# Im Seong-jae (임성재) (actor)
**Im Seong-jae** (임성재; born 1987) is a South Korean actor known for supporting roles in Korean films and streaming drama series, including Kim Min-sik in *Extraordinary Attorney Woo* (2022) and villainous parts in *The Worst of Evil*, *D.P. Season 2*, and *Moving* (all 2023).[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12174956/) He is represented by SEM Company.[3](https://hitkultr.com/artists/im-seong-jae)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987, Gwangju, South Korea[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12174956/) |
| Screen debut | *Byeonsan* (*Sunset in My Hometown*), listed as 2017 by Cine21 and 2018 by AsianWiki[4](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=108834) • [1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae) |
| Breakthrough role | Kim Min-sik, the restaurant owner nicknamed Teolbo, in *Extraordinary Attorney Woo* (ENA/Netflix, 2022)[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae) |
| Signature villain roles | Choi Jung-bae in *The Worst of Evil* (2023); Na Jung-seok in *D.P. Season 2* (2023); Bae Min-ki in *Moving* (2023, episodes 10–11)[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae) |
| Departure role | Ha Sang-gi, an associate lawyer, in *Law and the City* (*Seocho-dong*, tvN, 2025)[5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/news/korean/k-dramas-favourite-villain-im-sung-jae-opens-up-about-his-role-in-seocho-dong/articleshow/123301941.cms) |
| Agency | SEM Company, whose roster also includes Hwang Jung-min and Park Jung-min[3](https://hitkultr.com/artists/im-seong-jae) |
## Early life and stage beginnings
Im was born in Gwangju.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12174956/) According to an interview with Cine21, praise he received while still in high school, when a neighborhood filmmaker cast him in a short film and told him he could improve with training, drew him toward acting; he left his [business studies](https://www.edgepedia.org/business-studies) and joined a theater troupe near his home, supporting himself by working as an event master of ceremonies.[6](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=103870) IMDb's profile adds that he dropped out of college at age 20 to perform on stage and, before moving into full-time screen acting, ran his own advertising agency.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12174956/)
**Path to the screen.** Actor Park Jung-min recognized Im's talent during his theater days and personally recommended him for the audition of his debut film, *Byeonsan* (released internationally as *Sunset in My Hometown*), and Im later signed with the same agency.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12174956/) He had earlier appeared as Yong-soo's friend Sung-jae in *Unforgettable* (*Soonjung*, 2016), and the 2016 film *Byeonsan* is dated 2017 in Cine21's filmography while AsianWiki lists it as a 2018 release; both sources credit him as Seok-ki.[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae) • [4](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=108834)
## Film career in supporting roles
Through the late 2010s Im worked steadily in supporting film parts. AsianWiki credits him as Hak-yeol in *The King's Letters* (*Naratmalssami*, 2019), Lee Dae-pal in *Start-Up* (2019), a Naju husband in *The Book of Fish* (2021), the interpreter in *Deliver Us From Evil* (2020), Police Officer Kim in *The Day I Died: Unclosed Case* (2020), Joon-goo in *A Year-End Medley* (2021), Ma-cho in *Nothing Serious* (2021), and Byeong-kyu in *Nocturnal* (*Broken*, listed as 2021 by Cine21 and 2025 by AsianWiki).[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae) • [4](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=108834) The 2022 films *Gentleman* (Detective Cha), *Confidential Assignment 2: International* (Master Sergeant Kim), *Hunt* (army investigation authorities), *[Emergency Declaration](https://www.edgepedia.org/emergency-declaration-film)* (Jong-soo), and *Anchor* (Detective Kim) followed.[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae)
He appeared at the Busan International Film Festival open talks for Im Sang-soo's *Heaven: To the Land of Happiness* and for [Son Suk-ku](https://www.edgepedia.org/son-suk-ku)'s short *Rebroadcast* (*Unframed*, 2021), where he described his character as a cruel person who might seem cute to someone.[7](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=98747) A 2021 interview in the Asia Business Daily described him as having risen as a "Chungmuro blue chip", a term for a reliably bankable rising actor, after four years of increasingly substantial work following *Byeonsan*.[8](https://view.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2021121617071154602)
## Television and the 2022–2023 visibility surge
**Breakthrough.** The 2022 drama *Extraordinary Attorney Woo*, an ENA series that became a major Netflix hit, made Im's face broadly recognizable; he played Kim Min-sik, the owner of the restaurant patronized by the law firm's staff.[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae) In 2023 he stacked three consecutive streaming antagonists: Na Jung-seok in *D.P. Season 2*, Sergeant Lee in *[Black Knight](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-knight-south-korean-tv-series)*, and Bae Min-ki in episodes 10 and 11 of Disney+'s *[Moving](https://www.edgepedia.org/moving-south-korean-tv-series)*, and he played Choi Jung-bae, second-in-command of the 1990s Gangnam Union drug trafficking organization, in Disney+'s *The Worst of Evil*.[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae) • [3](https://hitkultr.com/artists/im-seong-jae) His other television credits include Kang Joo-an in *Hush* (JTBC, 2020–2021), a shaman in episode 15 of *Vincenzo* (2021), Cheon Se-hyeong in *Hellbound Season 2* (Netflix, 2024), and Psyche in *Gangnam B-Side* (Disney+, 2024).[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae)
In the Cine21 interview for *The Worst of Evil*, Im described his acting method as faithful execution of the script, preferring detailed facial and gestural expression over invented scenes, and recalled deciding to join the drama after director Han Dong-wook spent five or six hours arguing his case for it.[6](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=103870)
## From villain to lawyer: the 2025 image shift
Im became identified with chilling antagonists, a reputation that industry profiles trace through *The Worst of Evil*, *D.P. Season 2*, and *Moving*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12174956/) The tvN weekend drama *Law and the City* (*Seocho-dong*), which aired from June to August 2025, cast him against that type as Ha Sang-gi, an associate lawyer in Seoul's legal district who is initially presented as selfish and money-obsessed before layers of hardship, including a childhood marked by poverty, are revealed.[5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/news/korean/k-dramas-favourite-villain-im-sung-jae-opens-up-about-his-role-in-seocho-dong/articleshow/123301941.cms) Im said in interviews that Sang-gi's calm, occasionally aloof but kind-hearted demeanor mirrors his own, and that playing a warm character was a relief for his parents, who no longer had to watch him commit fictional crimes on screen.[5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/news/korean/k-dramas-favourite-villain-im-sung-jae-opens-up-about-his-role-in-seocho-dong/articleshow/123301941.cms)
More recent and upcoming credits include Jeon Yi-man in *When the Stars Gossip* (tvN, 2025), Ra In-ho in *[Newtopia](https://www.edgepedia.org/newtopia)* (Coupang Play, 2025), Baek Ju-sang in *[The Ugly](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-ugly-2025-film)* (*Eolgul*, 2025), Seo Dae-gang in the KBS2 TV movie *Love Track: Finding Us* (2025), Kang Ro-bin in *The WONDERfools* (Netflix, 2026), and a role in *Mission: Cross 2* (2026).[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12174956/)
## References
1. [Im Sung-Jae profile and filmography, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Im_Sung-Jae)
2. [Im Sung-jae, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12174956/)
3. [Im Seong-jae – Character Actor in Newtopia and Moving, HITKULTR](https://hitkultr.com/artists/im-seong-jae)
4. [임성재 인물 페이지, 씨네21](https://cine21.com/db/person/info/?person_id=108834)
5. [K-Drama's favourite villain Im Sung-jae opens up about his role in 'Seocho-dong', The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/news/korean/k-dramas-favourite-villain-im-sung-jae-opens-up-about-his-role-in-seocho-dong/articleshow/123301941.cms)
6. [[WHO ARE YOU] '최악의 악' 임성재, 씨네21 (2023-11-16)](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=103870)
7. [BIFF #4호 [화보] 박해일, 유아인, 한소희, 박정민..., 씨네21](https://cine21.com/news/view/?mag_id=98747)
8. [[Interview] 'Chungmuro Blue Chip' Im Seongjae, The Asia Business Daily (2021-12-16)](https://view.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2021121617071154602)
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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, 2000s onward › Surnames I to Ka*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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