Edited by Hwang Hong Sun
Translated by Kim Hoyeun
Namgung Min, who debuted in 2001 with the movie Bungee jumping of their own, caught the attention with his appearance resembling Bae Yong Joon at the beginning of his career. He played the role of a film director who betrayed Jo In Sung in the 2006 film A Dirty Carnival, drawing attention for his solid acting skills, not his appearance.
Namgung Min, who had no major hit despite his steady activities, left a strong impression by flawlessly taking on the attractive villain role in SBS’s Remember: War of Son. Since then, he has made his mark through Beautiful Gong Shim and Doctors, gradually growing into leading actors.
The 2017 drama Good Manager became the turning point in Namgung Min’s career. The story takes place when Kim Sung Ryong, who used to manage money for gangs, gets a chance to work as the chief of an accounting department for a major company. And Namgung Min played Kim Sung Ryong, showing off his outstanding acting skills. Kim Sung Ryong is a person who earns his colleagues’ trust as he fights against corruption and irrationality in the company.
At first, the actor pondered over how he should approach a character that is so different from himself, but he carefully paid attention to every single facial expression, analyzing and reanalyzing his role. As a result, Kim Sung Ryong became a character that represented office workers’ hearts and released the stress of those who were tired of their work life.
At the beginning of the show, Good Manager received less interest compared to the SBS drama Saimdang, Memoir of Colors that put Lee Young Ae and Song Seung Heon at the forefront. Despite the difficult circumstances, Namgung Min led the drama with his all-time performance and gradually captivated viewers. As a result, it finished as a hit-drama, garnering much higher ratings than Saimdang, Memoir of Colors. Namgung Min was also recognized for his prowess by winning the Top Excellence Award (Actor) at the 31st KBS Drama Awards.
Namgung Min, who enjoyed his heyday with Good Manager 16 years after his debut, starred in Hot Stove League in late 2019 and continued his hot popularity. He received as much spotlight as Kim Sung Ryong for his role as Baek Seung Soo, who is appointed as a general manager of a cellar-dwelling baseball team, and is favored to win the Grand Prize at this year’s SBS Drama Awards. Netflix recently released Hot Stove League in Europe and Asia.
