The time has changed, as actors who are 190cm tall are receiving huge love from the public.
Actor Lee Kwang Soo is 190 centimeters tall on his profile. However, it is widely believed that he is 2cm taller than that number. At a recent production presentation for Netflix’s entertainment show “Korea Number One,” Lee Kwang Soo’s height was reportedly the same as ex-volleyball athlete Kim Yeon Kyung, whose profile height is 192cm.
In the late 2000s, when Lee Kwang Soo debuted, tall actors usually reduced their height by 2cm. This is because they were worried that their tall height would not look good when standing next to actresses, due to which their offered roles would be limited. However, in 2022, they don’t need to worry about that anymore as new faces that break the existing stereotypes of “tall actors” are emerging.
Actor Moon Sang Min, who is rising to stardom with the tvN drama “Under The Queen’s Umbrella,” is 190 centimeters tall. At a glance, anyone can feel overwhelmed by his tall height and small face. 190cm in height was a taboo for male actors in the past, but Moon naturally talks about his height nowadays.
Kim Hyun Jin, who plays Jin Sun Ho in SBS Monday-Tuesday drama “Cheer Up,” also has a profile height of 189cm. In fact, many believed that he is close to 190cm tall. He also exceeds 185cm, which was the standard for tall male actors in the past. Just like Moon Sang Min, he is not afraid to reveal his height at all.
Actors who have been active since the 2000s such as Park Seo Joon, Joo Won, Lee Sang Yoon, Ko Kyung Pyo, Song Il Guk, Yeon Woo Jin, and Lee Dong Gun, were all 185cm tall as if they had a hidden promise together. They used to be considered the standard of tall actors. However, as in the case of Moon Sang Min and Kim Hyun Jin, the standard has recently risen to the 190cm range.
Ahn Hyo Seop, who is gaining popularity this year with “Lovers of the Red Sky” and “Business Proposal”, is also 188cm tall, approaching 190cm. Na In Woo, who emerged as a youth star with “Cleaning Up” and “Jinxed at First” this year after “Mr. Queen” and “River Where the Moon Rises”, is also close to 189cm tall. SF9 member-actor Rowoon, who appeared in “The King’s Affection” and “Tomorrow”, is 190cm tall.
Lee Kwang Soo, a member of the original “190 Club”, is also grabbing both acting and entertainment this year through tvN’s “The Killer’s Shopping List“, Disney+’s “The Zone: Survival Mission” and Netflix’s “Korea No.1. The stage for tall actors who are “over 190cm” is no longer narrow.
Why has the atmosphere changed when people whose height is 180~190cm were considered popular just a while ago? First of all, the increase in overall height should be taken into account. In the “8th Korean Human Body Measurement Survey” announced in April by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the average height of Korean men is 172.5cm. It increased by 0.5cm from the figure announced in 2015. The average height of people in their 20s is 174.4cm, up 0.5cm from the survey figure of 173.9cm six years ago. Compared to 10 years ago, it has increased by about 1cm.
And from the perspective of the actor industry, the growing height of actresses, who have to consider their height difference with tall male actors, also has a big impact. Actresses such as Han Ji Hyun, Shin Hye Sun, Lee Sung Kyung, Lee Joo Myung, Jeon So Min, Kim Da Mi, Jin Ki Joo, Kwon Na Ra and Nana, who are currently active, are over 170cm tall. There is no need to lower their height to match male actors.
Another reason is that the number of rookies who are model-turned-actors has increased. Both Moon Sang Min and Kim Hyun Jin changed their career path to acting after starting their career in the entertainment industry as models. Using their innate height, looks and passion for acting as weapons, they are following in the footsteps of popular model-turned-actor seniors such as Jo In Sung, Kim Woo Bin and Lee Jong Suk.
Source: Daum
