Ryu Seung-ryong is gearing up to play another deeply relatable everyman.
The actor leads JTBC’s new weekend drama “The Story of Manager Kim” (literal title), premiering Oct. 25, as Kim Naksu, a department head in Sales Team 1 who’s spent 25 years at a major conglomerate. Expect grounded, lived-in realism from one of Korea’s most versatile stars.
Since his debut, Ryu has moved effortlessly across genres―comedy, drama, action, human stories―carving out a distinct lane and commanding every frame he’s in.
Disney+’s global hit "Moving" put him on the world map as the near-indestructible agent Jang Ju-won. Ryu fused bone-crunching action with razor-fine emotional beats, and his aching love story with Hwang Ji-hee (played by Kwak Sun-young) left viewers gutted in the best way.
On Netflix’s "Chicken Nugget," he switched gears to play Choi Sun-man, a dad on a bizarre but heartfelt quest to get his daughter Min-ah (Kim Yoo-jung) back. Cradling a single, precious chicken nugget like it was family one moment and wailing in comic despair the next, Ryu anchored the show with disarming warmth and timing.
He kept that momentum going in the Disney+ original series “Low Life,” portraying fixer Oh Gwan-seok―a man who’ll do any job if the price is right. With restrained emotion and telling glances, Ryu made the character’s tangled inner life feel utterly convincing, reinforcing his status as a “bankable, must-watch” lead.
Now, “The Story of Manager Kim” promises Ryu at his most human: using wry, realistic humor and quiet compassion to explore what remains after a man loses what he holds most dear. As Kim Naksu searches for who he really is, Ryu is poised to deliver both catharsis and lingering resonance.
Moving seamlessly between broadcast dramas and streaming originals, Ryu continues to prove a formidable range―constantly reinventing himself while deepening the appeal of a seasoned leading man. All signs point to another defining role with “The Story of Manager Kim,” and anticipation is running high.
“The Story of Manager Kim” premieres Saturday, Oct. 25 at 10:40 p.m. KST on JTBC.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)