An online community post highlighted scenes of Kim portraying the Japanese police official, including moments in which the character harasses a Korean woman and oversees the interrogation of an independence activist through a Korean interpreter.
The post also drew attention to Kim’s long history of playing intense or antagonistic characters, particularly Japanese figures.
His previous roles include pro-Japanese collaborator Lee Deok-mun in Mr. Sunshine, Nam Ki-tae in Through the Darkness, Lim Jae-seok in Moving, Omura in Noryang, Kim Jung-ho in Squid Game Seasons 2 and 3, Wada in Hero, and Yamada in The Battleship Island.
Viewers were also surprised to learn about Kim’s background in Japan. According to the post, the actor attended school in Japan from the second grade of elementary school through his final year of high school.
That background prompted several commenters to point to the natural quality of his Japanese pronunciation and delivery, while others joked that his performances as antagonistic Japanese characters are so convincing that they become genuinely frustrating to watch.
Netizen Reactions
The sampled discussion included reactions from online community users praising Kim's acting range, expressing humorous frustration over his convincing antagonists, and sharing surprise at his off-screen appearance.
1. The last photo is so handsome I almost didn’t recognize him. I guess the reason he captures that uniquely sly Japanese vibe so well is because he lived in Japan for so long. He’s such a good actor!!!!
2. Please tone down the acting a little, you seriously pissed me off ㅋㅋ
3. So he’s a specialist in playing Japanese bastards ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
4. He’s an actor who leaves a strong impression in every single project. He broke my heart in Moving, but this time he’s acting so well he makes me want to shoot him ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ. Ah, so there was a reason his Japanese was so good.
5. His Japanese pronunciation was so natural that I wondered whether you could even reach that level just through practice, but it turns out he lived there. He really is a specialist in Japanese roles.
6. That was Jae-seok from Moving??????? He’s seriously the textbook definition of completely transforming into a role
7. Seriously, this guy naturally makes you want to say, ‘Please tone down the acting’ ㅋㅋ
8. This guy’s eyes are f*cking terrifying in 100 Days of Deception ㅋㅋㅋㅋ. His acting is intense as hell.
9. He looks like such a normal person in his Instagram pics ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ugh, just thinking about yesterday is making me mad again.
10. His Japanese is so good it gives me chills. Wow, how much did he practice?
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