Born in 1955, KI Joo-bong majored in film and theatre from Sorabol Art University (now part of Chung-Ang University). He debuted in 1977 when he established the theater company 76 along with his brother KI Guk-seo, also an actor and stage director. They were not earning a lot, but KI didn’t mind. However, along with his marriage came the moral obligation of feeding his family and so he tried other jobs, without much success. He went back to the stage, and since the late 19...More

Born in 1955, KI Joo-bong majored in film and theatre from Sorabol Art University (now part of Chung-Ang University). He debuted in 1977 when he established the theater company 76 along with his brother KI Guk-seo, also an actor and stage director. They were not earning a lot, but KI didn’t mind. However, along with his marriage came the moral obligation of feeding his family and so he tried other jobs, without much success. He went back to the stage, and since the late 1990s began to appear in movies. A frequent collaborator of HONG Sangsoo, he has appeared in <Night and Day> (2008), <Hahaha> (2010), <The Day He Arrives> (2011), <Nobody’s Daughter Haewon> (2012), <Right Now, Wrong Then > (2015), and <Grass> (2017). With <Hotel by the River> (2018), it was the first time KI was given a lead role in a film. This allowed him to win his first accolade in 120 films and four decades, the Best Actor Award from the Locarno International Film Festival.

In 2018, he also impressed many with his impersonation of former North Korean leader KIM Jong-il in <The Spy Gone North> (2017). He didn’t aim for a perfect imitation, even though he read and watched a lot of material about his model, but instead tried to convey, through his way of talking, his movements and his attitude, the restrained charisma of a man who holds absolute power and authority. The indie film <Merry Christmas Mr. Mo> (2017) from director LIM Dae-hyeong gave him the occasion to fulfill his dream of playing a character inspired by his mentor, Charlie CHAPLIN. This performance earned him the Best Actor Award from the Wildflowers Film Awards.Less