# Choi Min-soo (최민수)
**Choi Min-soo** (최민수; hanja 崔民秀, born 1962) is a South Korean actor known for a "tough guy hunter" screen image and for a career spanning more than four decades of Korean film and television.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0158768/) He debuted on stage in 1985 and on screen in 1986, rose to national fame through the film *Nambugun* and the 1995 television drama *Sandglass*, and has won the Grand Bell Award for Best Actor twice.[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757) His distinctive speech style and forceful acting became so identified with him that it was called the "Choi Min-soo style."
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1962, Seoul, South Korea; sources differ on the exact day (March 26, March 27, or May 1)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0158768/) • [2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757) • [3](https://www.yes24.com/product/author/128164) |
| Screen debut | *Son of God* (신의 아들, 1986), after a 1985 stage debut in the play *Banghwanghaneun Byeoldeul*[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757) |
| Breakthrough | *Nambugun* (남부군, 1989), which swept new-actor awards at various film festivals and opened what one profile called the "Choi Min-soo era" of Korean film[3](https://www.yes24.com/product/author/128164) |
| Signature TV role | Tae-soo in SBS's *Sandglass* (1995), a gang boss who ends up sentenced to death[4](https://www.bisff.org/file/2007_Busan_Asian_SFF.pdf) |
| Major awards | Grand Bell Awards Best Actor at the 34th ceremony for *Terrorist* (1995) and the 37th for *Phantom: The Submarine* (유령, 1999); male acting award at the 31st Baeksang Arts Awards for *Sandglass*[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757) • [5](https://sbspr.sbs.co.kr/intro/pdf/tong79.pdf) |
| Family | Son of actor Choi Mu-ryong and Kang Hyo-sil; married former Miss Korea Kang Joo-eun in 1994, with two sons, Yu-sung and Yu-jin[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757) |
| Recent work | *Lawless Lawyer* (2018), *Extracurricular* (2020), *Numbers* (2023), *Woongnami* (2023), *Motel California* (2025)[6](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Choi_Min-Soo) |
## Debut and rise
Choi first appeared on stage in 1985 in the play *Banghwanghaneun Byeoldeul* ("Wandering Stars"), and after graduating from the broadcasting and entertainment program at [Seoul Institute of the Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/seoul-institute-of-the-arts) he made his film debut in 1986 with *Son of God*.[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757) His next milestone was *Nambugun* ("The South Korean Army", 1989), in which he played Kim Young; the film won him new-actor prizes at a series of film festivals, and the Yes24 profile credits it with opening the "Choi Min-soo era" in Korean cinema.[3](https://www.yes24.com/product/author/128164) • [2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757)
Through the early 1990s he built a filmography of commercial features, including *The Marriage Story* (1992) and *Mister Mama* (1992), while also appearing in television dramas such as MBC's *What Is Love* (1991).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0158768/) • [6](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Choi_Min-Soo)
## Stardom in the 1990s
**Sandglass.** The 1995 SBS drama *Sandglass* (모래시계) made Choi a household name. He played Tae-soo, a man who, blocked from the [military academy](https://www.edgepedia.org/military-academy) by his father's leftist political record, drifts into the underworld and becomes a crime boss, is arrested by his childhood friend, now a prosecutor, and ultimately goes to his death by execution.[4](https://www.bisff.org/file/2007_Busan_Asian_SFF.pdf) The series swept six categories at the 31st Baeksang Arts Awards, including the grand prize, and Choi took the male acting award.[5](https://sbspr.sbs.co.kr/intro/pdf/tong79.pdf) A contemporary account of the drama's impact notes that streets, restaurants, and taxi stands emptied during broadcasts because viewers stayed home to watch.[7](https://file-cdn.bok.or.kr/portal/14161bd3d6786be99a4739eda643d595/2/202302170436314461.pdf?token=st%3D1771493092~exp%3D1771496692~acl%3D%2Fportal%2F14161bd3d6786be99a4739eda643d595%2F2%2F202302170436314461.pdf%2A~hmac%3D9a7447a476cd1619a09ead266263060f49020725d88b99a7cd488f10311a28d6)
**Film awards.** In the same year he played the title role in *Terrorist* (1995) and won Best Actor at the 34th Grand Bell Awards, the ceremony often described as Korea's equivalent of the Academy Awards; he won the same prize again at the 37th ceremony for *Phantom: The Submarine* (1999).[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757) IMDb separately records a "Best Film Actor Award" at the 37th Baeksang Arts Awards for *Libera Me* (2000).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0158768/) Other 1990s films include *Blackjack* (1997), *A Killing Story* (1997), *Phantom: The Submarine* (1999), *Love Bakery* (2000), and *Libera Me* (2000).[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757)
## 2000s and hiatus
Choi continued in genre film and television through the 2000s: *Yesterday* (2002), *[Sword in the Moon](https://www.edgepedia.org/sword-in-the-moon)* (2003), *Holiday* (2005), a special appearance as General Choi in [Jackie Chan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-chan)'s *The Myth* (2005), *My Wife Is a Gangster 3* (2006), and the drama *The Story of the First King's Four Gods* (2007).[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757) • [6](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Choi_Min-Soo)
In 2008 he was involved in what Korean media called the "elderly assault incident," for which he received a no-charge disposition; as a gesture of self-restraint he then spent several years living alone in the mountains.[2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757)
## Return and later career
Choi returned to regular work in the 2010s with roles including Chun in *Warrior Baek Dong Soo* (2011), Yeon Gaesomun in *The Blade and Petal* (2013), and chief prosecutor Moon Hee-man in *Pride and Prejudice* (2014–2015), for which he won the Golden Actor award at the 2014 MBC Drama Awards on December 30, 2014.[6](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Choi_Min-Soo) He played King Sookjong in *The Royal Gambler* (2016) and the lead in MBC's *Man Who Dies to Live* (2017).[6](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Choi_Min-Soo)
His later credits reach streaming and new formats: An O-joo in tvN's *Lawless Lawyer* (2018), Lee Wang-chul in Netflix's *Extracurricular* (2020), Han Je-kyun in MBC's *Numbers: Watchdogs in the Building Forest* (2023), Lee Jung-sik in the film *Woongnami* (2023), and Ji Chun-pil in MBC's *[Motel California](https://www.edgepedia.org/motel-california-tv-series)* (2025), a father role opposite [Lee Se-young](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-se-young).[6](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Choi_Min-Soo) • [8](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11191432) The Movie Database lists 61 acting credits for him.[9](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/127798?language=ko-KR)
## Screen persona
Choi's public image is that of a "tough guy hunter," and profiles describe his characteristic way of speaking and charismatic acting as distinctive enough to be labeled the "Choi Min-soo style," making him a representative superstar of Korean film.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0158768/) • [2](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757) An SBS magazine profile from his *South of the Sun* period (2003) described him as an actor constantly tempering himself to preserve his dignity as a performer.[10](https://img.sbs.co.kr/sbspdf/magazine/2003/2003_09.pdf)
## The namesake actress
A different South Korean actress romanizes her name identically: **CHO Min-soo** (조민수, born 1965), who debuted in 1986 through the KBS TV Cultural Center, appeared in *Sandglass*, *Daemang*, and *Piano*, and won multiple Best Actress prizes for the lead in [Kim Ki-duk](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-ki-duk)'s *Pieta* (2012), the film that took the [Golden Lion](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-lion) at Venice.[11](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10065830) She is a separate person from the actor covered here, and the Hangul spelling of her name differs (조민수 versus 최민수).
## References
1. [Choi Min-soo (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0158768/)
2. [최민수 (Choi Minsoo), Cine21 인물 정보](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=757)
3. [최민수 Choi Min-Soo, 예스24 감독/출연진](https://www.yes24.com/product/author/128164)
4. [Busan Asian Short Film Festival 2007 catalog (Sandglass synopsis)](https://www.bisff.org/file/2007_Busan_Asian_SFF.pdf)
5. [SBS Press: 31st Baeksang Arts Awards report](https://sbspr.sbs.co.kr/intro/pdf/tong79.pdf)
6. [Choi Min-Soo, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Choi_Min-Soo)
7. [Bank of Korea magazine, vol. 533 (Sandglass broadcast impact)](https://file-cdn.bok.or.kr/portal/14161bd3d6786be99a4739eda643d595/2/202302170436314461.pdf?token=st%3D1771493092~exp%3D1771496692~acl%3D%2Fportal%2F14161bd3d6786be99a4739eda643d595%2F2%2F202302170436314461.pdf%2A~hmac%3D9a7447a476cd1619a09ead266263060f49020725d88b99a7cd488f10311a28d6)
8. [Actor Choi Min-soo will transform into a rural motel president, Maeil Business News](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11191432)
9. [최민수, The Movie Database](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/127798?language=ko-KR)
10. [SBS Magazine, September 2003: 태양의 남쪽의 최민수](https://img.sbs.co.kr/sbspdf/magazine/2003/2003_09.pdf)
11. [CHO Min-soo, Korean Film Council (KOFIC) People Database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=10065830)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of East and Southeast Asia › South Korean actors, 1970s to 1990s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license