MBC documentary special features Kim Myung-min
Kim Myung-min is probably the top actor in Korea right now, and is certain to go down as one of the greats of all time. He’s also an interesting case because he has come into stardom late into his career, but unlike so many other actors, the fervent appreciation for him comes almost solely from respect for his tremendous talent and work, not as a sex symbol or celebrity. (He’s certainly handsome, but I almost think of him in an asexual way.) You see the man for his acting skills much more than for his looks or general fame. Which is, I’m fairly certain, just the way he wants it.
The MBC special documentary called “Kim Myung-min Was Not There” was announced last month and aired over the weekend. (It was also a ratings hit, since 10% is impressive for a documentary feature.) It also gave quite an insight into the actor and his process, and is really a must-watch for anyone harboring acting aspirations.
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Post tags: Beethoven Virus, Immortal Lee Soon-shin, interviews, Kim Myung-min, reality shows, White Tower
kim myung min is awesome
im glad he is now receiving the credit he truly deserves
he has an amazing talent that surpasses many veteran actors
its not fair that he had to split the daesung with song seung hun:/
After reading this, I really respect Kim Myung-min. He’s dedication to his profession puts others to shame.
Whoa
It’s so nice to see an actor put this much effort into his work. Aww.
OMG the story of him going to the set and finding out that he was un-cast, and then those tears in his eyes brought ME to tears
I’m usually such a cold person lol but seeing his tears somehow moved me!! they felt so precious!!! I can’t even imagine how he felt during that period of time 
I know he loves to emerge himself in his roles, but he gotta takes care of his health too! I read he suffered from hypoglycemia and that’s pretty dangerous! I had hypoglycemia before and I almost died cause I was alone in the house and was unconscious for a good 4 minutes!! gladly my mother found me and started feeding me!
and OMG he’s so skinny now
I hope it all pays off when his movie comes out! I really respect this guy ^^
When I read that people thought he wasn’t good looking as an actor, I felt so furious! He has this ability to captivate the audience and make them feel his persona. It’s an insult that production companies would assume that the audience would not be able to appreciate his acting based on looks alone. I’d rather watch him than so many ’stars’ out there who look amazing but can’t act to save their lives.
i just got to say is he’s a wonderful actor, he reminds me of christian bale—i really admire those kind of actors who is not scared to take their role to the next level..ie losing weight for the role…ah, ic..This role will not suit KSW’s lifestyle. He should just stick with macho roles.. maybe that’s why he backed out of this movie..^^
Myung Min is the best korean actor alive today.
He elevates acting to an artform.
So nice to see him getting the respect and praise he so richly deserves.
wow. he’s like the Marlon Brando of korea. he really is quite the method actor. i agree with you mzpakipot; he does remind me a lot of christian bale, minus the temper tantrums, lol. i haven’t really watched any of his dramas, but i sure do give him props for being incredibly hardworking and for brilliantly immersing himself into any character that he plays.
@ 3 Devi: lol, i didn’t realize there was another commentator on javabeans’ site with the same name as me, hehe.
Kim Myung Min reminds me of Daniel Day Lewis in how thorough his prep work is for each role. Method isn’t about exorcizing your demons for the sake of a role. Preparation is a painstaking process of observing and chunking down the deep structure of a moment or person. It is an intensely intellectual activity, and it is a craft. Read how KMM describes the details of the actual work, and the process shows through.
Also a testament to how, no matter how great your talent is, most actors face a huge amount of rejection and failure for a long time. Well done, Kim Myung Min.
is the download video subbed??
wow. i admire his intensity.
makes me wonder what he’s like when he doesn’t have a character to portray. he seems like every directors dream; an actor so immersed in his role you can’t distinguish between the character and the actor.
go kim myung-min!
Such an awesome documentary on Kim Myung Min!
Such a meaningful and deep insight of him as an actor I must say.. he’s so dedicated and hardworking..
I’m really amazed with the level of detail and intricacy he puts into all of his characters. Now when I think of Kim Myung Min, I see Oh Dal Gun, Kang Mae…etc.. He really plays his roles/characters to the core man…kudos to his dedication and heartfelt efforts…
Now I hope he manages to gain more weight after his new movie.. cos seeing him so thin and frail scares me…>.<
OMG thank you for this, javabeans.
Knew he was a Method actor (from all the White Tower stories), but dayuuuuuum.
I’m even more in awe at/in love with Kim MyungMin than I ever thought possible.
@ 10 belleza – I was just thinking the same thing, that his process reminds me of Daniel Day-Lewis.
I have very much admired Kim Myung-Min’s talent for sometime. But I have to admit that this role has me a bit worried for his health. Some of the more recent pictures I have seen of him are quite scary.
lol i sorta wanna just see the scene where he cries without having to watch the whole thing.
nvm i found it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-6Cw5ghbyY&feature=channel
it happend at 1:16 in
he makes me cry too
Kim Myung Min is definitely an actor that I plan to follow for the foreseeable future. The man is amazing.. It’d be so easy to overlook the amount of work he puts into his characters, because he makes it look so EASY on screen. That’s the mark of a true artist, in my book. I only wish more actors could be like him. (Although I suppose it wouldn’t be such a special thing if everyone could do it, would it?)
I’m really looking forward to seeing this movie when it comes out. Lou Gehrig’s is such an interesting disease (actually, most neurodegenerative diseases are), and I’m intrigued to see his portrayal of it.
And thanks so much for uploading this documentary, Javabeans! I fully intend to watch it as soon as the pressure of finals is over.
a truly dedicated actor..
i wish i could meet him one day…*sigh*
One thing that I love about Kim Myung Min is his advocacy for television as art form. In interviews, he expresses pride for his TV work, and he doesn’t feel film is more “legitimate” or “credible” than TV.
Oh man this sounds punishing. KMM needs to reward himself with a big steak, spa treatment and mucho family time after this:))
yeah i agree the demon-exorcism gets stereotyped a lot as “method/great acting” (lately it seems to “plague” both the awarded actors/actresses, but i chalk it up to no really good scripts are being written anyway:P) the catch is, no matter how much craft and creative interpretation an actor involves, there’s the final line to cross: how much you “impress” upon your audience. most people don’t watch movies and TV to catch how much the little details you do reflect your character’s day to day realities (unless you make it a point for them to notice, like repeating gestures/phrases/tics enough). so most people end up being drawn to actors and performances the most primordial way: how much s/he attracts you with physical features, likable charisma, intensity of emotions imparted in the shortest amount of time, flaring up without notice, etc. the most famous korean characters abroad, in movies, tend to be hypermasculine men going crazy (Oldboy, Peppermint Candy.) i wouldn’t say letting your demons run loose is a cheap, easy shortcut, because some characters do require it within their logic – but of course it’s how much time, the path you take to that blowup. for some actors, the most important thing is the (blunt) force of the moment of the blowup, how the weight of the flying debris lands on audiences in terms of energy, sound, etc (“you’re dogshit!” LOL), for others it’s not the thrill of that explosive moment, but how the interminable process seemingly building up to the Blowup, how the little things in the ebbs and flows reveal character and life. (remember the bitter hardness of kim hae-sook silently biting down the razor blades in Open City? ouch. she was showing off to “scare” Son yejin, without really being a loud circus.)
i worry about how much KMM’s hard work will be kept in a 2-hour long movie. the advance PR seems to gear up his character as the centerpiece (sorry ha ji-won?), so he’ll probably be the main focus anyway. KMM himself said his film career has been a bit more rocky than the “intimate boob tube” that is TV – and indeed film has less time for everything you want to say, less allowance for building rapport with audience. i personally think he’s mastered TV acting as a top-liner, knowing how often/long and when to explode to keep viewers on their toes, while film acting really is quite a different ballpark – gotta show depth of character, evolving give and take in a relationship in compressed time…everything! hope this gets him the recognition playing a physically taxing role often brings.
What a great actor. I haven’t seen any of his dramas yet though. Thanks for the translation!
I’ve never seen any of Kim Myung-min’s work, but from what I’ve read about him, he really is inspiring, and makes people respect him and his work.
BTW, does anyone else think that he looks a tad like Kim Rae-won? I definitely see the resemblence
i love this guy. this was a great read but it really irked me reading about the entertainment industry’s rejection of him because he wasn’t good-looking enough. all industries of this type all over the world are incredibly shallow but i have to say Korea really takes the cake. if i have to see another talentless but “pretty” (ahem, plastic) piece of shit on tv, i think i might vomit.
Javabeans, thank you so much for covering this documentary.
KMM is the best Korean actor on TV.
wow. just wow.
his dedication in acting just blew me away.
@ hsinya ,
“BTW, does anyone else think that he looks a tad like Kim Rae-won? I”
Oh I know! I’ve said this for years, but people didn’t believe me how HANDSOME Kim Myung Min is. Maybe there really is something about Korean women and the Man Perm. Just let your soul glow!!!! Just let it shine through! Just let your SOOOO’ GLOOOO’ Kim Myung Min!!!
@Ed,
Suffering for your art indeed! There’s the old story about Sir Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman during the making of Marathon Man. Method actor Dustin Hoffman didn’t sleep to play his character who hadn’t slept all night. Olivier asked Dustin why he looked like hell. When Dustin explained that he had stayed up all night, Sir Laurence Olivier replied “Why not try acting? It’s much easier old boy.”
Marlon was technically not a Method actor. “The Method” was associated with Lee Strassberg (Hoffman, Daniel Day Lewis) Marlon studied under Stella Adler (Sheen, Benicio Del Toro) Strassberg really emphasized the role of personal experience (i.e. substitution.) Both teachers belonged to the Group Theatre, but Adler advocated the primacy of the text, and retorted that Strassberg damaged American acting for a 100 years. She believed acting shouldn’t have to damage your psyche. Moreover, she also believed that Strassbergian acting eventually transformed you into a caricature, where it is insatiably about you and your public display of NEED.
I think sometimes Kim Myung Min’s film acting is a little mechanical. He does such a marvelous job at the simulacra part of the job requirement, but there isn’t always that freedom, that anything-is-possible flow that the intensive preparation rewards. Like when I watch Jeon Do Yeon, who’s another transformation artist, I actually wonder if she shuts down some inhibition circuit in her brain to just go those places in her work, or to have that freedom. Even then, she doesn’t disappear; rather, she illuminates the truths in the script. Or Moon So-ri with her New Wave work.
“so most people end up being drawn to actors and performances the most primordial way: how much s/he attracts you with physical features, likable charisma, intensity of emotions imparted in the shortest amount of time, flaring up without notice, etc. the most famous korean characters abroad, in movies, tend to be hypermasculine men going crazy ”
American film criticism is a bit like that too. On one side, you have Walter Mitty critics who make word into bond. On the other side, the mimicry of noble (or inglorious) savagery, of which the critics paraphrase into pop psychology, or their own projections of unfulfilled achievement. So goes Stanley Kowlazki, Travis Brickle, Michael Corleone, the Waterboy, etc. It’s a mutual agreement to tell enduring myths from celluloid. For it to work, it often can’t be subtle.
“(remember the bitter hardness of kim hae-sook silently biting down the razor blades in Open City? ouch. she was showing off to “scare” Son yejin, without really being a loud circus.)”
And remember when she spat out all that blood? Yowza!!
I think Kobe and I are kinda split on Son Yeh Jin’s performance in Open City. I felt it was a total misfire, but I admired that she was going for an original interpretation of femme fatale.
This is such a treat. Thank you, Sarahbeans. *muah*
He’s truly an inspiration for all<3
Thanks for the coverage on this actor; he deserves it<3
Great article! You outdid yourself, Javabeans. I feel as if I’d seen the show.
KMM is the best! I just totally love this brilliant actor!
Thanks for this, dramabeans!
Man, I’m SO excited!! Snagging the ep asap, thank you! I’ll read the recap after watching, but I needed to thank you again. You are wonderful!
“Kim Myung-min is probably the top actor in Korea right now, and is certain to go down as one of the greats of all time.”
There’s no doubt about that, javabeans!
Thanks for this summary!
KMM totally rocks!!
ALWAYS reminds me of Kim Rae Won. What a great actor though!
@Ella,
For dramas with KMM, I’ve only seen Bad Family. It’s kind of light weight fare – romantic comedy with heart. KMM plays a gangster who is hired to pretend to be the loving uncle of a girl whose family was wiped out in a car accident and who cannot remember anything. KMM as the gangster is a tough nut – abandoned himself as a child, he has grown up amongst gangsters and at the start of the drama, is forced out of his former life and told to start over as a normal person. KMM as the gangster is only beginning to come to grips with his own feelings and what it means to love.
And so there are scenes in Bad Family that make you pause the drama and say, “woah, that’s really…. wait… I want to see that again.” So you rewind the scene and you watch it over again because it’s that good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMrJv-IU6W8&feature=related
If you click to 6:40 of this clip, til about the 9 min mark, you can see a scene between Nalim and KMM as the gangster. KMM has been forced to leave Seoul (presumably never to return) and he wants to say goodbye.
For some, this is a light-weight scene, not much there except some tear-inducement. But, to me this is special not because its a tear-jerker, but because KMM’s transformation from a gangster to an uncle is about half-way there. You can’t watch this in a vacuum, but if you watch this drama from the beginning, every interaction brings something new.
-Samsooki
I uncle has the same disease. His health is really bad. He is practically like a skeleton now. He is in the hospital and I haven’t had a chance to visit him. I think this is such a painful disease that I don’t know just seeing how much effort KMM puts into his character is amazing. Seeing that thinner looking face reminds me of my uncle…however he is even worse now.
I just hope he doesn’t push himself too far. It is kind of sad…
@samsooki
congratulations! you finally managed to watch at least 1 KMM drama XD
yeah, i agree, I love that goodbye scene too.
i did cry a bit…oh well, i actually cried a lot when I watched Bad Family! XD
hmm…what are you watching next?
kim’s got such enormous passion and dedication for his work. truly amazing. im only worried that him losing this much weight will really get him sick. stay healthy, mr. kim!
@37, michi -
Okay, so we have a lot on tap.
Right now, I sort of went ’solo’ and fell off the wagon. I’ve sort of overdosed on Snow Queen, and have watched 12 episodes from Sunday evening to Monday evening. My wife has been busy with a lot of little things so I found myself wityh a remote control in my hand and Netflix DVDs sitting beside me. By accident, I inadvertently put in the Snow Queen DVDs into the DVD player and the TV turned itself on by accident and then I accidently hit the play button. Now I cannot stop watching and have only been updating my wife with quick hits.
But, I purchased Soulmate DVD series from DVDasian this weekend, and I got the “it’s been shipped” email yesterday. I expect to receive it by Friday. So, Soulmate is next after Snow Queen.
In the meantime, we have Mixed Up Investigative Agency, but my wife thought it was kind of boring, and I kind of agree. I mean, its funny, I like the comedic scenes a lot, but there’s no…… urgency? The thing is, characters are motivated by this or that, and for the major plot points, characters tend to do things in a certain way because they must, not because they just feel like it. But, in this particular drama, a lot of the plot points are somewhat random. Why do this in this way or why do that in that way? Why? Because I/we felt like it?
In this way, Mixed Up Investigative Agency lacks a bit of urgency, but I realize that this is just a different kind of drama, and so we should watch it not in “MiSa / Stairway to Heaven / Snow Queen / Winter Sonata” mode, gripping a towel for tears, but we should just relax and enjoy.
We may restart the series after I finish Snow Queen, which should be tonight, then we can watch Soulmate when that arrives later this week. By Friday, if there is an open thread, I should have comments ready for both Snow Queen and for Mixed Up Investigative Agency.
Also, I am thinking of asking my sister for my MNIKSS DVDs. She has had the series for more than two months. I’d like to go back and watch my favorite series again.
-Samsooki
wow, javabeans…Thanks for the great summary of KMM Special documentary.
Indeed it helped nonkorean speakers alot.
KMM is one awesome korean actor !
@Samsooki
I envy you because you have a spouse that actually likes Korean drama. My husband is half-korean and he’s the least bit interested in watching dramas. We watched a couple Korean movies together (Sex is Zero, Old Boy, Sympathy for Mr. Revenge) and eat a lot of Korean food but I don’t think he will ever be into dramas. He laughs at me when I cry in the middle of the night while watching dramas. He onced had to take away my laptop because I got too addicted.(which I was, I needed to study for the MCAT so thank god he butted in.) You are so lucky!
So the reason for him not being popular before is coz of his looks? hmmm..i guess people have different taste…really he doesn’t look that average…I even found him like one of those men who gets more good looking as they aged..especially when I first saw him act on the drama Bad Family, and he left me a good impression, coz it is RARE for his age to still have a leading role these days and to see that he really acts well..and after that I’ve been a fan of him
..Beethoven Virus is one of his bests too..”you’re a piece of shit” line was just awesome..I was looking at him on screen and tell myself that if i was that student i’ll probably passed out of shame! And he acted Kang Mae perfectly!
Now I have to see White Tower.=0
He’s passable of his umpcoming movie with the disease…look how skinny he is now..
After reading this, I got this feeling that I’m not too sure what it is (maybe a mix of respect + chills by simply reading of his pure acting)
It’s true what others have said, that he isn’t just acting as a character, but he is that character!
My appreciating for him has grown, and this was an awesome documentary ^^
Thanks for sharing~
@kaori,
It’s a tough thing, to find common interests with your spouse. There are a lot of things that my wife likes that I don’t really care for, and vice versa. But, tastes change over time. So even if your spouse doesn’t like k-dramas now, maybe in the future he will see things differently. Finally, you and your spouse should both try to be open-minded and experience the essence of what makes you or your spouse interested in something. For example, if he enjoys watching NBA basketball, then find out why he likes watching it. Is it because he wants to play, is it because he enjoys the game, enjoys watching a certain player or a certain team, or whatever. See what it is that he likes about watching or doing something, and then see if you cannot experience the same thing he experiences. And vice versa with something you like.
BTW, even if your spouse doesn’t like k-dramas in particular, he might find that he will enjoy watching a particular korean actor or actress. For example, Hyun Bin is my favorite korean actor, with sentimental fad-ish picks being Cha Tae-hyun (My Sassy Girl, Windstruck cameo, etc.) and Kim Myung Min (Bad Family). For favorite female actresses, Kim Sunah, Jeon Ji-hyun, and Lee Da Hae would be up there. Or, perhaps your spouse might be interested in learning korean, and watching Korean dramas is a good way to start picking up vocab and idioms. Or maybe you could start with action movies with high production values (Typhoon, Shiri, 2009 Lost Memories, The Good, The Bad and the Weird), or kind of silly action movies (My Wife is a Gangster, My Wife is a Gangster 2) or even a martial arts kind of Korean movie like Bichunmoo.
K-dramas and K-movies are quite varied, and it could be that your spouse will enjoy some aspect, and you can expand from there.
-Samsooki
thnx javabeans for this KMM’s sort of journal! i enjoyed reading it & since BV where i first saw Kim i’ve been a huge fan of his! After seeing his outstanding performance as Maestro Kang i had the urge to see more of him & i decided to see his filmography, i saw him in Bad Family where once again his acting was very impressive then followed by White Tower, Open City and am still looking forward to the others which I have to see!
Reading this account of Kim’s it sort of give you an impression of how humble he is as a person and the way he focused on his work where he takes every role given to him seriously! He may not be as handsome as the other Korean actors I always admire but I guess what counts most in his case is the way he delivers (great acting skills). I’m so happy for him that he was given the Daesaeng (spell?) awards twice already which he truly deserves! Way to go KMM! I can’t wait to see your latest project with my other fave actress Ha Ji Won!
@Samsooki
I can’t really think of something he’s really into that I’m not into. We like to collect things (precious stones, baseball cards,), do outdoor things (bike riding, road trips, flea markets), watch baseball and trying out new restaurant/food. All the things he does, I enjoy. I support him in whatever he wants to do. He does the same for me. For example, I have a Scrabble Meetup group that I go to. He goes with me even though he didn’t sign up for it online. Tonight, we’re going to watch a baseball game together.
I guess he’s more into action films and he enjoyed Sex is Zero but didn’t particularly care for Old Boy and Sympathy for Mr. Revenge. I’m trying to find more Korean movies he will enjoy. We don’t have Netflix. I actually found those two movies in Blockbuster and rented them for $1 each. I’m more into romantic comedies and Korean dramas. I don’t really go for Korean action films. I have the Rosetta Stone for Korean and a Korean-English dictionary lying around the bedroom but he hasn’t touched neither. I feel weird that I’m the one wanting to learn more about Korean culture since he’s more Korean than me.
He does enjoy the food. I think we’ve tried every Korean restaurant in town! I also cook bulgogi and a variety of side dishes at home. I just don’t think he’ll get into Korean dramas. I don’t think he’s “in tuned with his feelings” to be able to watch Kdramas. Besides online communiites, I’m the only person I know offline that likes to watch Kdramas. So thanks everyone for your input and thanks JB for this site. I stalk it everyday.
wow, a lot of Kim Myung Min fans here, eh??
so ladies and gentlemen, would you like to join us in KMM’s first international fan club?
(sarahbeans, i hope you don’t mind…)
we are still in the planning stages and we’re currently working on the actual website. you could help us in setting up the Club or you could simply join us so you could meet the growing number of KMM enthusiasts from all around the world in the MyungMin International forums!
check us our here: http://forum.myungmininternational.com/viewforum.php?f=44
to join for free: http://forum.myungmininternational.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=74&start=0
yes, there are also some KMM goodies available for members, in case you’re wondering
so thanks, everyone and we hope you see you around!
and thanks a bunch too, sarahbeans for this wonderful recap of the KMM MBC Special Documentary and for allowing me to plug our wonderful guy’s first ever international fanclub
@Samsooki
As far as actors and actresses, I don’t even know some of them. I don’t really stalk bios and unless they are particularly interesting. Recently, it’s been Kim Bum…it’s the little fangirl screaming inside me that made me do it. In the past, it was BYJ (Winter Sonata) and the dude from 18 v. 29. I like K-movies and K-dramas but not as much everyone in this site…it seems like.
@S hee: “he was given the Daesaeng (spell?)”
I believe it Daesang 대상. But its a pity he had to share with Song Seung-heon… (I’m still upset how the Daesang can be shared in half.. It’s the grand prize!)
oh gosh. i was literally on the verge of crying when i saw him tear up. i’m glad that he’s successful and happy. hwaiting myungmin-nim! gambatte! d(^O^)b
KMM is definitely one of the best actors ever. i’m watching Bad Family right now, his character & all the characters in the drama are funny, well except the evil guy. i doubt other actors put as much effort into their work as KMM does, & he deserves so much credit.
i think he needs to lighten up sometimes. other actors all praise his craft, but they said little to nothing about his personality…i think he can come off as cold to some people, even his costars.
urgh yeah I’m still not over how he had to split the daesang with ssh.
one of my favorite actors along with song kang ho… he really is great.
“celebrity. (He’s certainly handsome, but I almost think of him in an asexual way ” <- you must be damn crazy !!!
you are the classic example of ” love the house, love the claw on its rooftop” !!!
Though am always been a fan of guys with ‘pretty’ faces but when I first saw Kim Myung Min in Bad Family I have liked him coz of his incredible acting there. Though I must admit that when I first saw I also didn’t think he’s ‘handsome’ like other K actors out there but his acting sure is one of the best and he will sort of grow into you and before I’ve finished watching Bad Family he became one of my fave and now thinks he is handsome after all!! Haven’t finished Beethoven Virus yet, I stopped at Ep1( can’t even remember if I have finished ep1??, got bored at it,maybe because haven’t seen the part where there is Kim Myung Min first??) but maybe after reading this will continue watching it just to see how Kim Myung Min immersed himself in his role as Master Kang. Though I admire Kim Myung Min’s dedication to immersed himself into every role he takes, but like Jang Geun Seok said I also felt kinda a chill down my spine, also thinks he’s kinda ‘crazy’ sometimes in his dedication, but of course it’s all to our advantage us viewers coz we got to see a one-of-a-kind acting from Kim Myung Min but I sincerely hope that his life was not all work and hope that he is also enjoying his life out of the cameras coz he surely deserves it!!
Omg he’s so thin! o.O
I hope he takes a nice long vacation after that movie and gets nice and plump! He deserves it. Just… wow… (I think I swore a line of curses looking at that pick of him a month into filming).
whoa… talk about dedication..
when i first saw KMM was on the drama Bad Family, he was so awsome there. i can’t believe there are people called him ugly back then, he is charming as hell. i think he is the best actor in korea right now, and so many actors should just learn from him, not just flaunting his/her good looks and to actually ACT.
Thanks for the recap…
oh, and one more thing. i don’t usually watched politics drama like ever, but after reading this i really want to watch white tower…
I uploaded the documentary on ViiKii.
Please come and help us subbing it.
It is really touching.
http://www.viikii.net/channels/goto/KimMyungMin?angel=Turtle03
I’ve always admired Kim Myung Min and am so happy that he finally seems to be getting some appreciation for his work. In an entertainment industry which is filled with pretty faces who don’t have an ounce of talent in their body, I’m glad there’s someone like KMM to look up to.
Along with Choi MinShik and Song Kangho, I’d say he’s one of the best actors in Korea right now.
Thanks for the recap. I agree that you have outdone yourself this time!
Sigh, it’s painful to see him in his current state but I think he’s happier to be able to act well than look well. Kim Myung-min fighting!
does the video posted have english subs?
@amanda – i believe that the video is not subbed just yet but people are working on it…
ok cool!! where should i search for it michi??
I first saw Kim Myung Min in White Tower. I must be honest, I didn’t like the drama much (I was probably sick of all the dirty politics going on at the hospital), but was moved to tears by KMM’s acting towards the end of the drama. Later, I saw him in BAD FAMILY (what a little gem of a comedic drama). That’s when it hit me that he was a great actor. His portrayal of the gangster was unique and I became a fan. He definitely does not have a pretty face, but his inner beauty shines through and you fall in love with him (now, that’s is very masculine).
I also didn’t want Beethoven Virus to end.
Amanda,
You can watch the documentary at viikii.net but it has not been completely subtitled into English.
Anyone there who knows Korean and would like to help subtitling it at viikii.net? I could help with the Spanish subs, but I need the English ones first.
Thank you.
I can’t believe I missed this when JB posted it back in April. White Tower is my 2nd favorite drama of all time. His dedication to acting is amazing. I always wonder sadly what he can achieve if he had a larger forum to act. I have never for a second thought in WT he is KMM but jang Jun hyuk. This drama has such an incredible combination of writing and acting.
Depressing as the subject is, I must have watched WT at least 4 times just to catch another layer of KMM’s acting but I always manage to forget to dissect the scene and instead wound up watching the dynamic force that is Jun-Hyuk. It is such a joy to see someone excel and be so committed to their craft.
@amanda: The video team of KMM’s international fanclub (MyungMin International) is working on the English subs of this great documentary. It’s in the final stages now and we aim to release it latest by the end of this month.
Will post the details here, don’t worry!
Finally, the English-subbed version of MBC Special “Kim Myung Min Was Not There” is out!
Here are the YouTube links:
Part 1 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CedlBQkd19o
Part 2 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1Ax7rZ8GRY
Part 3 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CazZK5l5HOo
Part 4 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ5AFgwfHiQ
Part 5 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT4di8iT12c
Part 6 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfX3fA3Xzz8
Part 7 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIJS_etYfis
Download link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZW1B2IHZ
Special thanks to javabeas!!