Actor Daniel Dae Kim explores Korea’s culture in NCS’s ‘K-Everything’

Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim poses for a photograph throughout a go to to Bukchon Hanok Village in Jongno District, central Seoul in an episode of the NCS journey present ″Ok-Everything″ [CNN]

 

“K” has gone world.

 

From Ok-pop topping worldwide charts to Korean movies profitable worldwide awards, Korea’s cultural imprint is in all places. But how did this comparatively small nation seize the world’s consideration? NCS’s new journey present “K-Everything” units out to reply that query, with Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim as its host. Kim says the collection is not only for newbies to Ok-culture, however for so-called Ok-experts as effectively.

 

 

“I think a show like ‘K-Everything’ is important because to people who don’t know anything about Korean culture, they get their first introduction to all the things that make it special,” Kim mentioned throughout an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily final month, providing a sneak peek into the present and sharing his expertise filming it.

 

“And even for those who do know Korean culture, I think there’s something in there that will be entertaining and maybe something that even […] the K-experts will learn,” he mentioned.

 

“K-Everything” follows Kim as he travels throughout Korea in search of solutions to how the nation has sparked a worldwide pop culture motion that spans leisure, magnificence and meals. Viewers can anticipate to see certainly one of Hollywood’s most prolific Korean American actors meet with large names like singer PSY and journey to a few of the nation’s most beautiful places. 

 

The present options cameos from throughout the Ok-culture spectrum, together with “Squid Game” (2021-25) actor Lee Byung-hun, Michelin three-star chef Kang Min-goo, Ok-pop idols similar to Meovv and the producers behind “Golden” (2025), the hit music from Netflix’s sensation “KPop Demon Hunters” (2025). Kim even shared {that a} private cameo seems in the present: his dad and mom.

Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim, far left, listens to Kang Min-goo, chef of the Michelin three-star restaurant Mingles, heart, explaining dishes on the restaurant in Seoul in an episode of the NCS journey present ″Ok-Everything″ [CNN]

 

Kim’s dad and mom occurred to be visiting Korea whereas the present was capturing, and he requested if they’d sit for the digicam. They agreed, and the three of them sat down over
jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) to speak about their expertise as immigrants and the distinction between the careers they as soon as knew and the careers of right this moment.

 

One standout expertise throughout the filming of “K-Everything” for Kim was witnessing the creation strategy of “Golden,” one thing he mentioned he had by no means seen up shut earlier than.

 

“I’ve known the music industry, and I’ve known musicians and music [executives], but I’ve never actually been in a recording studio the way I was for this show,” he mentioned. “[The producers] walked me through the process of writing Golden and how they chose the beat, and you know how they patch things together, they worked with the singer EJAE, and so it was just fun to watch how it got created.”

Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim is seen in an episode of the NCS journey present ″Ok-Everything″ [CNN]

 

The music’s attain hit him outdoors the studio, too. Walking by Myeongdong in central Seoul whereas capturing, Kim stored listening to “Golden” spilling from road distributors’ audio system and observed posters for “KPop Demon Hunters” plastered throughout the world.

 

“I do not suppose I’ve ever seen one thing like this — a
gyopo-based story from one thing Korean American transferring to Korea,” mentioned Kim, utilizing the Korean phrase for these of Korean descent residing overseas. “How wonderful that Koreans have accepted this story that was made in America about their culture and are as proud of it as Korean Americans are.”

 

Kim additionally met “Squid Game” actor Lee, whom he mentioned he had identified for some time. He expressed pleasure to introduce Lee to these unfamiliar with him, saying, “Everyone in Korea knows who he is and how good an actor he is, but it’s also nice to know that others are learning how great he is.”

 

The present additionally goes behind the scenes of the Ok-beauty trade, the place Kim really meets the provider of an awkward but efficient ingredient used in Korean cosmetics: snails.
 

Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim, left, is seen in an episode of the NCS journey present ″Ok-Everything″ [CNN]

 

“We went out to a snail factory where they produce the mucin that goes into all the makeup, and I met the snails who do all the hard work,” Kim mentioned.

 

He praised the atmosphere in which the snails dwell, saying they’re “treated quite well,” including, “the snails live pretty happy lives from what I saw.”

 

While filming, Kim additionally explored the world of Korean delicacies, the place he got here to understand the importance of
jang, Korea’s conventional fermented pastes and sauces.

 

“I at all times knew
ganjang [soy sauce] and
chojang [spicy and sweet red pepper paste] and issues like that, however I did not notice what a wealthy historical past that soy sauce had in Korea,” he mentioned. “I just saw Korean cuisine in a different way.”

 

Having beforehand skilled Korea largely by his household, Kim described the present as an opportunity to see the nation from a broader perspective.

Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim, proper, speaks with Korean actor Lee Byung-hun in an episode of the NCS journey present ″Ok-Everything″ [CNN]

 

“Through ‘K-everything’ and my visits [to Korea] as an adult, I was able to see so many different walks of life there, so many different people doing so many different things,” Kim mentioned. “So it was really great to kind of get a more comprehensive understanding of the things that make Korea special.”

 

The present additionally turns its lens on Korean movie and tv, a sector that has produced a few of the nation’s most seen world exports of the previous decade — from Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” (2019) sweeping the Oscars to “Squid Game” turning into Netflix’s most watched collection. For Kim, the surge of worldwide consideration on Korean administrators is hardly stunning.

 

“I think when you have filmmakers at the level of the big three in Korea — Kim Jee-won, Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook — making world-class movies, people are going to notice,” he mentioned. “When you have a cuisine that is so unique, you know it’s going to make a mark, and when you have people who are as beautiful as Koreans are, you’re going to want to know what their skincare secrets are.”

 

“All of these things, and of course, the music industry […] the people are going to stand up and take notice,” he added. “They call it a wave for a reason. It’s not just one act, it’s several acts in every industry that are just making a real impact on the world.”

Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim walks round Bukchon Hanok Village in Jongno District, central Seoul in an episode of the NCS journey present ″Ok-Everything″ [CNN]

 

Of the massive three administrators, Kim mentioned his longest historical past is with Park, whose work he first encountered by “Oldboy” (2003) and “Joint Security Area” (2000). He likened the present interval of Korean cinema to a selected period in American movie.

 

“I think of this era in Korean cinema like the 1970s in American cinema, where you have auteur directors like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese — they all emerged at the same time,” Kim mentioned. “And this is what’s happening, I think, in Korea.”

 

He was cautious, although, to not confine the dialog to the three names most frequently cited.

 

“It’s not just about the three directors we mentioned. There are generations of really, really good directors in Korea, not just on film but in TV,” Kim mentioned. “This is the reason why I think that this wave will continue, because it won’t die out with just those three directors. There are many others ready to take the stage and already are.”

Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim, left, speaks with Korean actor Lee Byung-hun in an episode of the NCS journey present ″Ok-Everything″ [CNN]

 

Working in Hollywood, one of the vital aggressive media industries in the world, Kim has been one of many consultant figures as a Korean American actor on display, showing in reveals like ABC’s “Lost” (2004-10) and CBS’s “Hawaii Five-0” (2010-20).

 

Reflecting on his identification, Kim mentioned, “There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not aware of who I am and what I look like.”

 

“There are times where it’s an obstacle, but there are also many times where it’s a blessing, and that’s why I think it’s important to keep in mind both perspectives,” he mentioned.

 

That vantage level additionally informs the sorts of tales he needs to see informed. Kim mentioned he has spoken with executives in each Korea and the United States who imagine gyopo tales will battle to search out an viewers as a result of the diaspora is a minority on each side of the Pacific. His Hulu collection “Butterfly” (2025), he mentioned, was an try to push again.

Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim eats Korean meals in an episode of the NCS journey present ″Ok-Everything″ [CNN]

 

“’Butterfly’ is actually a gyopo story,” Kim mentioned. “I want to prove these executives wrong and show them that we can have successful stories that integrate into both Korean culture and American culture.”

 

He added that the trade is in an “intermediate” stage.

 

“We have to promote representation of marginalized communities, so we can give them their share of the spotlight, so that we can get to the final step of just looking at their humanity,” Kim mentioned.

 

The four-episode NCS collection “K-Everything” is ready to premiere on Saturday.

BY KIM JI-YE, LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]