Kang Min-gil lands lead in indie film 'Iltahong' after 252-to-1 open audition
Actor Kang Min-gil won an open audition against 252 competitors for his first film lead in Park Han-yeol's Joseon-era melodrama *Iltahong*, which begins filming August 11.
Kang Min-gil is playing Il-song, the male lead of Iltahong (일타홍), an independent art film written and directed by Park Han-yeol. This marks his first lead role in a feature film.
He beat out 252 other candidates in an open audition. Filming starts August 11, with a 2027 release planned.
The story adapts an essay from Eou Yadam (어우야담), a mid-Joseon collection of folk tales and prose. It's a sensory melodrama centered on the idea that love sustains us, following one man's transformation through it.
Kang was born in 1994 and holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from KAIST—a detail that caught attention when he first debuted. His filmography includes the plays Liar and Miracle, the tvN variety show Problematic Men, Chinese web dramas Lord, Reincarnation 2, You Tonight, and Club, and Korean dramas Suspicious Woman, More Beautiful Than Heaven, and Model Taxi 3.
On the role: "Il-song appears strong on the surface but is lonelier than anyone. I deeply empathize with how he changes through love."
He also said: "I want to complete a character that audiences will remember for a long time by putting sincerity into every scene."
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