Spotlight – The Men Management

KP’s note: We found this a few weeks ago, but thought now would be a good time to put it up. ^^

In 2000, a male modelling agency called “The Men Management” was created by Kim Byung Chul. Although the agency is no longer in business, it appears that agent Kim had an eye for talent. The “family” comprised of eight members, and the majority have risen to fame over the years.

Can you spot them?

Hints: 2 are boys over flowers, 1 goes on family outings, 1 is too beautiful to lie, 1 was an evasive inquiring agent, and a few were NONSTOPpable.

The Men Management

Top left to right: Lee Chun Hee, Lee Min Ki, Jo Sung Il, Yeo Seung Hyuk
Front left to right: Yeo Wook Hwan, Ye Hak Young, Gang Dong Won, Im Ju Hwan,  Jung Eui Chul

Eui Chul & Ju Hwan @ Mnet 20s Choice

Thailand, 2005

Guam, 2003

Gang Dong Won’s fan meeting, 2005

photo shoot cut

THE MEN MANAGEMENT

The Men Management

Yeo Wook Hwan, Gang Dong Won

Agent Kim & models in Harper’s

**For some reason, Ye Hak Young is not shown in the official photo.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES:

이천희 Lee Chun Hee, actor/model

• Birthdate: 2/19/1979
• Height: 188 cm
• Education: Seoul Institute of the Arts (undergrad in theatre)
• Hobbies/Skills: playing in-line hockey, snowboarding
• Acting debut: A Good Lawyer’s Wife (drama, 2003)
• Notable roles: Jang Yeong Sil in Great King Sejong (drama), Eun Chul in Beautiful (movie), Yang Man Oh in Seoul’s Sad Song (drama)
• 2009 projects: Dove Restaurant (movie), 1,000,000,000 (movie), Family Outing (variety show)

이민기 Lee Min Ki, actor/model/musician

• Birthdate: 1/16/1985
• Height: 183 cm
• Education: Konkuk University (undergrad in Film)
• Hobbies/skills: watching movies, singing
• Acting debut: Drama City: My Older Brother (drama, 2004)
• Notable roles: Moo Yeol in Evasive Inquiry Agency (drama), unnamed student in A Good Day to Have an Affair (movie), Kang Tae Bong in Dal Ja’s Spring (drama)
• 2009 projects: 1,000,000,000 (movie), Haeundae (movie), Oishii Man (movie)

조성일 Jo Sung Il, model

• Birthdate: 4/3/1979
• Height: 185 cm
• Education: Chung-Ang University
• Hobbies /skills: reading, playing computer games, basketball, trombone, violin

여승혁 Yeo Seung Hyuk, actor/model

• Birthdate: 2/23/1982
• Height: 185 cm
• Hobbies /skills: playing computer games, basketball, rollerblading
• Acting debut: Love of South and North (movie, 2003)
• Notable role: Chae Ji Hwan in Sang Doo, Let’s Go to School (drama)
• Other: older brother is Yeo Wook Hwan

여욱환 Yeo Wook Hwan, actor/model

• Birthdate: 12/23/1979
• Height: 189 cm
• Education: Dong Seoul College (undergrad in Fashion Apparel)
• Hobbies /skills: watching movies, reading, snowboarding, basketball
• Acting debut: School 4 (drama, 2001)
• Notable role: Kang Yi Kyu in School 4 (drama)
• 2009 project: Ja Myung Go (drama)
• Other: younger brother is Yeo Seung Hyuk

예학영 Ye Hak Young, actor/model

• Birthdate: 2/8/1983
• Height: 187 cm
• Education: Daejin University (undergrad in Theatre & Film)
• Hobbies/Skills: listening to music, watching music, snowboarding
• Acting debut: Nonstop 4 (2003)
• Notable role: Seo Ji Han in Drama City: 사랑팔아 dot com
• 2009 project: The Navel (movie)

강동원 Gang Dong Won, actor/model

• Birthdate: 1/18/1981
• Height: 186 cm
• Education: Sangmyung University (graduate student in Film), Hanyang University (undergrad in Mechanical Engineering)
• Hobbies / skills: collecting shoes, playing computer games, listening to music, exercising
• Acting debut: Country Princess (2003)
• Notable roles: Tae Sung Jang in Temptation of Wolves, Choi Hee Chul in Too Beautiful to Lie, Lee Jae In in One Percent of Anything
• 2009 project: Tale of Jeon Woo Chi (movie), Secret Reunion (movie)

임주환 Im Ju Hwan, actor/model

• Birthdate: 5/18/1982
• Height: 186 cm
• Education: Daejin University (undergrad in Theatre & Film)
• Hobbies / skills: watcing plays and movies, playing soccer, singing
• Acting debut: Magic (drama, 2004)
• Notable roles: Han Baek in A Frozen Flower, Suh Gun Woo in Snow Queen
• 2009 projects: Tempted Again (drama), Boys Over Flowers (drama)
• Other: He attended middle school and high school with actor Shin Dong Wook; they are close friends.

정의철 Jung Eui Chul, actor/model

• Birthdate: 4/19/1985
• Height: 186 cm
• Education: Konkuk University (undergrad in Film)
• Hobbies/Skills: watching movies, listening to music, exercising, basketball
• Acting debut: Hello My Teacher (drama, 2005)
• Notable roles: Kang Hee Won in DoReMiFaSolLaTiDo, Eui Chul in Nonstop 6/Rainbow Romance (sitcom)
• 2009 projects: Ogamdo (movie), Boys Over Flowers (drama)

OTHER:

• Kim Byung Chul stated in an interview with Harper’s magazine that he began his first business by shouting, “Let’s change the world!” with Gang Dong Won and Yeo Wook Hwan.
• All agency staff – from janitor to publicist – were male.
• If you look through the models’ filmographies carefully, you’ll notice that many of them appeared in the same movies during their time with the agency.
• I believe the agency changed its name to The Men Entertainment (더맨엔터테인먼트) later on.
• Kim Min Joong joined the agency later on. He along with the nine listed above were with the agency at the time of its closure.
• It is unclear when exactly or why the company shut down. In April of 2008, there was talk over the possibility of The Men’s actor clients being moved to Bi’s J.Tune Entertainment. However, it doesn’t seem to have happened, as they are at various other agencies now.