Kim Min Seok goes from soldier to doctor
Kim Min Seok gets a second shot in a hit series after starring in Descendants Of The Sun.
Actors know that they need a bit of luck to score solid roles and enjoy adoration from their audience.
In South Korean rising star Kim Min Seok's case, Lady Luck has shone on him generously.
This year alone, the boyish-faced 26-year-old has been in not one but two hit TV series.
He played cheeky, mischievous pickpocket-turned-soldier Kim Gi Beom in Descendants Of The Sun (DOTS).
And in Doctors, he portrays easygoing, happy-go-lucky hospital resident Choi Kang Soo, who harbours a crush on neurosurgeon Yoo Hye Jung (Park Shin Hye).
"I am so lucky because my experiences on both shows have been great," Kim told The New Paper in an e-mail interview.
"After DOTS aired, I realise I have gained a lot of international fans on Instagram.
"I am very grateful for all their encouraging words, written in different languages. Their encouragement has helped me through long, tiring days."
Kim, who made his acting debut in the 2012 coming-of-age high school drama Shut Up Flower Boy Band, added that after the success of DOTS, there were times when people on the streets of Seoul would recognise him and call out his character's name excitedly.
"I get that especially from ajummas (aunties in Korean)," he said.
"They treat me like their son."
Doctors, which is close on the heels of DOTS in viewership figures, looks set to be the next big drama of 2016.
MATURE
For Kim, Doctors allowed him to mature as an actor.
"I didn't have a lot of screen time in DOTS and everything was less rushed because we filmed it in advanced," he said.
"Doctors gave me an opportunity to grow my character. Even though we are filming it as the drama airs, our script and our production quality is outstanding.
"Because of the time we spent together, the cast members have bonded well."
Kim, who said that he watched other medical-themed dramas such as Good Doctor (2013) and Yong-pal (2015) as research for his role, had nothing but praise for Doctors' lead stars Park and Kim Rae Won.
"Kim Rae Won sunbae (Korean honorific term for seniors) is very different in person. In real life, he's serious and very professional. I have seen his previous dramas and he usually plays serious characters who don't smile.
"So I think it's very refreshing for me, as well as the audience, to see him (in such a cheerful role) in Doctors," he said.
"As for Shin Hye noona (elder sister in Korean), she is very kind and generous. Her fight scenes are so good. We are all very impressed by her."
Doctors airs within 24 hours of its original broadcast in Singapore on ONE with new episodes every Tuesday and Wednesday, 8.10pm on ONE (Singtel TV Ch 513, 604 and StarHub TV Ch 124, 820 and 823)
Also on ONE, Fans can catch-up with the two-day Doctors TV Marathon Special! on July 30 and 31, from 12.45pm to 7.30pm with 12 episodes back-to-back.
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