Kim Eui-sung (Korean: 김의성; born December 17, 1965) is a South Korean actor. He is a first-generation film actor who started as a stage actor in the 1980s and 1990s. He is known for his roles in the films The Day a Pig Fell into the Well (1996), Office (2015), The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo (2015), and Train to Busan (2016), as well as the television dramas W (2016) and Taxi Driver (2021–2026).
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Early life and education
Kim Eui-sung is a graduate of Seoul National University's Department of Business Administration, Class of 1984. He is a first-generation movie star from the 1980s and 1990s. Kim began acting in college by joining the drama club in his sophomore year. His inspiration came from watching a school play and attending an after-party. He performed two-person plays with his senior, Jung Jin-young, traveling across the country. From 1987, he was active in various theater companies such as Cheonjeyeon, Han River, Hanyang Repertory, Yeonwoo Stage, and Hakchon.
Career
Early career
Kim made his screen debut in 1988. In 1994, he played the role of photographer Jang Ik-gu in Kim Soo-hyun's work, "Farewell". He began to gain attention after appearing in director Hong Sang-soo's 1996 film The Day a Pig Fell into the Well. He also appeared in various films and dramas, including Go Alone Like a Rhinoceros, Deep Water Soup, Barricade, and Ju No Myeong Bakery.
Acting hiatus and production work
He paused his acting career for more than a decade to work as a producer, and the CEO for Vietnam at FnC Media in 2001 and CJ Media in 2006. He stepped away from acting due to dissatisfaction with his performances. While in Vietnam, he produced a successful local drama, but his tendency of prioritizing the work over profit led to financial struggles and long efforts to save money.
Return to acting
In 2010, he met director Hong Sang-soo again and returned to acting, appearing in The Day He Arrives the following year. He gained renewed attention for his role as Han Myeong-hoe in The Face Reader. In 2015, he played Jeong Mong-ju, the final boss of the Goryeo faction, in the SBS drama Six Flying Dragons. His performance reciting a poem during Jeong Mong-ju's final scene on Seonjuk Bridge was highly praised and considered one of the most iconic scenes in the series.
Since his comeback, he has also appeared in various films such as Bukchon Direction, Architecture 101, Namyeong-dong 1985, 26 Years, Nobody's Daughter Haewon, Twenty, Minority Opinion, Assassination, and Office.
Villain roles and further recognition
In the worldwide hit film Train to Busan, released in July 2016, Kim played the supporting role of Yong-suk, a business executive and COO. His role left a strong impression to the audience, establishing him as a specialist in playing despicable characters. Kim gained recognition for his villain role in Train to Busan, and has also been part of projects like The Priests, Inside Men, Yourself and Yours, The King, Steel Rain, 1987, Golden Slumber, Rampant, Extreme Job, and Intimate Strangers.
Kim gained more recognition in the MBC drama W by portraying Oh Sung-moo, a webtoon writer and the father of lead character played by Han Hyo-joo. He was nominated for the Best Couple Award with Lee Si-eon, although the award went to Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo. In 2017, Kim signed an exclusive contract with Artist Company.
In addition to film works, he has appeared in dramas such as Positive Constitution, Mr. Sunshine, Memories of the Alhambra, Dear Citizens!, and Arthdal Chronicles. He was also the host of MBC's exploration program Straight.
In the drama Mr. Sunshine, he played as Yi Wan-ik / Rinoie Hiroaki, Kudo Hina's father. His role was a selfish and cruel pro-Japanese official who is responsible for the deaths of Go Ae-shin's parents. He showcased a possessed level of acting, while speaking Korean (with a Hamgyeong-do dialect), Japanese and English. His Japanese speaking was particularly noted for its high-level pronunciation and praised by native speakers.
In Memories of the Alhambra, he played as Cha Byung-jun, a selfish and greedy university professor in Seoul. He is Cha Hyung-seok's (Park Hoon) father and meets his demise when NPCs, created by a bug, inadvertently cause his death while trying to manipulate Yoo Jin-woo (Hyun Bin).
Recent works
In 2020, Kim left Artist Company and joined KeyEast.
In 2021, he played a main role in the SBS drama Taxi Driver as Jang Sung-chul. Unlike his previous villain roles, Kim's character in this series is a good character with a ruthless side, earning praise for his performance. The drama also achieved decent viewership ratings.
Starting from October 15, 2022, he appeared as Chief State Councillor Hwang Won-hyeong in the fusion historical drama Under the Queen's Umbrella. He delivered another strong performance as a ruthless and ambitious villain, engaging in intense charisma battles with Kim Hye-soo, who played as the Queen, and Kim Hae-sook, who played as the Queen Dowager. The series was a commercial hit and one of the highest-rated dramas in Korean cable television history.
In 2023, Kim portrayed as Minister of National Defense Oh Guk-sang in the film 12.12: The Day, directed by Kim Sung-su, and starring Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Sung-min, Park Hae-joon and Kim Sung-kyun. Set against the backdrop of the December 12, 1979 military coup from the late 1970s to early 1980s, it was released in theaters on November 22, 2023. Despite playing a supporting role, his performance evoked more anger from the audience than the main villains. The film grossed over US$97 million worldwide against a budget of approximately $17 million, making it highest-grossing Korean film of 2023. As of June 2024, 12.12: The Day ranks as the fourth highest-grossing film and the sixth most-viewed film in South Korean film history. Later on, Kim has established his own agency Ahn Company.