Kim Min-jae says he takes the responsibility of playing a doctor seriously. Photo: Handout
One thing actor Kim Min-jae would like to share with young people experiencing mental health is to tell them “it’s not your fault”.
He further hopes that they would “find a way to be happy at all costs”.
The Korean star tells this to StarLifestyle in an exclusive email interview to promote the second season of the period K-drama Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist.
In the series set during the Joseon era, Kim plays the titular character who is a person who helps his patients’ well-being by observing, as well as listening and talking to them.
As for what makes the actor himself happy, Kim answers: “Well ... when I gain knowledge these days? I think I feel some happiness, so I’m reading a lot of books. (Haha).”
The 26-year-old with an infectious smile, one that showcases dimples on both cheeks, is known for being diligent about his craft.
For his role in the 2020 drama Do You Like Brahms?, he learned difficult classical pieces on the piano.
Not to mention the many dance moves he mastered for the 2017 series Hit The Top, playing an idol trainee.
He displays similar level of dedication in portraying people working in the medical field, namely in The Joseon Psychiatrist and the popular Dr Romantic series (2016-2023), in which he plays a nurse at a small hospital on the outskirts of a remote town.
Kim explains: “I always act with a sense of duty since I perform the role that is most directly related to a person’s life or death. I imagine my character as the medical practitioner I would like to have if I were a patient.”
Kim Min-jae says he is most excited for the fans to see how the romance between his characer and Kim Hyang-gi's character develops in the second season. Photo: Handout
Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist is a tvN drama that’s based on the novel of the same name.
The first season aired in August of 2022, while the second season started in January this year and is set to air its penultimate and final episodes today and tomorrow, respectively.
Besides Kim Min-jae, the series also stars Kim Hyang-gi and Kim Sang-kyung.
It starts with Yoo Se-poong who is the royal doctor at the palace, and given the privilege to treat the king himself.
But when the king dies while Se-poong is performing acupuncture on him, he is expelled from the royal court.
After a lot of soul searching, Se-poong arrives at a clinic in the Gyesu village where he puts his medical knowledge to train a female physician while he works on healing the mind and heart of his patients with psychology, and a bit of detecting.
Although the series provides interesting medical cases within its two seasons, undoubtedly its main draw is in watching how the main characters mature as they go about their profession and of course the budding romance between the two young leads.
There are entertaining subplots centring on a conspiracy at the palace, as well as a group of kind-hearted people at the clinic who try their darndest to help those in need.
Filming for the two seasons took place from February to December last year, which means Kim Min-jae lived with the character Se-poong for nearly a year.
Nonetheless, the actor admits that he was excited to be able to explore stories as Se-poong in all that time.
Kim highlights his performance as a psychiatrist and the “unfinished romance” from the first season as some of the things he was most excited for fans to watch in the second season.
“In the first season, Se-poong was more of an uncompromising and single-minded person.
“But in Season Two, as he treats different patients, he becomes more warm-hearted and feels more responsible in saving people’s lives,” Kim says.
According to Kim, he has no problem resuming a character he has played before.
Besides The Joseon Psychiatrist, Kim is a regular in Dr Romantic which is set to premiere its third season in April this year.
“These dramas are loved by the audience a lot, so it’s a great pleasure for me to be able to film them again. Of course, when I play the character again, I put a lot of thought and effort into showing a different side.
“However, because the character is in a different circumstance and at a different time, I attempt to portray it without being overpowering,” he adds.
Having made his acting debut in 2015, it wasn’t long before Kim caught the attention of audiences and filmmakers and he was quickly promoted from playing supporting characters to leading man roles in just four years.
Kim, who started his entertainment career as an idol trainee at 17 years old, reveals that he was initially supposed to debut as a rapper in a K-pop group.
However, he decided to become an actor instead as acting gave him freedom to express himself.
At the same time, the star says he still loves music and dancing – even more so now because he doesn’t see it as work anymore, just something he enjoys.
The actor, who also goes by the moniker Real.be, elaborates on his occupation: “I’m most excited to be a new person and live in a new world. But I guess it’s also where I’m most worried and hesitant about whether I can portray the character to people in the same way that I feel about it.”
Kim Min-jae and Woo Do-hwan on the set of 'Tempted'. Photo: Facebook
Since acting requires a lot of intuition, Kim says he looks to the senior actor on set to learn the craft more intricately by watching and listening to them.
“Every moment I spend with my seniors is such a happy moment for me,” he says.
Not surprisingly, one of the people he is close to is fellow actor Woo Do-hwan, 30, with whom Kim worked with in the 2018 show Tempted.
“Actor Woo Do-hwan is a colleague, friend, older brother and senior. When things are difficult, he always listens to me affectionately and always stands by my side and gives me strength. I’m always grateful to him,” he explains.
As he is considerably new in acting, Kim says there are still many more genres and characters that he’s looking forward to exploring in the future.
One of them is the action genre because “I love acting while using my body”.
He also surmises to StarLifestyle his future plans: “In the new year, I want to travel to different countries. I want to spend a healthy year without getting sick.
“As for work, I am making plans so that I can take on new projects, have fun working on them, and show my various sides to my fans.”
The final episode of Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist 2 airs tonight (Feb 10) at 9.15pm on tvN (Astro Ch 395/unifi TV Ch 211).
