Jang Sung-kyu tips Kim Min for rookie award after I Live Alone appearance

Broadcaster Jang Sung-kyu has tipped actor Kim Min for a rookie award after belatedly watching his appearance on MBC’s variety show I Live Alone, praising the unconventional daily life that drew viewers’ attention.

Posting on social media on the 15th, Jang Sung-kyu shared images from Kim Min’s appearance and said he had only just watched the program. “I felt like I fell in love at first sight,” he wrote. “How does the I Live Alone team manage to discover such rare individuals?”

He was also surprised to learn that the actor was his senior. “And he is even older than me,” Jang Sung-kyu wrote, before predicting: “I think this year’s entertainment awards rookie prize will go to Kim Min.” His playful endorsement cast the actor as someone who could attract attention at the year-end awards, while renewing interest in an appearance that had already made a strong impression.

Kim Min appeared on the episode broadcast on the 2nd, revealing his life alone in a house more than 90 years old. He ran a generator himself to obtain electricity, patched cracks in the floor with cement and cooked meat over a wood fire for his meal.

For viewers accustomed to convenient appliances and modern homes, those scenes offered an unfamiliar and striking picture of everyday life. His routine was distinctive enough to resist a simple description as modest living alone: he repaired his own home and met his needs himself, presenting a different daily rhythm from the routines usually shown by variety-show guests.

The unvarnished quality of that life, rather than polished glamour, stirred viewers’ curiosity and quickly made Kim Min a talking point after the broadcast. His appearance also suggested a growing presence in entertainment television, with Jang Sung-kyu’s enthusiastic response adding to the attention.

As interest grew, some raised suspicions that aspects of the broadcast had been staged. The questions reflected how unfamiliar Kim Min’s way of life appeared to viewers, but the existence of those allegations did not establish that the program had been manipulated. His appearance could also be read as an example of how a life outside familiar routines can generate substantial interest on a variety show.

That interest was reflected in the program’s performance: I Live Alone ranked first in the TV non-drama program buzz rankings for the second week of October. Kim Min’s unusual lifestyle appeared to have helped draw attention to the show.

With Jang Sung-kyu’s praise adding to the response, Kim Min was emerging as a memorable presence beyond a one-off guest appearance. He attracted interest through his own way of living, rather than familiar comedy or an exaggerated television persona—a distinctiveness that may explain Jang Sung-kyu’s description of him as a “rare individual.”

Whether the rookie-award prediction comes true remains uncertain. Even so, his single appearance on I Live Alone appears to have left a strong impression.

Read the original (Korean)