Behind the glamorous idol stage, Garam Kim's second act begins. > News

Kim Garam's new agency, 'Management Goo', recently officially announced the news of her exclusive contract and promised full support as an actress. The agency is home to many actors with proven acting skills, such as Lee Yo-won and Ha Seok-jin, and Garam Kim's joining is interpreted as a firm determination to become a legitimate actor rather than an idol singer. The agency emphasized that they have consistently observed her potential and growth potential as an actress through her YouTube activities. This appears to be a strategic choice to develop acting capabilities through systematic management, rather than simply recruiting based on popularity. It can be read as an attempt to break away from the idol image familiar to the public and build a new brand value as actor Kim Garam.

However, behind the news of this transfer of agency and conversion to actor, there is still a heavy tag of the school violence controversy that arose during the time of Le Seraphim. At the time, the controversy over the disposition of No. 5 school violence was a decisive factor that led her to stop her idol activities, and this was imprinted as the most powerful image in the public's memory of her. The fact that many articles still use the term ‘school violence controversy’ when describing her proves how high the public psychological barrier she must overcome in the future is. Since actors have a job that requires them to engage the public, these past narratives are likely to pose a significant risk in their acting careers. Attention is being paid to whether Garam Kim will overcome this controversy head on, or whether he will gradually change the public's hearts with his acting skills.

Entertainment industry insiders analyze that this exclusive contract is more than just an act of changing agencies, it is part of a 'image washing' or 'resurgence strategy' as a celebrity. It appears that the underlying judgment was that creating a new character through an individual persona as an actor, rather than a narrative within an idol group, could be effective in reducing public hostility. By being part of the same group as veteran actors like Ha Seok-jin, Garam Kim naturally has the effect of being included as a member of the 'actor group'. This is not a way to cover up past controversies, but can be interpreted as a message that he will show his sincerity as an actor to the public through professional training in a new environment. As a result, her future success or failure depends not simply on the support of her agency, but on how deeply she can show off her acting skills.

Public reaction is sharply divided. On the one hand, there are strict standards, saying that it is natural to take responsibility for past mistakes, and on the other hand, there are opinions that the attempt to overcome the mistakes of youth and achieve new professional achievements should be respected. Especially in the entertainment industry, there are cases of successful comebacks after overcoming past controversies, so attention is focused on whether Garam Kim can also follow that example. The important thing is to be persuasive enough for the public to view her acting separately from the narrative of the person named ‘Kim Garam’. The key points to watch in the future will be how Management Goo's know-how in nurturing actors will manage and dilute her past controversies, and how Kim Garam herself will communicate with the public through the tool of acting.