The Dual Life of Kim Myung-soo

How the K-pop idol became a master of music and acting

The photographer said it first: Kim Myung-soo is one of the easiest people he’s ever shot. There’s no fuss, no hesitation, only instinct. He knows how to find the light, how to move with it, and how to look into the lens without performing for it. Every pose feels unforced, every glance calibrated to suggest something just out of frame. Watching him work, you sense he doesn’t need direction so much as rhythm. Years in front of the camera have taught him exactly when to let it find him.

That professionalism defines Myung-soo, an artist who has spent nearly fifteen years mastering the balance between precision and ease. He moves through sets with the assurance of someone who understands tempo both in performance and in life. There is no strain in his gestures, no sharpness in his tone, only the kind of control that feels earned. “It depends on the situation,” he says when asked whether music or acting challenges him more these days.

From pop stardom to acting acclaim

The metaphor he’s become known for captures the rhythm of his career perfectly. Since debuting as L, the captivating vocalist of INFINITE, in 2010, Myung-soo has learned to move at different speeds. He was eighteen when he first stepped onto a stage, caught in the feverish machinery of K-pop’s second generation. The years that followed were relentless, with back-to-back albums, tours that blurred time zones, and a level of fame that could have easily consumed him. Yet even then, he was studying form and patience.

That sense of endurance carried him from the concert stage to the film set. Acting was never a side project; he treated it as an expansion of his craft. “Every role is precious and carries its own importance,” he says, reflecting on his early acting years. “I realized that the collective effort of each person is what truly builds a project.” It is an answer that reflects his reputation for being focused, collaborative, and deeply attuned to the people around him.

His breakout performances in The Emperor: Owner of the Mask, Royal Secret Agent, and Angel’s Last Mission: Love made it clear that he was evolving through acting. Of all his roles, it is Dan, the angel caught between duty and desire, who remains most personal.

A return marked by momentum

After completing military service, a period that often stalls even the most resilient careers, Myung-soo returned to the public eye with the same momentum he is known for. His first solo EP, 24/7, released after a three-year hiatus, marked a recalibration. Built around the rhythm of the day, 24/7 unfolds like a soundtrack to passing time.

There is no self-pity in his tone and no appeal to vulnerability for its own sake. Instead, he treats his work like a living thing, one that shifts with mood and weather, created for listeners to inhabit rather than interpret.

This approach extends to his demeanor on set. Myung-soo is known for his meticulousness, but never at the expense of warmth. “I always try to create a joyful and comfortable environment with the staff,” he says. “If I can help keep the mood bright, I believe everyone, including myself, can work together to produce even better results.” He doesn’t lead through authority but through atmosphere. Crew members describe him as calm yet playful, and I can attest to that.

Endurance as a form of defiance

His ability to endure feels almost defiant. Years of discipline and the choice to balance two careers that demand very different temperaments are the acts that have shaped his longevity. In South Korea’s entertainment industry, which moves at the pace of constant reinvention, taking one’s time can feel like a radical gesture.

And yet, Myung-soo’s return after his hiatus did not feel like a relaunch. It felt continuous, like a page turned without pause. His long-time fans, who have followed him since his teenage debut, met him again as a deepened person.

That maturity sharpens his ambition even further. He is still experimenting and eager to explore. “In the past, now, and in the future, I want to explore a wide variety of roles and genres,” he says. “There are so many different sides of myself I would like to show.”

Recently, that curiosity has taken him beyond Korea. His partnership with a label in the Philippines marks a new chapter, reflecting both the growing global appetite for Korean artistry and his own cross-cultural appeal. His fan meetings have drawn massive, fervent crowds, their energy proof that connection can transcend language.

A magnetic duality

On the day of his photoshoot, the connection between person and performance was evident. He arrived with a cheerful “hello,” waved to every crew member, and slipped naturally into place before the camera. Between shots, he laughed easily, then refocused with precise attention, sometimes asking if he had captured the tone correctly. That serious, sincere, yet endlessly approachable duality is what makes him magnetic.

When asked what kind of legacy he hopes to leave, Myung-soo does not speak of fame or milestones. “A person who consistently strives forward,” he says simply. It is an answer without pretense, yet it carries weight. It reflects the core of who he has become: a performer driven not by speed or spectacle, but by endurance.

As 2026 approaches, Myung-soo remains in motion. He is preparing for new dramas, with more music possibly on the horizon. The sprint continues, yet the marathon never stops.

Kim Myung-soo’s career, defined by grace, growth, and the discipline to keep learning, proves that real artistry does not demand reinvention every year. Sometimes it simply asks you to keep showing up, camera-ready, steady as ever, in perfect rhythm with the light.

Photography Belg Belgica

Art direction Summer Untalan

Fashion Corven Uy and Won Young-eun

Grooming Jeon Min-ji

Hair Park Se-hee

Special thanks Universal Records Philippines