Cover Story: Yim Siwan on moving from music to acting and his Squid Game role

Returning this month as disgraced cryptocurrency influencer Lee Myung Gi in Squid Game Season 3, the Busan-born idol-turned-actor has proven to audiences and critics alike that he’s much more than a handsome face. He speaks to Tama Miyake Lung about gaining confidence, embracing conflict and the enduring allure of a challenge

At first glance, Yim Siwan is every inch a Korean pop idol. With his flawless skin, floppy hair and keen eye for high fashion, the 36-year-old from Busan, who made his debut in 2010 as a member of the boy band ZE:A, could easily be mistaken for someone half his age. But as his legions of fans have come to discover, there’s a lot more to this idol-turned-actor than meets the eye.

Yim’s latest role as Player 333 on the second season of Netflix’s wildly popular dystopian thriller Squid Game marks yet another daring chapter in a career built on surprising choices. In a cast filled with characters battling for survival, Lee Myung Gi, a disgraced cryptocurrency influencer desperate to dig his way out of a dangerous financial hole, is particularly memorable for his seemingly unwitting tendency towards self-destructive behaviour.

Yim’s knack for sparking heated debates on the Squid Game subreddit – “333. Good or Bad Guy?”, “Unpopular opinion, but I didn’t like player 333 at all” and many more – is a testament not only to his nuanced portrayal of Lee Myung Gi but also the quiet confidence he’s built up in his 15 years riding the roller-coaster that is the Korean entertainment industry.

Yim describes himself as a studious child who had an interest in the performing arts. “I think I just focused on schoolwork,” he says when asked what he remembers wanting to be when he grew up. “I liked singing, so I entered a singing contest and was luckily cast there. That’s how I became an idol trainee, and it was during that time that I also got introduced to dancing.”

After several years of training, during which he adopted the stage name Siwan, Yim and his eight fellow group members released their debut EP Nativity – reaching number one on both the Album Chart and Artist Chart on Daum that same day. The group toured Asia, releasing a Japanese single and climbing the charts with each new album. But during a brief break from touring and recording, Yim ventured into the flourishing world of Korean dramas.

“Back then, I didn’t really understand what acting was, but I was told I was cast, so I just did my best,” he says, referring to what would become his breakout role as the younger version of Lord Heo Yeom in the 2012 historical- fantasy drama The Moon Embracing the Sun. “When I was in a group, I wasn’t really one of the members in the spotlight, so this felt like a rare opportunity to do something on my own, so I enjoyed it. I think people appreciated those efforts.”

“Appreciate” is an understatement. Yim captivated audiences with his performance, prompting more offers, bigger roles and his first major acting awards. This early success culminated in the hit series and “cultural phenomenon” Misaeng: Incomplete Life. Yim’s portrayal of Jang Geu Rae – an intern at a large trading company who once dreamt of becoming a professional baduk player – struck a deep chord with viewers and garnered the star the Excellence Award in acting at the APAN Star Awards as well as Best New Actor awards at the Cable TV Broadcasting Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards.

The success of Misaeng established Yim not just as a successful idol-turned-actor but also one of his generation’s most versatile performers – which he attributes in large part to his boy band background. “Although being an idol and an actor may look very different on the outside, I think standing on stage in front of thousands of audience as an idol and acting in front of many crew and staff as an actor actually share a lot in common,” he says. “The experience I gained from performing on stage helped me a lot on set. It especially gave me the confidence to fully immerse myself in acting on large-scale productions like Squid Game without feeling intimidated.”

It also appears to have given him a sense of fearlessness when it comes to choosing and subsequently carrying out roles, whether playing conventional “nice guy” characters or more complex, sinister ones such as that of an undercover cop working for a drug-smuggling ring in 2017’s The Merciless or a vengeful tax bureau chief in 2022’s Tracer.

In fact, Yim seems to thrive in these moral grey zones. “Whether it’s a nice guy or a dark character, as long as the direction is clear, I don’t find it too difficult to approach. The real challenge lies in portraying a character who embodies both traits and is in constant conflict,” he explains. “That requires layering emotions delicately, and it’s a much more complex task.”

For all his accolades, Yim is surprisingly down-to-earth. While he appreciates the adoration of his fans, his focus remains on his craft. “Rather than trying to handle fame, I just try to maintain my daily routine. When the weather is nice, I read scripts at cafés with terraces, and sometimes I go running alone or with my running crew. I’ve also gotten into boxing and really enjoy it these days.” He also recently enjoyed a walk along the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. “I was fortunate to have many opportunities in the past few years, but working non-stop meant I had less time to reflect. I began to feel really burned out. That trip helped me recharge a lot,” he says.

Despite more than a decade in the industry, Yim doesn’t see himself as having “made it” just yet. “Acting is hard because there’s no clear definition of what it means to ‘do it well’,” he explains. “Just because I did well in one project doesn’t guarantee I’ll do well in the next. So I try to keep my senses sharp all the time as if I have a little acting sensor constantly switched on in the background.” Still, he allows himself small moments of affirmation. When asked who his #legend is, he replies, “I’d like to say that I myself am my #legend as a way to give myself encouragement.”

On the Squid Game Season 2 set, amidst the high tension and heavy themes, there was joy too. “Under strict security measures, one of our biggest sources of fun was taking Polaroid photos,” Yim recalls. “After shooting, the cast would often go to local restaurants together and hang out. Every time someone’s character died, we even held little ‘congratulations’ parties to say they did a great job.”

Now, with the eagerly awaited release of Squid Game Season 3 on June 27, we’ll soon find out whether Player 333 got his own cast party or a more hopeful fate. Either way, it’s clear this won’t be the last we see of Yim Siwan. “I enjoy taking on challenges,” he says. “I’m especially drawn to roles or stories that allow me to show sides of myself that I haven’t shown before. Whether it’s the storyline or the character, if I feel confident that I can do it well and that audiences will also find the things I find meaningful or entertaining in it, I tend to go for it.”