Two Premieres, One Name: Who Kim Hyun-i Is, Honored by Kim Ji-won and Kim Yoo-jung Dramas

Within two days, the first-episode endings of SBS's Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia and tvN's 100 Days of Lies both closed on a memorial caption for the same person: the late action actor Kim Hyun-i. Viewers who saw the name twice in a row went looking for answers, and found almost nothing at first.

The Doctor X tribute, starring Kim Ji-won, aired on the 9th. It read, in the production team's words, that they were remembering "a precious colleague who ran alongside us," signed by the whole crew. The next day, the premiere of 100 Days of Lies, led by Kim Yoo-jung, ended with its own message: that the team would not forget action actor Kim Hyun-i.

The drama is part of tvN's 20th anniversary lineup, written by Ryu Bo-ri and directed by Yoo In-sik and Kim Yoon-jin.

Who Kim Hyun-i was

Online communities filled with questions such as who she was and what had happened, since no obituary or profile turned up easily. The closing credits of Doctor X did list the name under the martial arts category, which led many to guess she worked in stunts and action.

On the 12th, OSEN confirmed that guess: Kim Hyun-i was an action actor who worked on both dramas and died last summer. She had practiced taekwondo since elementary school and toured the world as a member of the national taekwondo demonstration team. While teaching children as a taekwondo instructor, she discovered stunt work and moved into action acting.

Her credits include the films Black Nuns, Victory, Escape: Project Silence and It's a Fairy Tale, But Rated R, as well as the drama The Penthouse. Most recently, she appeared as a body double for Gong Min-jung in the final episode of Boot Camp 4: Sabotage.

What remains unconfirmed

Some online posts claim she doubled for Kim Ji-won or took part in particular scenes, but neither production company nor broadcaster has confirmed which stunts or roles she handled on these dramas. The cause of her death has not been disclosed either, and some viewers have urged others not to speculate about it.

Still, the wording of both tributes, a colleague who "ran alongside us" and a pledge not to forget, suggests how much she was valued on set. Viewers' reactions have leaned the same way, with many saying the double mention made them want to know more about her work.