Kim Min Declares "No Approaching" from Women—A True Free Spirit, Not a Character

As actor Kim Min's unique lifestyle shown through MBC's 'I Live Alone' gathers attention, the fact that he has been describing himself as a 'person living freely' since three years ago is receiving renewed focus. Reactions suggest that his recent appearance strangely overlaps with his past, as he has been talking about a similar way of life in variety shows even before the character was first created on this broadcast.

Kim Min, known as John in Disney+'s 'Big Bet' and Pasin in the movie 'Guns & Talks', appeared on the YouTube channel 'Kkondaehee' in April 2023. At the time, Kim Min, who was 42 years old, answered that he was not yet married when asked about his marital status, expressing firm thoughts about his life.

In particular, Kim Min said, "Women, do not dash toward me. I just live my way, so it will be hard if you meet me. So, do not dash toward me." Rather than explaining his reason for not being married simply as not having met a partner, he spoke in a way that suggested he had no intention of giving up the free lifestyle he had chosen.

When Kkondaehee asked if there had actually been a woman who dashed toward him, Kim Min replied, "There probably was. There will be in the future," drawing laughter. As Kkondaehee retorted, "There might never be," a pleasant atmosphere continued between the two. Although it was a conversation mixed with jokes, the way Kim Min views his life was revealed relatively clearly.

About three years after that, Kim Min is once again showing his way of living on 'I Live Alone'. In the broadcast on the 2nd, his life in an old house in Dongducheon that is about 90 years old was revealed, showing him using a generator and repairing the house himself. Although it was an environment far from the convenience of typical urban life, Kim Min did not care much and decorated the space in the way he needed.

What was particularly impressive was his attitude toward the inconveniences of life. Rather than leaving all the various problems occurring in the old house to experts, he got his hands dirty and fixed them himself. His appearance of securing necessary power using a generator and participating directly in woodworking or house repairs was somewhat different from the 'healing life' commonly seen in recent variety shows. It was closer to accepting the inconvenience itself into his lifestyle rather than eliminating it.

After the broadcast, controversy was also raised online regarding the past road view of the house. Some netizens suspected the possibility of staging, citing the difference between the road view marked as filmed last July and the appearance revealed in the broadcast. In particular, as various speculations continued regarding the generator and the house's power usage introduced in the broadcast, it spread beyond simple variety show topics into a debate over the authenticity and the scope of production of the broadcast.

In response, Kim Min denied the production suspicions in a subsequent interview with a media outlet, stating, "There is truly no manipulation or setting." The intention is that the lifestyle shown on the broadcast is his actual life, not a character created by the production team. Since it is difficult to conclude that the entire content of the broadcast is manipulated based solely on online speculations regarding road views and such, it is necessary to distinguish between the facts revealed so far and the speculations.

Interestingly, apart from this controversy, Kim Min's recent appearance overlaps significantly with his remarks from three years ago. At that time, he used a joking expression to say, 'Because I live my way, the other person might have a hard time if they meet me,' but the freedom he spoke of is also connected to the lifestyle shown in recent broadcasts. This is because, not only in marriage or dating but also in housing and daily life, he repeatedly prioritizes his own convenience and taste over general standards.

This also touches upon the meaning of 'a free life' spoken of in today's popular culture. In the past, getting married at a certain age, having a stable job, and preparing a convenient living environment were considered a natural life path. However, recently, an increasing number of people do not necessarily follow the standard life paths set by society in terms of marriage, housing type, or consumption methods. Kim Min, at least in the revealed broadcasts and past remarks, has revealed such a way of life relatively without hesitation.

Of course, variety programs are content that shows reality as it is while undergoing a certain amount of editing and production. Therefore, one cannot judge a person's entire actual life based only on their appearance in a broadcast. Nevertheless, if one looks together with the remarks repeatedly revealed in past interviews or variety shows, Kim Min's 'free spirit' image can be seen as a way of self-expression that has continued for a long time, rather than a setting suddenly created recently.

Ultimately, the reason Kim Min is drawing attention is not just because of his unique lifestyle of living in an old house or using a generator. It is because his attitude of insisting on his own standards, ranging from marriage and housing to daily life, contrasts with the familiar formulas of life. The actor who said "I live my way" three years ago is now asking the same question again by revealing his actual life. The question is whether living the way others have set is indeed the most comfortable life.

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