With an acting resume spanning 69 years, 87-year-old actor Kim Young-ok displayed a firmness of voice that made it difficult to believe that it was coming from Korea’s oldest active female actor.

“There’s nothing to be proud of. Just live with whatever comes your way,” she told the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, on Jan. 22.


It was a foggy day filled with fine dust. Before the interview, Kim was wearing a face mask she said she doesn’t wear often, concealing a smile that had aged like fine wine.

When asked how she stays active and healthy in the Year of the Blue Snake, which symbolizes wisdom, she simply replied that she “doesn’t overdo anything.”

“I just move as much as I can,” Kim said. “What other secret must I have? I’ve been trying to sleep six to eight hours since my 50s, and I’m not too picky about what I eat. Even though our job sometimes requires us to pull all-nighters and have irregular lifestyles, I don’t think there’s ever been that much of a problem.”

Her birthday was on Dec. 6.

“I guess I’m destined for a long life,” she said.

Kim has appeared in more than 200 television drama series and films, some of which have proved to be hits on over-the-top platforms, including Netflix’s “Squid Game” (2021-) and Apple TV+’s “Pachinko” (2022-24). She’s also seen success as a narrator and voice actor, winning the narration category for the Korea Broadcasting Prizes in 2020 for her performance in EBS's educational program "Our Sweet Homes" (2019-).

Another win from last month was also notable. She received the Seoul Global Movie Awards’ Best Actress award along with her co-star and best friend, Na Moon-hee, for the film “Picnic” (2024). It was her first leading female actor accolade for a movie of her career.

Around the same time, she received the Achievement Award at the 2024 SBS Drama Awards for her role in the SBS drama series “The Judge from Hell” (2024), in which she played an angel in the guise of an elderly tenant. It was her second time receiving the same prize, following 2011.

“Since it’s the centenarian era, I’ll try to stay healthy, and I hope younger actors get more opportunities to show off their talents in versatile ways,” Kim said in her acceptance speech on Dec. 21, 2024. “It feels like the end of the year is in a haze, so I wish everyone a great and beautiful new year.”

Born in 1938 in what is now Jongno District in central Seoul, Kim witnessed Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. During the Korean War (1950-53), her eldest brother was forcibly drafted into the North Korean military while her second oldest brother fought for the South. The plot for the 2004 famed war film “Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War” was, in fact, a reality for her.

“I now live in the neighborhood where I grew up, in Sajik-dong of Jongno District, where I can still distinctly remember my mother putting a cotton hat on my head to protect me from bomb debris.

“I’m so proud of the people of our nation,” she continued, pausing before adding, “We’ve survived those times, but I don’t understand why we’ve turned out this way. It’s very sad.”

Through trying times, Kim’s solution was to read scripts.

“No matter how much you try to conceal yourself in a role, you can’t do it entirely,” she said. “Whenever you steal someone else’s life through acting, you learn how to live the right way, how you must live.”

Kim has acted since high school, when she participated in theater clubs. She debuted onstage in the play “The Monkey’s Paw” in 1957. She acted and anchored news segments in college but decided to revert to the theater. After being in Korean playwright Cha Bum-seok’s (1924-2006) theater troupe for 28 years, she returned to the small screen as a voice actor.

“I did one or two plays a year to train myself without pay. I would come home at night, and I was unable to be there for my children when they had measles. My mother and husband struggled as well. Maybe I was too immature, but I didn’t realize it then. But whenever I get a new project, I get greedy. I still get excited.”

She began taking elderly roles in her 30s, playing Korea’s first dementia patient in the KBS drama series “When You and I Were Young, Maggie” (translated, 1991-92). Some other notable works include both the 1997 MBC original television drama series “The Most Beautiful Goodbye” and the 2017 tvN remake, as well as tvN’s “Dear My Friends” (2016).

The KBS drama series “Old Miss Diary” (2004-05) gave Kim the nickname “Halminem,” a portmanteau of halmeoni (grandma) and rapper Eminem, for the scene in which her character makes feisty complaints to a rude restaurant owner.

“It was a turning point for me as an actor,” Kim recalled. “I’m always thankful that my fans from that era threw me parties celebrating the show’s 15th and 20th anniversary.”

She then took Halminem to the next level by rapping in variety shows subsequently.

She also saw success as a singer, with a cover for the song “A Thousand Winds” by singer Lim Hyung-joo receiving over 4 million views on YouTube. Commenters said Kim’s singing reminded them of relatives who passed away and that an actor’s voice conveyed emotion better.

Kim seemed to be pleased with the reactions. “It’s the same with acting,” she said. “It’s not about getting the lines right. It’s about captivating the audience. As an actor, you must be passionate about that for the rest of your life.”

Kim said she has been taking care of her grandchild since 2015, when they became partially paralyzed after being hit by a drunk driver without a license. Two years ago, Kim fell in the shower and was rushed to the emergency room. She was diagnosed with a crack in her tailbone and recalled it as a terrifying experience, unsure if she would “ever get back up.”

“It was two hard months,” she said. “But the feeling you get when you’re back on your two feet is like no other. I want to tell this to anyone, old or young — if you’re sick with anything, don’t ignore it. Get it treated as soon as you can. It’s better to live more conveniently than simply live long.”

Sometimes, she feels “strange” that she is “still alive and well.”

“I don’t know anybody who’s seen only good in their life. There’s really no difference between a good life and a bad life because everybody has issues,” she said. “It’s because we are all human, so we go through so many things. I’m really good at shaking things off. I’m good at trying to age well.”

Kim says she is practicing her singing for an upcoming music television program. The KBS drama series “Iron Family” (2024-25), in which she is part of the main cast, also recently aired its last episode.

“They say that life experience nourishes one’s singing, and that hit me personally,” she said. “Natural talent is one thing, but when you have the underlying experience, it can’t help but touch people’s hearts.”

BY NA WON-JEONG [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]