The first documentary about Kim Min-ki and his academic history, 'Kim Min-ki's Academic History and the Backstory', successfully opened the first act of a three-part special broadcast with a moving afterglow.
Part 1 of 'SBS Special – Hakjeon and the Behind the Scenes Kim Min-ki', which aired on the 21st, shared the beginning and end of 'Hakjeon', a small theater that was a staple in the Korean culture and arts world, which closed after 33 years on March 15th, and a genius singer song. It gave a touching lingering feeling by illuminating the life of Kim Min-ki, who stubbornly maintained his role as a 'backstage' behind the scenes, leaving behind the life of a writer. Accordingly, the first part of 'Kim Min-ki's Before and After' recorded 3.4% nationwide based on Nielsen Korea, ranking first in terrestrial TV viewership ratings in the same time slot.
On this day's broadcast, actors such as Sol Kyeong-gu, Hwang Jung-min, Jang Hyun-seong, Choi Deok-moon, Jeon Bae-soo, Lee Jeong-eun, Lee Hwang-ui, Park Myung-hoon, Kim Dae-myeong, and Lee Sun-bin, who have grown up to be leading actors in the Korean acting world, put down the halo of stardom and returned to just being members of the academy. He reminisced about his academic career and Kim Min-ki.
Among them, Sol Kyeong-gu tells the story of how he caught the eye of Kim Min-ki while putting up flyers at a school and ended up performing on stage for the premiere of 'Subway Line 1', Hwang Jung-min tells the story of how he first met Hakjeon through a part-time job after being discharged from the military, and Lee Jeong-eun tells the story of how Sol Kyung-gu introduced him. They revealed the story of joining the school by parachute, and aroused interest by telling about their rookie days, which were simple and fresh from today's eyes.
The person who brought together these unknown new actors and created their present was Kim Min-ki, the singer of ‘Morning Dew.’ Kim Min-ki, who began his career as a musical composer and director by opening a small theater in the 1990s, donated all of his copyright fees to the operation of the school, and what was created was the legendary work 'Subway Line 1', which was created during the musical wasteland period.
Actors from 'Subway Line 1', including Sol Kyeong-gu and Hwang Jung-min, revealed that Kim Min-gi personally taught beginners who did not even know how to read sheet music, and that he valued basic skills more than anything else, and that his teachings at that time became the foundation for his current acting. In addition, the actors said that even though Kim Min-ki was one of the most famous singers in Korea at the time, he had a habit of saying, “I'm in the back. You're in the front,” and considered it his calling to shine a bright light in a dark place outside of the light. reported.
Kim Min-ki's efforts to create a space where actors can play to their heart's content can also be found in pre-school welfare benefits. At a time when it was natural to think that theater was a hungry job, we created an environment in which members did not go hungry by providing food stamps, signing contracts with performers to guarantee a minimum amount of money, distributing profits from performances according to contribution, and hiring full-time employees. It was an unprecedented democratic administration at the time, such as providing four major insurances to in-house staff. Thanks to Kim Min-gi's sincerity in saying that he was happier than anyone else when actors' incomes were higher than his own, the Hakjeon members were able to pursue their shining dreams without suffering from hardships, and this became another dream for those who wanted to become actors, making 'Hakjeon' literally. It was able to be reborn as a place where artists with good seeds were planted, blossomed, and left.
In addition, Kim Min-ki's stubborn integrity, which ran the theater on his own without receiving any sponsorship even in the recession that came with the change of times, did not give in to the logic of capital and preserved the value of the school's existence, protecting cultural diversity and experimental spirit until the last moment. , adding a beautiful lingering feeling to the back of Hakjeon leaving for history.
In addition, numerous celebrities sat down for an interview to tell us about the person named Kim Min-ki, Kim Dae-myeong's eyes turned red as he said, “Thank you for being my teacher,” and past students willingly gathered together to perform the final performance of 'Subway Line 1'. The appearance of the members gave rise to the belief that Kim Min-ki's dedication, which he lived as an 'backward' student for 33 years, will not simply end in his life, but will take root deeply in the Korean pop culture world and sprout again.
In this way, Part 1 of 'Kim Min-ki's Academic History and the Behind' provided a meaningful time to look back on the life of Kim Min-ki and the value of academic history that was unknown but should be known. In addition, various materials that have never been released to the public, such as the premiere video of 'Subway Line 1', making film, photos, and vivid recordings, added the meaning of archiving the 33-year history of the school, which would be too difficult to forget, into the viewers' memories.
After the broadcast, the reaction of viewers was also enthusiastic. On SNS and various online communities, people said, “I was watching the documentary about the academic drama, and Mr. Min-ki Kim is truly an amazing person. I thought he was the operator of the academic drama, but he was a singer who wrote and composed the lyrics for Morning Dew,” and “I really like the documentary about Min-ki Kim. He is a very important person in our country's modern history and musical history. “Director Kim Min-ki is amazing. Even though he is a theater company that does not disclose profits from performances, he became the 4th major insurance company and took less money than the actors.” “, “Wow, all the actors I like are from Hakjeon, and Hakjeon was like a pillar in the Korean drama film industry.”
Meanwhile, in the upcoming second part, musicians representing the Korean music industry and living witnesses of the dark era of Yushin in the 1970s will serve as interviewees and testify to the behind-the-scenes look at Kim Min-ki, a genius singer-songwriter and the morning dew of democratization. Accordingly, expectations are rising for the second part of 'Kim Min-ki's Before and After', which successfully opened with a touching lingering feeling.
'SBS Special – Hakjeon and the Behind the Scenes Kim Min-ki' is the first documentary that tells the story of Hakjeon, a leading figure in Korean culture and arts who created the musical 'Subway Line 1', and Kim Min-gi, the representative of Hakjeon, who has strictly pursued a life behind the scenes and refrained from appearing on broadcasts. This is a unique project that includes interviews with over 100 celebrities who have come together for Kim Min-ki. Part 2 will be broadcast at 11:05 pm on the 28th (Sunday).
(SBS Entertainment News Reporter Kang Seon-ae)
