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Pierce Conran

Having kept a relatively low profile since the final episode of 2023 fantasy romantic comedy Moon in the Day, Korean actor Kim Young-dae is back on screens in the family revenge melodrama Perfect Family and the romantic comedy No Gain No Love.
In Perfect Family, Kim reunites with Park Ju-hyun, his co-star from 2022’s The Forbidden Marriage, playing a high-schooler whose murder ignites a mystery.
In No Gain No Love he plays a younger man who agrees to a sham marriage with a career woman played by Shin Min-a. The series also features Han Ji-hyun, who played the sister of Kim’s character in 2020’s The Penthouse.
Kim, who was born in Seoul in 1996, jumped around during his schooling, studying in Harbin, China, in his first year of high school and later briefly attending Fudan University in Shanghai.

Kim was active as a model from an early age. He was scouted for his looks during a school break and began his acting career with appearances in numerous web dramas, starting with Secret Crushes: Special Edition, in 2017.
A year later he was cast in his first TV drama, in “The Expiration Date of You and Me” episode of the Drama Special TV movie anthology series.
After a few minor roles, including playing the younger version of Ju Ji-hoon’s character in Intern, Kim landed his first main cast role that same year. He has not looked back since.
Why we love him
Kim is far from just a pretty face. He excels in languages and music, and has also dabbled in sport.
Partly owing to his international schooling, Kim speaks conversational Chinese and English, as well as Korean. He is a talented guitar and piano player and was briefly a vocalist in a school band.

During his school years, he also played football and basketball.
The actor is known for his philanthropy, having made donations to underprivileged children, among other causes, and taken part in charitable functions, including breast cancer awareness events.
He is also known for his piercing eyes and steely screen persona, which has drawn comparisons to Korean screen icon Gang Dong-won.
The star-making roles
In 2018, Kim landed a part in the fantasy romcom Extraordinary You, starring Kim Hye-yoon and Rowoon.
The show, about a high-school student who discovers she is a character in a comic- book world, got decent ratings to begin with and went on to become a cult favourite among K-drama aficionados.
Kim Young-dae played the corporate-heir main character in the comic book within the show.

After a couple of other roles, Kim landed the part that would cement his status in the industry – as rich kid Joo Seok-hoon in the popular prime-time melodrama The Penthouse: War in Life.
Kim plays the eldest son of Joo Dan-tae, the evil entrepreneur living in the titular penthouse of Seoul’s ritziest high-rise.
Along with his sister, played by Han Ji-hyun, Seok-hoon lords it over the city’s most prestigious high school.
Kim gave a very layered performance to transition from antagonist to protagonist over the course of the show’s three seasons.
The iconic parts
Ironically, Kim’s first leading role in a drama featured him playing a top K-drama star.

In Sh**ting Stars, in which he starred alongside Lee Sung-kyung, Kim plays handsome screen icon Gong Tae-sung, who is so comfortable and charismatic you would be forgiven for thinking he had been an A-lister for years.
Kim then tackled his first period drama role, as King Lee Heon in the Joseon-era period comedy The Forbidden Marriage. After decreeing a marriage ban, he is approached by a scammer who claims to be possessed by the spirit of someone who was close to him.
Following this, Kim once again tackled a period role – albeit partially – in the fantasy romance Moon in the Day. He plays an aristocrat from ancient times whose soul possesses an insecure pop star in the present to get revenge on the lover who killed him.
The unheralded performances
Kim does not really have any unheralded roles; he has only featured as a main cast member in seven shows to date, none of which have floundered in the charts.
If there is one series he has appeared in that people are not familiar with, it is probably Cheat on Me If You Can.

Featuring Cho Yeo-jeong and Go Jun, it tells the story of a divorce lawyer married to a writer of thrillers who is obsessed with the idea of killing someone. Kim plays a government agent working undercover as a convenience store clerk.
Tomorrow’s turns
After his current shows wrap up in a few weeks, Kim will next be seen alongside Kim Yoo-jung in the Tving original series Dear X.
The series, from hit director Lee Eung-bok (Mr. Sunshine, Sweet Home), will be about an actress who hides her cruel nature behind her beautiful face. Kim will play the man who has been by her side her whole life.
Unlike many of his peers, Kim has yet to branch out into global streaming content or big-screen features. We look forward to seeing him expand his range if and when he opts to tackle those different mediums.

However, it may be some time yet before we see Kim again on the big screen following Dear X, as the 28-year-old star is rapidly approaching the deadline for enlisting in South Korea’s armed forces to perform his obligatory military service.


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Netflix K-drama Romance in the House review: relatable cocktail of comedy and family drama

K-drama news

Who is Kim Young-dae, the rising K-drama star of No Gain No Love and Perfect Family?

Kim Young-dae in a still from No Gain No Love.

Korean actor Kim Young-dae cemented his acting status in K-dramas Extraordinary You and The Penthouse. Now he stars in No Gain No Love, and Perfect Family, and has more projects in the works. Photo: Instagram/@youngdae0302

Kim in a still from No Gain No Love.

Kim in a still from Perfect Family.

Kim in a still from Extraordinary You (2018).

Kim in a still from Sh**ting Stars (2022).

Kim as King Lee Heon in a still from The Forbidden Marriage (2022).

Kim in a still from The Penthouse (2020).

K-drama Perfect Family: Park Ju-hyun, Kim Young-dae lead high-energy baroque melodrama

Park Ju-hyun as Choi Seon-hee in a still from K-drama Perfect Family. The KBS drama co-stars Kim Young-dae, Yoon Se-ha, Kim Byung-chul and Choi Ye-bin.

Yoon Se-ah as Ha Eun-joo in a still from Perfect Family.

Kim Young-dae as Park Kyeong-ho in a still from Perfect Family.

Choi Ye-bin as the scarred Lee Soo-yeon in a still from Perfect Family.

Kim Byung-chul as Seon-hee’s adoptive father, Choi Jin-hyuk, in a still from Perfect Family.

Amazon Prime K-drama No Gain No Love: Shin Min-a proves her worth in fake-marriage romcom

Shin Min-a as Son Hae-young in a still from No Gain No Love.

Shin Min-a as career woman Son Hae-young in a still from No Gain No Love.

Kim Young-dae as convenience store cashier Kim Ji-wook in a still from No Gain No Love.

Lee Sang-yi as company heir Bok Gyu-hyun in a still from No Gain No Love.

Shin Min-a as Hae-young in a still from No Gain No Love.

K-drama Moon in the Day: Kim Young-dae, Pyo Ye-jin in fantasy tale of romance and revenge that is epic in scope and modest in its ambitions

Pyo Ye-jin and Kim Young-dae in a still from “Moon in the Day”.

Kim Young-dae as warrior Do Ha in a still from K-drama series “Moon in the Day”. He kills a general, whose daughter (Pyo Ye-jin) then kills him. Fast forward to today, and Do Ha’s  doppelgänger (Kim) seeks revenge against the daughter’s present incarnation (also Pyo).

Pyo Ye-jin as slain general’s daughter Han Ri-ta in a still from “Moon in the Day”.

Kim Young-dae as top star Han Jun-o, and warrior Do Ha’s doppelgänger in the present, in a still from “Moon in the Day”.

Pyo Ye-jin as firefighter Kang Young-hwa in a still from “Moon in the Day”.

Pyo Ye-jin as slain general’s daughter Han Ri-ta and Kim Young-dae as the general’s killer, Do Ha, in a still from “Moon in the Day”. Han avenges her father by killing Do Ha. 

K-drama review: Sh**ting Stars – breezy celebrity-themed workplace comedy starring Kim Young-dae and Lee Sung-kyung loses its early charm

Kim Young-dae (left) and Lee Sung-kyung in a still from Sh**ting Stars.

Lee Sung-kyung plays publicist Oh Han-byeol in a still from K-drama Sh**ting Stars.

Kim Young-dae as Korean idol Gong Tae-sung in a still from Sh**ting Stars.

Yoon Jong-hoon (left) as Kang Yoo-sung and Kim Yoon-hye a Park Ho-young in a still from Sh**ting Stars.

Lee Jung-shin (left) as Do Soo-hyuk and Park So-jin as Jo Ki-bum in a still from Sh**ting Stars.

Kim Young-dae (left) as Gong Tae-sung and Lee Sung-kyung as Oh Han-byeol in a still from Sh**ting Stars.

K-drama midseason recap: Sh**ting Stars, romcom starring Kim Young-dae and Lee Sung-kyung, has lots of nods to fans

Kim Young-dae in a still from Sh**ting Stars.

Lee Sung-kyung as overworked publicist Oh Han-byul in a still from Sh**ting Stars, an entertainment industry-set romcom.

Kim Young-dae as Gong Tae-sung in a still from Sh**ting Stars.

Lee Sung-kyung (left) and Kim Young-dae as Oh Han-byul and Tae-sung in a still from Sh**ting Stars.

Yoon Jong-hoon as manager Kang Yu-sung in a still from Sh**ting Stars.

Lee Sung-kyung as Han-byul in a still from Sh**ting Stars.

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Musical polyglot Kim started with modelling before making his name as an actor in Extraordinary You and The Penthouse. He hasn’t looked back


Musical polyglot Kim started with modelling before making his name as an actor in Extraordinary You and The Penthouse. He hasn’t looked back.


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Profile | Who is Kim Young-dae, the rising K-drama star of No Gain No Love and Perfect Family?

Musical polyglot Kim started with modelling before making his name as an actor in Extraordinary You and The Penthouse. He hasn’t looked back