good Manager, he started his career on stage and performed in many plays. He first garnered notoriety with the television program Start-Up (2020), then he furthered his fame with the lead part in the tvN and Netflix production Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021). In 2021, he received an award as Gallup Korea’s Television Actor of the Year.
Early Life
Kim attended the Seoul Institute of the Arts after finishing high school, where he majored in broadcasting and entertainment and earned a degree there. He joined a theater organization in college and started performing in plays. His debut performance on stage was in New Boeing Boeing (a 2009 adaption of the same-named French play), which he reprised in 2013. He succeeded by acting in the well-liked Rooftop House Cat, and Goal of Love plays produced in the Daehakro (South Korea’s equivalent of Off-Broadway). Later, he broadened his range to include more sinister characters, and in films like True West and Kiss of the Spider Woman in 2015 and Closer in 2016, he received critical recognition.
Career Debut
Kim made his acting debut on television at the beginning of 2017 in the KBS2 office drama Good Manager. Producer Lee Eun-jin [ko], who had seen him in the play Closer, had encouraged him to try out. His next film, Strongest Deliveryman, was his first to have a starring character after he initially tried out for a supporting one. Later in 2017, he played a cunning con man in the action comedy Two Cops, for which he won 2 awards at the 2017 MBC Drama Awards. He played Valentin again onstage in Kiss of the Spider Woman while the show was still broadcast. In the drama special You Drive Me Crazy, which had a four-episode broadcast in May of 2018, Kim played the main character of an artist. Additionally, he appeared in the historical drama 100 Days My Prince, which rose to become one of the most well-liked programs ever on Korean cable television. After his contract with his previous theatre company expired in September of that year, Kim joined Salt Entertainment.
Kim portrayed an inspiring singer in the JTBC comedy Welcome to Waikiki 2 in March 2019. He played the lead in his first main role in a full-length series, Catch the Ghost, on TVN in October of that same year, opposite veteran actress Moon Geun-young. Kim joined the cast of the KBS2 reality series 2 Days & 1 Night’s fourth season on November 5. He won the Rookie Award at the 2020 KBS Entertainment Awards for his work on the program. He performed in the play Memory in the dream as his last 2019 project.
Career Breakthrough
Kim returned to television in October 2020 with the tvN drama Start-Up. His portrayal of a start-up investor with a tragic past received positive reviews from the public. It earned him a nomination for the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Supporting Actor – Television. During the run of Start-Up, Kim topped the monthly brand reputation ranking index by the Korean Business Research Institute and saw a rise in domestic and foreign popularity. Kim collaborated with Epitone Project to release the single “Reason” in May, which he sang and co-wrote, having previously appeared in the latter’s music video. He made his comeback to the theater in January 2021 through the play Ice by Jang Jin, in which he played a detective attempting to implicate a young man in a murder case.
He co-starred with Shin Min-a in the August 2021 episode of the tvN drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha in which he played an unofficially jobless handyman in the beach village of Gongjin. Kim once again topped the ranking index for brand reputation by the Korean Business Research Institute in September 2021, during the airing of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. With audience ratings peaking at 13.322%, the show was a smash domestically and abroad. It later became one of the highest-rated shows in Korean cable television history.
He was chosen as Gallup Korea’s Television Actor of the Year in December 2021.
Public Issue
On October 17, 2021, a woman claiming to be “Actor K’s” ex-girlfriend (later identified as Kim) posted accusations about the actor coercing her into having an abortion while the two were together on a Korean internet forum. In response to his ex-allegations and girlfriend, he apologized publicly on October 20, 2021, through his agency.[38][39][40] As word of his ex-allegations girlfriend spread, certain businesses—including Domino’s Pizza—quickly removed their commercials with Kim. Kim resigned from Lee Sang-romance Geun’s comedy 2 O’Clock Date and Dog Days after quitting his role as a permanent cast member of the KBS variety show 2 Days & 1 Night.
Kim’s ex-girlfriend released a new statement on October 20, 2021, admitting that they had miscommunications and that he has since apologized. On October 26, 2021, a Korean media site published new proof refuting the claims of Kim’s ex-girlfriend, citing sources from close associates of both Kim and his ex-girlfriend. She also apologized for causing accidental harm. Contrary to what she said, screen copies of chat exchanges amongst acquaintances showed that the ex-girlfriend had suggested the abortion. After roughly a year, the couple broke up because of murky circumstances involving the ex-personal girlfriend’s life. As other associates of Kim and his ex-girlfriend came forward, they contradicted several of the charges she had previously made.
Most companies resumed using Kim in their marketing after the latest findings. Kim has been listed as the lead actor by the Sad Tropics production team, who confirmed their decision to move through with the movie.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that Kim Seon-ho is one of the most popular actors in South Korea right now. Thanks to his charms and good looks and his versatility as an actor, he has won over fans all over the world. With several exciting projects lined up for release in 2021, there’s no doubt that we’ll be seeing even more of him in the months and years to come!
