'Both lives mattered': Officer Min Gyeong-rok on policing, theater and what comes next

"I was happy, and I think I received a great deal. I have no regrets about choosing the path of a police officer."

Min Gyeong-rok, a police officer set to retire this year, reflected on a career that began after he had been studying theater. His words carried both gratitude for a long life in policing and a rekindled affection for the stage.

In a recent interview at the police station where he works, Min spoke about his feelings as retirement approaches and his plans for what comes next. "If there is a role I can play, I want to work on it together regardless of how big the part is," he said, making clear he intends to keep doing theater after he leaves the force.

The production he is preparing for after retirement is "The Sea and the Parasol," a play by Japanese playwright Matsuda Masataka. According to materials provided for the production, the show — produced by theater company Yaganbihaeng and directed by Han Seung-do — is scheduled to run at Theater BBB from Feb. 16 to Feb. 28, 2027. Min has been cast as Yoji, the male lead.

At the time of the interview, Min had just finished meeting the cast and completing the first table read. When the conversation turned to the play, he began by describing what he had discovered while reading through it with the other actors.

"The feeling is completely different when you read it on the page alone versus when you actually read it aloud together. Once each actor steps into their role and you read it in three dimensions, you notice so many things you hadn't seen before."

Even scenes he thought he had understood on his own took on a different quality once a fellow actor's voice and reactions were added. Min said he plans to develop the emotions and relationships he discovered at the first read-through during rehearsals ahead.

The most important element he sees in playing Yoji is the arc of the character's inner state — how a husband facing the loss of his wife Naoko spends their remaining time together, and how his feelings shift through that process. He singled out the final scene, in which Yoji is left alone on stage delivering a monologue after his wife is gone, as the central challenge.

For Min, a graduate of the theater program at Seoul Institute of the Arts, the stage was never a late-discovered hobby. He performed with an arts troupe during his military service, but when he joined the police force, work became the center of his life. It was about a decade ago that he returned to theater.

The performance materials he shared listed productions going back to "Beautiful Sign" in 2014, followed by works including "Gosiwon Serial Arson Case," "Box Boy," "Rural Youth" and "Forced Marriage." He has since appeared in "Yun's Night," "The World's Pretty Audrey" and "From the Bottom," among others.

Balancing police work and performances was not easy. He carved time out of his off-duty hours to learn scripts and coordinate rehearsal schedules with fellow cast members. In the early days, he recalled, the skepticism of colleagues who doubted whether a detective could also do theater added to the pressure.

That atmosphere has changed considerably, he said. As more colleagues pursue their own interests outside work — playing instruments, running marathons — there is now broader understanding for his theater activities.

"Younger colleagues and older ones alike work hard at the things they want to do. For me, theater is something that makes life richer and more fulfilling."

Min never saw theater and policing as separate, disconnected chapters. He said his background in theater served him well both during military service and after joining the police.

"Having studied in the theater program at Seoul Institute of the Arts worked in my favor in the military and again when I joined the police. I'm grateful for that."

Rather than dwelling on regret over not having pursued acting full time, he felt more gratitude for the opportunities he had been given. He treasures the years he spent as a police officer, and finds meaning in creating work alongside fellow performers.

The experience he accumulated as an officer also extended to advising overseas Koreans on police-related matters. Min, whose spouse runs a hansik restaurant called Cheongdam in Hong Kong, said that when inquiries about police procedures came in from overseas Koreans through acquaintances, he would advise them on what to prepare before visiting a police station and which department to contact.

"Listening to people's difficulties and pointing them toward the right department is something a police officer should naturally do," Min said, adding that even when a matter is beyond his direct authority, letting people know where to turn is still necessary.

After retirement, he expects to take part in theater with more flexibility. With the scheduling constraints of police work no longer a factor, he anticipates having more time for rehearsals and performances.

That said, he has no plans to make a living as a full-time actor. He said the meaning lies not in whether a role is a lead or a supporting part, but in taking on a role that suits him and creating something together with his fellow performers.

"When I have more time, I'll be able to participate more freely than I do now."

Outside the stage, what he values most is his family's health. With family members living abroad, he mentioned that at the time of the interview he had been living with his mother for about two months — the two had been on different floors of the same apartment building before moving in together.

Asked what he would like to say to his family, he said his greatest wish is that his mother stays well and comfortable.

"I need to stay healthy too, and so does everyone around me. My biggest hope is that my mother stays free of illness and lives comfortably."

The life Min envisions after retirement is one where he keeps time for the people who matter to him and pursues theater a little more freely. As he wraps up a long career in policing, rehearsals and performances for "The Sea and the Parasol" are already waiting on his schedule.