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. 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. 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''. 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. 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. 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. 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. ==Filmography==