Korean actor and singer Kim Myung-soo’s drama “Royal Secret Agent” aired its 16th and final episode on Feb. 9 with the highest rating for the series.
“Royal Secret Agent,” an iQiyi original and exclusive K-drama series, tells the story of Sung Yi-gyum, a delinquent gambler who is assigned to work as a secret royal inspector as a form of punishment. He goes to the provinces to uncover corruption with the help of Hong Da-in (Kwon Nara) and Park Chun Sam (Lee Yi-kyung).
The Korean drama premiered in December and for its finale on Feb. 9, it got a nationwide rating of 14 percent, its highest, to place third overall among terrestrial TV shows, according to Nielsen Korea. In the metropolitan area, it got 13.2 percent to also place third overall.
“Royal Secret Agent” is Kim Myung-soo’s last drama project before he enlists in the Marine Corps on Feb. 22.
Kim Myung-soo talked about his role and favorite scenes in the drama. On the reason why he was attracted to his role, he said, “The thrill of eradicating society's corrupt forces and the resurrection of a hero familiar to both men and women since childhood, the vivid character of the royal secret agent, the meaningful storyline, and the pleasant atmosphere are the attractions.”
He said the most challenging aspect of shooting “Royal Secret Agent” was his character’s diverse action scenes and disguises.
For the action scenes, Kim Myung-soo said, “I went to action school and the gym almost every day. I practiced all types of moves and various weapons, and trained the strength I needed in the gym.”
When asked what part of the drama that he wanted the audience to pay attention to, he said, “‘Royal Secret Agent’ is the joy of punishing the evildoers, rescuing the needy and punishing moments of good and evil. ‘Royal Secret Agent’ guards the long-standing value of didactic morality. The characters' vivid characteristics seem to be attractive.”
On his favorite scene, Kim Myung-soo said, “‘'In the face of death, there is no difference between a nobleman and a pariah. Why should the son of the great governor despise the generous people and regard their death as insignificant?' There was no reason. It was just something that went deep into my heart.”
After the airing of “Royal Secret Agent” on iQiyi, the number of global fans who watched the drama grew. On this, he said, “The world is going through tough times due to the COVID-19, so if ‘Royal Secret Agent’ can be a satisfying and refreshing breakthrough for everyone, I think it's an outstanding achievement.”
On the similarities and differences between him and his character, he said, “As the shooting continued, it seems that I became more and more assimilated into the character of Sung Yi-gyum. Although I can't convert it into a percentage, when I see how I automatically put my hands behind my back when I wear Hanbok, I sometimes think, 'Oh, I'm becoming Sung Yi-gyum‘. Also, the way Sung Yi-gyum concentrates on his assigned task seems to be like mine. Ah! There are a few things that Sung Yi-gyum fears.”
When asked what is the charm of Sung Yi-gum, he said, “With a relaxed and easy-going side in regular times and a sincere face when solving the cases, the vivid characters’ gradual growth is charming.”