K-netizens Disagree with Reporter Article on Nam Joo Hyuk Needing to Redeem Himself with Next Drama After Start-up But Agree that Song Kang Still Needs to Prove Himself

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• I'm not a big fan of them.

  For Nam Joo-Hyuk in Start-Up, I think he wasn't bad. His character was pretty well written too and the writer gave him a lot scenes where he could shine but he was overshadowed by KSH because he lacks a natural charisma. I find that his shy personality can be seen when he acts.

  But for the writting, he was pretty lucky, Suzy and Kang Hanna were the ones the writer made dirty.

  • NJH was the redeeming factor of Start-Up in case somw people feel the need to have one. His acting on that drama is on point.

    • I agree. It wasn't my favourite show, but I loved Nam Joo Hyuk. I do like Kim Seon Ho too, but didn't particularly thought that he outshone anyone.

  • KSH and "natural" charisma lmao sure

  • First of all,Nam Joo-hyuk in Weightlifting Fairy, Bride of Habaek etc etc, have you seen? The Character Nam Do San was like that. His acting skills are amazing and you better not say things like he doesn't have charisma equal to Kim Seon Ho. You like Kim Seon ho, like him, don't spread your opinions against some one on the internet at least.

    • I give my opinion if I want. I don't insult NJH in any way. But for me, he lacks charisma. It doesn't show in role like in School Nurse and it suited his character. But in Start-Up or School 2015, he was overshadowed by his costars.

      And Bride of Haebeak was awful, NJH didn't have any charisma to act as a god.

• Neither scream Star Power for me the way the newest It actors Park Seo Joon and Lee Jun Jo do. They also don't show acting potential and choose popular over acclaimed works. Just my opinion.

  • Lee Jun Ho* hehe

    • They are both mediocre and bland AF but if they score a huge ratings hit one day, they will be hyped up by the same K-netz and K-media.

      Unpopular opinion but Jun-Ho was lackluster and had no starpower either until Red Sleeve happened.

      PSJ a new It boy? The guy's been an established Hallyu actor for a while now. How's he a newest It boy?

    • @?
      Concerning PSJ I meant the moment he became popular and an It Boy / Hallyu star which was recently with Itaewon Class.
      As for LJH, although I am biased because I saw his performance as phenomenal, my opinion is also that of the public. He is currently Korea's It boy whether you like it or not. Also his previous works were all critically acclaimed and low key more than popular which really is a plus. He comes from a solid background rather than a hyped background unlike other stars,that's why public opinion is more respectful towards him.

    • I disagree on Lee Junho. He had star power eversince his debut in Cold Eyes. He went to Toronto Film on his screen debut. Despite having minor role, he was part of the promo line up and the movie was a box office hit. If that is not star power, I don’t know what you call that?

      His first movie Twenty on starring role was a massive box office hit despite being and indie movie.

      If you check KBS promo materials on Good Manager (Chief Kim) - you will know who has contributed to the huge popularity. His character became iconic and many were parodying his character.

      Rain or Shine was on JBTC, I thought that drama was a masterpiece.

      Confession was another great drama and I thought his performance was amazing in here. Rain or Shine & Confession was not about Star Power but these two dramas cement him as a naturally brilliant actor with so much depth.

      Even while he was in the military, he has left the “Junho my house or Red shirt Junho” syndrome and was popular while inactive. If you think that’s not star power, I don’t know what that is?

      “Junho my house & Red Shirt Junho sydrome paved the way of “The Red Sleeve Junho” syndrome. Well you know how popular TRS is, even after one month, it’s topping the OTT platforms. He’s been topping on brand value as an actor, idol and even on variety.

      P.S. As an Idol he sold concert venues as a solo artist and did more or less 100 concerts shows including arenas. If that’s not star power, I don’t know what that is?

    • That was a response to @?

    • I totally agree on @Nano about Lee Junho. His popularity comes from a solid background and his works as an actor were all critically acclaimed. He is currently Koreas It Boy topping as an actor, idol, star and even Gooddata weekly variety buzz for two weeks in a row.

      Some international commenters refused to recognise his popularity but Korea is saying otherwise.

    • Jun Ho wasn't mediocre for christ sake, he has been great in every role he played and his improvement has been immense, kindly do some research please.

    • @Salmon No one said Junho is mediocre but ? said Songkang and Nam Joohyuk are mediocre and bland.

      She (?) continued and said Junho is luckluster and has no star power. Who’s Junho is she talking about? ??? Which planet did she come from for her to say that? FYI; Junho may had been unpopular from 2008-2012, but the man became the biggest JYP solo talent since 2013. Minus the hype yet Junho became one of the well-sought actors right after his acting debut in 2013. Even The Red Sleeve director said that she really wanted to work with Junho since a long time ago and wanted to cast him in Radiant Office but unfortunately he was already signed to do the Good Manager.

    • Junho was always praised for his acting: Chief Kim, Just Between Lovers and Confession. He has the charisma! even in his bad choices (Wok of love)

    • @? - Lee Junho, "lackluster" before The Red Sleeve?

      Are you sure you're even talking about the same person who was in Twenty, Chief Kim etc cause I can't reconcile your comment with those performances lol, he is easily on par with fellow '88 liners Kim Soo Hyun and Park Seo Joon talent wise. And if you are indeed referring to that same Lee Junho...then please let me have some of whatever you're smoking cause it must be strong!

  • Never ever been a fan of Lee Jun Ho before nor I don’t think I like The Red Sleeve that much but his acting as king Yi San was fantastic, from his crown prince role to the older king he is iconic full of charisma.
    I tried watching other sarguk with young promising actors too…,compared to them Junho is really the best one. The one I fine boring is Lee Se Young acting, she gives no life or attractiveness to her character. The winning point from her is her chemistry with Junho.

    We will see how it goes for Junho in his next role, whether is he is really good.

    There are good rookie actors out there like Lee Do Hyun, I hope he gets more and more recogniton.. as for Song Kang, I’m really sick of him. He shows no effort in improving himself.

    Park min young will have to carry the drama by herself. Her winning point is always having amazing chemistry with her co star but this time i’m not even sure.
    Moreover, all PMY dramas with office backgrounds are always the same…

• Yeah,I'm sorry, but Song Kang is really bland. I don't understand why Netflix went all-in on him.

• I don't understand at all why people dislike Nam Joo-hyuk's acting in Start-up. For me his acting was brilliant and completely delivered the awkwardness, sadness and fascination for Dalmi. In that scene in the bus where they hold hands, I could almost feel his heart attack lol.

  • Same sentiments.

    NJH totally nailed the scene on the bus in Start-up. His role as Dosan was well written and I never felt that he was overshadowed by KSH.

    As for Song Kang, never watched him so I'm willing to give his new drama a try because I like PMY. His face looks a bit awkward to me in some angles.

  • @G V
    Thank you. My sentiments exactly. NJH was brilliant in Start-Up. The hype may have been focused on the other guy, but we're talking about acting. He got it.

    • He cried too much in startup. Quite turn off for me

    • @Mindy - everyone cries in kdramas?? it's actually one of the better things about the industry that men are written to have no qualms about crying. and he literally only cried when dalmi found out the truth? what a weird thing to pick on.

    • sorry Mindy, that last message about crying was meant to be directed @Jenna.

  • He was the only reason i even finished that show. The second lead was a major turn off and his entitlement and creepy obsession with the FL was nauseating

  • agreed, he fully embodied that raw nervous, unsure millenial role so well. later on, the anxieties he grew up with, the tipping point with his parents, and the fallout with dalmi were so heartbreakingly acted. dosan was my favorite character, and nam joo hyuk has gone and beyond in his all his roles since the light in your eyes. it's really such a shame bc sml fans couldn't go five seconds without shouting about his superiority, and somehow that became the zeitgeist position. ksh is talented, but the way everyone talked about him you'd think he was song kang ho level.

  • Totalmente deacuerdo

  • Agree. I think he did well, it was his character that was supposed to be maybe not very likeable or was not too well written.

• I still don't understand why Netflix went crazy and adopted Song Kang and basically ignored the rest of the LA and SH casts when they basically hard carried the dramas. Especially Kim Sohyun, Lee Dohyun and Lee Shiyoung deserved more Netflix love than Song Kang but for some reason the OTT platform acts as if he single handedly surged subscription rates or something. He was the only actor they picked for their global fan meeting event which made zero sense. And this is coming for someone who is very happy to see all the love and attention he received but it makes no sense to basically ignore everyone else and fixate on one person. Netflix is literally his personal PR team at this point.

  • Its very typical of netflix behavior though. They single-handedly made Noah Centineo into an Alist star who has now crossed over from their 5-6 ott platform movies to big screen superhero ones. Same as with Laura Marano who has set up a production company to supply romcoms starring herself to NF. 3 and going strong. SK must be charming irl to warrant such devotion from the channels decision making staff towards him.

    • That is true Lana Condor was criminally under promoted and ignored in favor of Noah Centineo despite being the main star of the whole movie series and the more talented of the two. Netflix has a weird criteria for picking who they want to put all their efforts into nor is it clear why they do it at all. Disney has numerous successful productions but you never see them promoting X actor over Y or any of that kind promotion. Even for Snowdrop they didn't push Jisoo ahead of Hae In nor are they doing it for Rookie Cops so I don't understand why Netflix does it. Is there some behind the scenes lobbying happening that we don't know about which will be exposed in 3-4 years in some # campaign I wonder.

• I like him as an actor ,but he needs a role ,that will be iconic for him,to be admired as a decent actor.

  Eg PSJ roles in
  Sec Kim and Itaewon class
  LJH roles in Chief Kim and RSC

  I am comparing him to those actors described above.

  Staring in roles that were outshadowed by second leades doesn't help him either.
  YSJ in school 2015
  KSH in Start Up.

  I hope he will get an iconic role soon.

  • i actually feel like he has no vanity about being the selling point of a drama or needs to have something be his star vehicle. almost all of his roles have been in projects with much, much more experienced actors and actresses, and i think it's gone to help him with his growth. i do agree that he needs an "iconic" role to be taken more seriously, which is unfortunate bc he has already put out a lot of memorable roles.

  • He does best in projects where he is really more of a supporting character/takes a backseat in favour of a more skilled female lead. School Nurse Files, The Light In Your Eyes, even Weightlifting Fairy (Lee Sung Kyung was great in that role and the story was - as the title suggests - centred on her)

    That is at least in part because he doesn't have the charisma/skill to anchor a drama that's centred on his character (he was in the 'young actor' category for years but he's 28/Korean 29 now, compare him to Song Joong Ki,Yoo Ah In, Kim Soo Hyun, Park Seo Joon, Kang Ha Neul or even Lee Joon at the same age he's just not in their league). But this has the unexpected benefit of causing writers to change their typically male-centric story structures and give the women more to do and leads to a better drama in the end.

    • @royalwe

      Why don't you add Ji Chang Wook to the actors you just listed? Even if his projects are not as acclaimed, his acting chops are on par with those guys.

• For Nam Joo Hyuk, I think he's not that bad in Start Up. He is actually quite good. It's just that Dosan character was written not as attractive as Jipyeong.
  As for Song Kang, I only saw him in Love Alarm and I didn't finish it.

• I really love Nam Joo Hyuk and I really liked his character in Start Up, nothing to redeem in my eyes.

  Looking forward to both of these new dramas

• Nam joo hyuk is good, as in very good,I love both song kang and nam joo hyuk,but when it's comes to comparing the two, nam joo hyuk has done more job than song kang, let's stop criticizing nam joo hyuk because we now have song kang,like I said before,I can kill for both song kang and nam joo hyuk,but when it comes to comparing their work,nam joo hyuk is still the sumnae(senior)

• NHJ did already redeem with "the light in your eyes"..."Start-up" was a bad drama and, unpopular opinion: he had more chemistry with the second male lead and if not for the sake of the love triangle they would have been an iconic duo and both actors would have elevated their careers instead of the fanwars that diminished them.

  • i never thought of that but with some tweaking in the writing, dosan and jipyeong really could've been an iconic mentor/mentee duo.