[Sportschosun Jung Yoo-na] Actress Im Seong-min, a former announcer, spoke candidly about the difficult period she went through after becoming a freelancer.
In a video released on the YouTube channel "Salty Brother Shin Dong-yup" on the 22nd, former KBS announcers Kim Byung-chan, Im Seong-min, Kim Hyun-wook, and Kim Seon-geun appeared as guests and shared a wide range of stories.
That day, Im Seong-min recalled the time she declared herself a freelancer in 2001 and said, "I was the original freelancer" and "I did it alone when no one else was becoming a freelancer."
She said her work increased sharply after going independent, leaving her with a packed schedule. However, she explained that her agency at the time also lacked experience in managing the career direction of former announcers, making it difficult to receive systematic support.
Looking back on the period when she worked on both variety shows and dramas, Im Seong-min said, "I was doing weekly programs and dramas, but back then it wasn't an era when you could do many things at once like now. I quit because I wanted to act and work in different areas, but if I wanted to act, I had to give up all the programs."
She continued, "At the time, I was doing 'Challenge! Earth Exploration Team,' and the producer called me and asked, 'Why are you quitting?' It was the manager who delivered the notice that I was leaving. Suddenly, I had to give up the program. It was really hard to get through that."
After taking about a year off, Im Seong-min joined a new agency through an acquaintance, but she said she faced yet another ordeal.
She said, "Managers used to hold the bankbooks. My appearance fees were deposited into that account, and then they disappeared with it. The CEO embezzled hundreds of billions and ran away, so the managers had to survive too, and they took my bankbook and fled."
Im Seong-min went on to say, "I had so little money that I couldn't even pay into the National Pension Service (NPS)." She admitted how financially difficult things were at the time.
jyn2011@sportschosun.com
