Yoon Gyoung-ho on Chief Kim: 'This Feels Like Winning the Lottery'

When SBS drama Chief Kim (김부장) wrapped its finale on July 25, 2026 with a nationwide rating of 23 percent — measured by Nielsen Korea — actor Yoon Gyoung-ho found himself at a loss for words. Not because the story had ended, but because the response had been so overwhelming he could barely process it.

"Winning the lottery — that is what this feels like," Yoon said in an interview held the following day at a café in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, Seoul. "I keep thinking that no amount of love I could receive in the rest of my life would match this moment. I feel almost guilty enjoying it."

His emotional candor captures exactly what makes Chief Kim such a remarkable success story — and why its ensemble, above all else, has become the drama's beating heart.

A Record-Breaking Run at Home and on Netflix

The SBS Friday-Saturday drama starring So Ji-sub did not merely dominate domestic ratings. Simultaneously released on Netflix, it became the first Korean broadcast drama to appear on the platform's official Tudum weekly chart for non-English shows — holding the top position for three consecutive weeks.

The 23 percent finale rating arrived at a moment when even double-digit numbers are celebrated as landmark achievements. For Yoon Gyoung-ho, who played Park Jin-cheol — a former deployed soldier turned mild-mannered crossing guard — the scale of the response was something he genuinely could not have predicted.

"Every project I have worked on, I gave the exact same effort," he said. "So I don't know how to interpret this level of love. All I can say is that, if luck exists, it seems to be staying with me right now."

Building Park Jin-cheol: From Self-Doubt to Scene-Stealer

Chief Kim follows Kim Bujang (So Ji-sub), the most ordinary of fathers who transforms into the most dangerous man alive when his only daughter is kidnapped. Park Jin-cheol, Yoon's character, is Kim's oldest friend — a man who once parachuted into combat zones without hesitation but now volunteers as a crossing guard, thoroughly under the thumb of his marine brigadier general wife (played by Kim Ji-young).

On the surface, Park Jin-cheol is comic relief: hen-pecked, talkative, disarmingly harmless. But when the crisis breaks and Kim Bujang calls on him, the dormant soldier re-emerges with a ferocity that delivers the series' most cathartic action sequences.

Yoon admitted that when he first read the original webtoon's character description, he assumed he was miscast. "The Park Jin-cheol in the source material is built like a tank," he recalled with a laugh. "A friend's teenage son called me after I was announced. He asked if I was really playing the role. He said, 'Do you know who Park Jin-cheol is? He jumps out of planes without a parachute.' I was starting from a deficit."

His response was methodical. Having trained in boxing for four years during his theater years, Yoon returned to the gym and rebuilt his striking technique specifically around the raw, high-impact style that Park Jin-cheol would need. He then performed the vast majority of his action sequences himself — not entirely by design.

"There was a stunt double available, but our body types were too different," he explained. "The director kept saying it was obvious when the double stepped in. So by circumstance as much as intention, I ended up doing almost everything myself. I wanted the hits to feel real. Park Jin-cheol is pure comedy until the exact moment he isn't — and that transition had to be believable."

The Brotherhood That Made the Drama Work

Critics and viewers alike have identified the chemistry between the drama's three central fathers as its defining strength. So Ji-sub as Kim Bujang, Yoon Gyoung-ho as Park Jin-cheol, and Choi Dae-hoon as Seong Han-su form an unlikely trio whose bond drives the emotional core of the series.

Yoon described the on-set dynamic with evident warmth. "By the time we shot the final scene — the three of us walking out together after everything had been resolved — I genuinely couldn't stop smiling. It felt real. Like we had actually lived through something together."

He added that the connections formed during production extended well beyond the cameras. "Ji-sub hyung, Dae-hoon, and I talked about coming back together. It wasn't just professional politeness. The chemistry was something real, and letting go of that world feels like a genuine loss."

For So Ji-sub, Chief Kim represented his first major SBS ratings triumph in thirteen years — his previous benchmark being Master's Sun in 2013. Both actors are reported to be joining the full cast on a reward trip abroad once press commitments conclude.

Season 2: Cast Dreams, Director Jokes, and What Could Come Next

With ratings at that level and Netflix performance to match, a second season is no longer a hypothetical. Production discussions are reportedly ongoing, and the cast have made no secret of their hopes.

"My desire for Season 2 is enormous," Yoon said without hesitation. "Ji-sub hyung has said he wants it too. I think if you say something sincerely and persistently enough, it eventually becomes possible."

He was careful, however, not to overpromise. The director had already offered a pointed reality check. "He joked that if Season 2 happens, he might replace all three of us with completely different actors," Yoon recalled, still smiling about it. "Which is his way of saying: don't get comfortable. I'm trying to hold onto that."

The original webtoon provides a deep reservoir of material that a second season could draw from, and the universe is expansive enough to accommodate new story directions. Whether the current ensemble returns remains unconfirmed — but the audience appetite makes it difficult to imagine a continuation without them.

Twenty Years in the Making

What makes Yoon Gyoung-ho's current moment so striking is how long it took to arrive. He debuted in the entertainment industry in 2002 and spent nearly two decades building a body of work across theater, film, and supporting drama roles — respected within the industry but never quite reaching the front rank of public recognition.

The shift began with Netflix's Severe Medical Center (중증외상센터), in which he played Han Yu-rim, an irreverent proctology chief whose deadpan comic timing earned him the fan nickname "Yu-rim-ping" and introduced him to a new generation of viewers. From there came the film Zombie Daughter, the Tving series The Worst of All, and appearances on Yoo Jae-suk's popular web variety show Pinkkego — each project expanding his audience further.

The road was not without setbacks. Yoon has previously spoken about losing 34 kilograms in a health-related decision that, paradoxically, cost him work as the industry's perception of him shifted. Rebuilding took time and patience.

"There were moments when I thought about stopping," he said quietly. "But then something like this happens, and you realize: if I had walked away, I would have missed all of this."

At 46, with his public profile higher than at any previous point in his career, Yoon Gyoung-ho is approaching the moment as a starting line rather than a summit. "I want to keep working for as long as I possibly can," he said, reaching for a metaphor. "Like a long strand of noodles — just keep going, keep going."

Where that journey leads — whether back to the world of Chief Kim or somewhere entirely new — Korean drama audiences will be following every step.