'Minister Kim' Ground Cricket Won Hyun-jun "Checks Ratings Every Morning, Satisfied Even When Hated" [Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

• Interview with actor Won Hyun-jun, who played Kang Guk-cheol, the Ground Cricket, in SBS's Saturday-Sunday drama 'Minister Kim'

Actor Won Hyun-jun expressed his affection for the drama 'Minister Kim', which concluded with a peak viewership rating of 27.1%.

Recently, Won Hyun-jun conducted an interview to commemorate the finale of SBS's Saturday-Sunday drama 'Minister Kim' (written by Nam Dae-jung, directed by Lee Seung-young and Lee So-eun) at the FreinTPC office building in Samsung-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

'Minister Kim' is a father-universe revenge action drama about an ordinary dad who becomes the world's most dangerous man to reclaim his only daughter. According to Nielsen Korea, the final episode aired on the 25th recorded viewership ratings of 23.4% in the Seoul metropolitan area and 23.0% nationwide. Notably, the peak rating soared to 27.1%, shattering its own record and delivering a flawless finale without any shortcomings.

In the drama, Won Hyun-jun portrayed Kang Guk-cheol, director of South Korea's Special Mission Bureau, also known as Ground Cricket, convincingly depicting a character who exists for the nation and the greater good, thereby heightening viewers' immersion.

Regarding achieving a successful conclusion with record-breaking ratings, Won Hyun-jun said, "During the wrap party, no one, including the director, expected it to go this well." He added, "I am grateful again and again. It feels like I should be thanking not only the viewers but also heaven. All the actors are happy."

He then joked, "It would be a lie if I said I didn't check the ratings," revealing that he checked them every day at 10 a.m., drawing laughter from those present.

On his character Kang Guk-cheol, Won explained, "The director told me, 'Since you were cast second, please do your best.' Although I felt considerable pressure, I studied Kang Guk-cheol diligently. The director also said, 'Feel free to interpret the role however you like.' I worried a lot about how to effectively incorporate the Ground Cricket character and which aspects to emphasize. When it was originally a webtoon, I deliberately avoided reading the source material because I felt the character of Ground Cricket didn't quite align with me. While discussing external traits with the production team, I remained faithful to the script."

He further stated, "When considering what position Ground Cricket holds from Minister Kim's perspective, I never viewed him as a villain. Instead, I approached the role assuming he was someone pursuing the dangerous Minister Kim driven by a sense of mission and conviction toward the nation."

As seen in the line, "I may not trust spies like you, but your daughter is a South Korean citizen. I will protect all South Korean citizens with my life," Kang Guk-cheol is a character who moves solely for the goal of 'the nation.' However, from a narrative standpoint, he also became an obstacle to the protagonist Minister Kim and drew criticism from some viewers.

Addressing this, Won Hyun-jun remarked, "There was no part of the script that I didn't understand," while adding, "But when watching the drama myself as a viewer, I found (Kang Guk-cheol) quite frustrating. Many people around me also reacted with comments like 'Leave Minister Kim alone' or 'Give Minji some food.' Although I received plenty of hatred, I am satisfied."

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*This content was translated by AI.