Heo Sung-tae left stable corporate career for acting after 130 auditions

Actor Heo Sung-tae revealed on the KBS 2TV program "Problem Child in House" on the 20th that he abandoned a corporate career earning up to 80 million won to pursue acting. After leaving roles at LG Electronics and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, he endured 130 auditions and various part-time jobs to achieve his dream.

Actor Heo Sung-tae has revealed the story of how he left a life as a corporate employee earning an annual salary of approximately 70 million to 80 million won to jump into the uncertain path of acting. An elite professional who graduated from Pusan National University and worked at companies such as LG Electronics and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, he realized that a path guaranteeing a stable future did not suit his personality. To achieve his dream, he underwent 130 auditions and had to take on various part-time jobs to make a living. His desperate times, hidden behind his glamorous success, are drawing attention again.

Appearing on the KBS 2TV entertainment program "Problem Child in House" on the 20th alongside former professional Go player Lee Sedol, Heo Sung-tae spoke about the process of becoming an actor. Mentioning that he once ranked first in his entire school during his student days, he brought laughter by explaining, "I did it exactly once because an older brother put it up as a prize to buy me a guitar." From his student days focused on studying to his transformation into an actor after working at major corporations, his career path was far from the typical debut process of an entertainer.

A graduate of the Department of Russian Language and Literature at Pusan National University, Heo Sung-tae built a solid career in professional life. He stated, "I was at LG Electronics for four years and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering for four years. Before that, I was at a small trading company for three years." At LG Electronics' overseas sales department, he was in charge of the Russian and Eastern European markets, and at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, he handled duties in the planning and coordination office. His annual salary just before resigning reached approximately 70 million to 80 million won. Considering his career and income at the time, there seemed to be no reason to undertake a new challenge.

However, for Heo Sung-tae, a stable corporate life was far from the life he truly wanted. He confessed, "Actually, it didn't suit my personality. My hands would get sweaty." He added that although he had loved movies since he was young, he had put his dream of acting aside to focus on his studies while living in the provinces. Although he had obtained a job and income that others would envy, his thirst for his aptitude and dreams never disappeared.

The turning point that changed his life's direction was his challenge for the SBS audition program "Miracle Audition." To take on the audition, Heo Sung-tae lost 23kg in just two months. Rather than simply challenging acting as a hobby, he moved earnestly to make the long-delayed dream a reality. Ultimately, he decided to quit his company. He also shared an anecdote about how he performed acting in person to persuade his mother, who was vehemently opposed. The choice to give up a stable job could not be easily accepted by his family.

Life after resigning was by no means smooth. Heo Sung-tae made a living doing various jobs, such as packaging toys, loading and unloading delivery boxes, and working as a designated driver. Until he established himself as an actor, it was difficult to cover living expenses through acting alone, and he had to solve his immediate livelihood while moving toward his dream. His career at major corporations no longer guaranteed a stable life. Instead, he had to start again from the bottom, letting go of the social status and economic ease he was once accustomed to.

The moment he remembers most sorrowfully was when he was guarding a Samsung Electronics device demonstration booth at a university. To Heo Sung-tae, who had been guarding the booth all night, a Samsung Electronics employee instructed, "Mister, you shouldn't doze off; sit here, and the restroom is over there." While the other person was simply performing their job, for Heo Sung-tae, it was a moment where his current situation stood in stark contrast to his time working as an assistant manager at LG Electronics.

Recalling that time, Heo Sung-tae said, "That person was just doing their job, but I felt so sorrowful that I cried all night long." He continued, "I think I finally realized the reality then, thinking, 'I have fallen this far. I am nothing.'" In the past, corporate names and titles explained him, but he was now facing a reality where no one recognized his background. His tears contained not only economic hardship but also the sense of loss felt by someone who had to start over after losing the social position they once enjoyed.

However, Heo Sung-tae did not stop his challenge. He knocked on doors by undergoing as many as 130 auditions to obtain roles. He entered the film industry with a minor role in the 2012 movie "Masquerade" and left a strong impression playing the role of Ha Il-soo in the 2016 movie "The Age of Shadows." Later, he gained international recognition by making a name for himself to global viewers as Jang Deok-su in the 2021 Netflix series "Squid Game." He proved his presence after enduring long periods of obscurity and livelihood difficulties.

Heo Sung-tae's life reversal is difficult to explain simply as a success story of quitting a major corporation and becoming a star. This is because giving up a stable job and a high salary is a choice to let go not only of income but also of socially recognized status and predictability for the future. Especially in a situation where it is unknown when a challenge toward a dream will succeed, he had to endure numerous auditions and labor for survival. His current achievement is not a result that was predetermined from the beginning, but rather close to an accumulation of time spent continuing to knock on opportunities while taking on uncertainty.

Choosing a new path by abandoning a stable life is not the right answer for everyone. However, Heo Sung-tae's story shows that a life that looks successful to others does not necessarily coincide with a life that one is satisfied with. From a corporate employee receiving an 80 million won salary to an actor appearing in global content, the weight of the challenge he faced through 130 auditions and time spent in nameless jobs cannot be explained by glamorous results alone.

Read the original (Korean)