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| Actor Kim Seon-ho stars as mountain climber Joe Simpson in the play, "Touching the Void." Courtesy of The Best Play Inc. |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Actor Kim Seon-ho delivered a tearful apology as he made his first public appearance in nine months on Wednesday at a press showcase for the play, "Touching the Void," following a hiatus after admitting that he had coerced his ex-girlfriend into getting an abortion.
"I am deeply sorry for causing concern. I have used these past several months to reflect on my shortcomings," he read out the written letter of apology ahead of the press conference for the play.
The actor shed tears as he continued, "Many people worked hard all spring and this summer to put this show on the stage. I would like to apologize to the team for the hindrance I caused. I will try harder to be a better actor and a better person."
On choosing the play, "Touching the Void," as his new project, the 36-year-old actor said he loved the script. "I don't set boundaries between working on screen and stage, but I love performing on stage because there's an energy exchange between the audience and actors," he said.
The play, based on the 1988 mountaineering memoir of the same title, follows the story of Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, who hiked the snowy peaks of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.
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| Actor Kim Seon-ho in the play, "Touching the Void" / Courtesy of The Best Play Inc. |
In the play, Kim plays Simpson, who falls off a cliff and into a crevasse due to an accident. Stranded in the Andes, he overcomes dehydration, starvation and a broken leg to survive and crawls an agonizing 8 miles to the base camp.
"I read Simpson's memoir and watched documentaries to prepare for the role. Simpson recalls that he was angry at himself after being stranded. I thought it demonstrates his sincere love for the mountains. Every moment was precious, especially the times we exchanged ideas, got advice from a mountain climber and studied acting," he said.
Following its world premiere at the Bristol Old Vic in London in 2018 and a critically acclaimed West End run, the play was shown in other parts of the world such as Hong Kong and Australia.
Asked if the play's themes of facing challenges and placing value on a person's life struck a chord with him, Kim said he didn't put a lot of emphasis on that.
Kim has been staying out of the public spotlight since October after he was embroiled in a scandal involving his former girlfriend, who accused him of forcing her to have an abortion. Following him admitting that the accusation had been true, Kim was removed from film and TV projects, including "Dog Days" and KBS' "Two Days and One Night."
He debuted as a theater actor in the comedy play, "New Boeing Boeing," in 2009 and has starred in a number of TV series, including tvN's "Start-Up" (2020) and "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" (2021). He will be featured in the upcoming film, "Sad Tropics," which follows a Korean-Filipino boxer.
The play, "Touching the Void," will be performed at Art One Theater in Seoul until Sept. 18.
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