Interview: Jin Ki-joo Says Im Han-lim’s Shouts in 〈Chamgyoyuk〉 Came From a Desperate Need to Be Stronger

“You catch a crazy person with another crazy person.” Im Han-lim — someone who acts without hesitation when convinced they are right — confronts those who have undermined the educational environment, often with behavior that exceeds common sense. Im charges in recklessly when necessary to protect what the character sees as true education. Actor Jin Ki-joo plays Im Han-lim in the series 〈Chamgyoyuk〉, delivering a performance that departs sharply from her previous work. Jin’s ringing shouts have divided viewers, but she says they come from deep character analysis probing Han-lim’s inner life. Jin Ki-joo spoke about the series and the character in an interview.

First, when you first read the script, what drew you to the project and made you decide to take the role?

There were moments in the script that made me well up. The Teacher Protection Bureau protects victims, and those victims find comfort and the strength to move forward. I liked that the story closes that way. I was also attracted to the warm tone that the writer had carefully layered into the script. I felt it in the lines themselves—lines that comforted me when I said them. There are many of those lines; for example, the line “I will protect you” felt like that. It's the kind of reassurance anyone would want to hear. Also, I had wanted to work with director Hong Jong-chan at least once, so that desire helped me choose this project.

The character Im Han-lim exists in the original work. How much of the original character did you carry over, and were there aspects you decided not to use?

I didn’t know the original work at first. After I received the script and learned it was based on a webtoon, I went and read the original. But I had read the script first. I decided it made more sense to focus on the script. Rather than agonize over what to take or leave from the webtoon, I concentrated on the atmosphere and overall tone of the drama that the four actors and the director discussed together.

Han-lim’s first scene is pretty intense. He talks to female students about breast augmentation, and both the lines and the movements are strong. How did you approach and prepare for that scene?

I kept it simple. The students said that to tease a trainee teacher who seemed a bit bewildered. I saw Han-lim’s line and gesture as his way of making sure nothing more would be said after that. That scene comes shortly after Han-lim appears, so it was meant to tell viewers quickly: this is the kind of character who says those things and takes those actions without batting an eye.

Some viewers find Im Han-lim unfamiliar, and there has been a lot of talk about your vocal tone. Did you expect that reaction while preparing?

Because I was playing someone in a profession unfamiliar to me, I wanted to absorb every aspect of the character into my very cells. I watched a lot of footage with that mindset—training shows and documentaries that capture everyday life. Even so, I heard that voice from myself for the first time in my life. I examined public reactions to that kind of shout through variety shows. In variety shows, when someone makes a loud shout, they usually cut to startled reactions or add a subtitle that makes people laugh. That's the typical response. If you don't know that occupation, you might react that way, and I found it very unfamiliar at first. I remember wondering why someone would make that sound.

But after repeatedly watching those people and the intensity of their training, I began to think the sound may be a way to push through the intensity of the training. When you undergo that kind of hard training, your body hits its limits and you want to rest. At those moments you shout to pull yourself together. I saw it as the sound that comes out of a fight with yourself to endure the training and become a stronger person. I wanted to express that desperate wish to get stronger and the responsibility that drives it.

Before filming, you practiced diaphragmatic breathing. Was that suggested by the director, or something you initiated yourself? Can you describe how you trained?

I went to a training school because I thought it would help me express Han-lim in any scene. No one pushed me to go. It was basic voice training—diaphragmatic breathing that people commonly know. Whatever I learn or experience often fits together like puzzle pieces and becomes useful later, whether immediately or years from now. I went with the hope that it would become learning and help me in life.

You clearly put a lot of effort into the action work as well. How did you train for the action scenes?

I attended action school diligently. Since this was my first time doing real action work, they focused on training me intensively. Kim Moo-yeol is already outstanding, so I approached it thinking I would try to match even a little of what he does and do everything within my ability. It was really tough. I was out of breath and my face was constantly very red. When my body and stamina were drained, I would rest briefly and then push myself to get it done.

▶ 〈Chamgyoyuk〉 interview with actor Jin Ki-joo continues in Part 2.