Early career as member of Alleyway Theater Company In 2007, Kim made his debut in the play
Gangster No.1. The play delved into the story of a gangster's rise to power. It shed light on an era marked by intense competition and materialistic pursuits. The play was performed at Theater Tree and Water of Daehak-ro Art Theater, running from August 8 until September 30. In 2008, Kim acted in the independent short black and white film ''''. It advanced to the finals of the
Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival and was screened at Yongsan CGV from June 26 to July 2, 2008. While performing in a college play, Kim and fellow actor Shim Jae-hyun caught the attention of Professor
Park Geun-hyung, a renowned professor of
Seoul Institute of the Arts and the leader of Alleyway Theater Company. Professor Park invited them to one of his own play. This led to Kim being cast in the Korean production of
Marat/Sade (2009) by playwright
Peter Weiss, produced by the Seoul Theater Company and directed by Park Geun-hyung himself. Subsequently, Kim joined the Alleyway Theater Company as a member. Subsequently, he took on a minor role in the feature film
Way Back Home (2013), followed by
The Con Artists (2014). In the spring of 2017, Kim made his return to
Daehak-ro by portraying
Håkon Håkonsson, King-elect of Norway, in the premiere of a Korean adaptation of
Henrik Ibsen's play
The Pretenders, titled
The Claimants of the Throne. Directed by Kim Gwang-bo and written by Ko Yeon-ok, who had previously collaborated on a project, the performance took place at the
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts M Theater. Later that year, in the fall of 2017, Kim took on the role of French Diplomat Rene Gallimard in the third Korean adaptation of
David Henry Hwang's play
M. Butterfly, as part of
The Best Plays ''Festival's'' repertoire. Directed by
Kim Dong-yeon, the play ran from September to December at the Art One Theater Hall 1.
Breakthrough roles in small screen Kim rose to prominence as an actor after his role as Ahn Jae-geun, a whistleblower at Seomyoung Foods, in the
tvN drama
Argon (2017), where he was praised for his captivating performance. He then went on to star in the
KBS Drama Special 2018. He appeared in one-act drama
Too Bright for Romance, where he played the role of the renowned theater critic Kim Hyung-seok. Directed by
Yoo Young-eun, this drama special was the fourth installment of the
KBS Drama Special 2018, which aired on October 5, 2018. It was based on Kim Geum-hee's novel of the same name, which had won the grand prize at the 7th Young Artist Award in 2016. Kim collaborated with director Yoo Young-eun once again in seventh installment of
KBS Drama Special 2018, titled "Dreamers". Kim portrayed a character who manages the dream world and has control over those who escape reality into their dreams. His detailed and skillful acting made a strong impression and increased viewer immersion in the drama, showcasing his talents as an experienced theater actor. This drama aired on October 25, 2018. Kim was cast in both drama because director Yoo Young-eun had seen one of his theater performances. Kim gained wider recognition after starring in the 2018
tvN drama series
Encounter, where he portrays Lee Dae-chan, the easy-going and cheerful owner of Chan's Golbaengi, a small restaurant. He showcases his own character well when acting with actors
Song Hye-kyo,
Park Bo-gum,
Pyo Ji-hoon, and
Kwak Sun-young. His love line with Kwak Sun-young also an attractive sub-plot, as it intertwines due to a fateful meeting. Kim's performance in
Encounter marked a turning point in his career, as he gained wider recognition and established himself as a talented television actor. In 2019, Kim costarred in Korean adaptation of US series
Designated Survivor: 60 Days. His role is the show's counterpart of
Jason Atwood, Jung Han-mo,
NIS Terrorism Task Force Chief.
Career breakthrough and recent theater projects In 2020, Kim joined Season 2 of
SBS drama series in
Romantic Doctor Kim Sa Bu, as Park Min-kook, a professor of general surgery and the new director of Doldam Hospital who think of Kim Sa Bu, starred
Han Suk-kyu, as his rival. His solid performance won Best Supporting Actor in
2020 SBS Drama Awards. In the same year, He also begin to be recognized internationally for his role in
tvN and
Netflix drama series ''
It's Okay to Not Be Okay''. He starred as Lee Sang-in, the CEO of SangsangESang Publishing Company, which publishes Moon-young's children's books. He also starred as lead role in
Kim Jee-woon's short film
Untact alongside
Kim Go-eun. Kim made special appearance in the pilot episode of
tvN mini-series
Start-Up, as the father of
Bae Suzy's character. Kim took on the role of Cha Eun-seok, an orthopedic surgeon experiencing the effects of
Burnout syndrome, in the KBS drama
Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol. While playing the second lead, Kim's performance in the drama was highly praised and earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the
2020 KBS Drama Awards. When Kim was filming a television. drama, he received script of play
The Understudy. Kim then played Harry in the South Korean premiere of the play
The Understudy, a black comedy that revolves around a fictional, unpublished work by
Franz Kafka. The story follows Jake, the understudy for top Hollywood star Bruce, and explores the preparation process with the involvement of Harry, Jake's own understudy, and Roxanne, the stage director. The play was performed at the Jayu Small Theater of the
Seoul Arts Center from December 21 to February 27, 2022. This marked his second collaboration with
Song Hye-kyo. He played the role of Seok Do-hoon, a 40-year-old talented CEO of a PR company. Kim's performance in the drama earned him the Excellence Award for an Actor in a Mini-Series Romance/Comedy Drama at the
SBS Drama Awards. In the second half of 2021, Kim collaborated with Director Oh Chung-hwan for the second time after his special appearance in
Start-Up for drama
Big Mouse. written by Kim Ha-ram drama
Big Mouse, and directed by Oh Chung-hwan and Bae Hyun-jin, started to air in the MBC Friday-Saturday slot in July 2023. Kim left a lasting impact on viewers with his portrayal of Gucheon Mayor Choi Do-ha. The drama concluded on September 17, starting with a viewership rate of 6.2% and reaching its peak viewership of 13.7% in the final episode. In 2022, Kim made a memorable special appearance in the 15th and 16th episodes of
ENA Channel's
Extraordinary Attorney Woo as a show of support for director Yoo In-sik. In September 2022, it was reported that Kim is scheduled to reprise his role as Park Min-kook, in Season 3 of
SBS drama series
Romantic Doctor Kim Sa Bu. In the same month it was announced that Kim was cast in the drama
When the Stars Gossip. His role, Park Dong-ah, is a veteran astronaut who has been to the space station three times and is a member of Seoul's Mission Control Center with Eve Kim (played by
Gong Hyo-jin). The drama is planned to be aired in 2024. In the end of 2022, Kim's first feature film
Fairy was premiered in panorama section of the
26th Busan International Film Festival. Kim and his costar
Ryu Hyun-kyung shot this film in 2021. In 2023, Kim collaborated with Director
Oh Chung-hwan for the third time and writer
Park Hye-ryun for the second time in the
tvN miniseries
Castaway Diva. In the series, he portrayed the character of Lee Seo-joon, Ran-joo's former manager, who is now the CEO of RJ Entertainment. Kim returned to the theater again. In May 2023, it was revealed that Kim, along with Park Jeong-bok and Kim Bada, had been cast in the roles of the free-spirited wanderer Walker and his father Ned in the play
Three Days of Rain. Directed by
Oh Man-seok, who previously directed the South Korean premiere in 2017, the play was performed at Dongguk University's Lee Hae-rang Arts Theater from July 25 to October 1. ==Other ventures==