Kim Byung-man (born July 29, 1975) is a South Korean

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

, best known for his slapstick and acrobatic stunts as a ''Master'' in '' Gag Concert'', and survival skills in ''

Law of the Jungle "The law of the jungle" (also called jungle law) is an expression that has come to describe a scenario where "anything goes". The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines the Law of the Jungle as "''the code of survival in jungle life'', now usuall ...

'' as he acts as the Chief of the show. In November 2015, he entered a new program on SBS titled 'Shaolin Clenched Fists', where Kim Byung-man and a group of other celebrities visit the

Shaolin Monastery Shaolin Monastery ( zh, labels=no, c=少林寺, p=shàolínsì), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin kung fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak o ...

to learn the traditional martial arts from Shaolin Masters.

Biography

Kim was born into a poor family with an older sister and two younger sisters in

Jeonju Jeonju (, , ) is the capital and List of cities in South Korea, largest city of North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many resi ...

, Wanju in

North Jeolla Province North Jeolla Province, officially Jeonbuk State (), is a Special Self-governing Province of South Korea in the Honam region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. Jeonbuk borders the provinces of South Chungcheong to the north, North Gyeo ...

. His father was an alcoholic, because of his bad luck in business. This caused his family to be in chronic debt. His mother tried to make a little money working at odd jobs, such as working at a restaurant. Kim also tried to help raise money for the family by doing

manual labor Manual labour (in Commonwealth English, manual labor in American English) or manual work is physical work done by humans, in contrast to labour by machines and working animals. It is most literally work done with the hands (the word ''manual'' ...

. Wanting to be a comedian, he left his home and moved to

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

to go to an apartment with other aspiring comedians. After three failed auditions on KBS and four on MBC, he was finally accepted by KBS in 2002. He starred in Gag concert on the Master show as a Master, his most famous role, in which he performs difficult tasks, showcasing his ability to acquire new skills quickly. Kim made his first appearance in the movie called "Gift" (선물) in 2002. He was also the runner-up on Kim Yuna's Kiss and Cry where famous entertainers learn how to figure skate from professionals. Up till 2012 he was signed under ''Castle J Entertainment'', and on 19 September, it was announced that he has signed exclusive contracts with SM C&C, a subsidiary of

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...

, along with Lee Soo Geun.

Personal life

In May 2022, Kim's mother died in a flood and a private funeral was planned.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Television shows

Awards and nominations

State honors

Listicles

Notes

References

External links

*
Kim Byung-man Fan Cafe
at Daum
Kim Byung-man
at S.M. Culture & Contents * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Byung-man 1975 births Living people South Korean male comedians South Korean male television actors South Korean male film actors Gag Concert Konkuk University alumni Best Variety Performer Male Paeksang Arts Award (television) winners