‘Physical 100’: Meet Kim Min-cheol – the Moutain Rescuer and Ice Climber Who Has Defied Expectations

Among the bodybuilders, fitness athletes, wrestlers, and professional fighters, one Physical 100 contestant has won every quest and proven himself worthy. Netflix‘s Physical 100’s Kim Min-cheol has defied expectations despite his leaner frame than his competitors. But his background as a mountain rescuer ad national ice climber could win him the title. Here is everything to know about Kim Min-cheol.

[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Physical 100.]

Kim Min-cheol was the first contestant to win a challenge on ‘Physical 100’

The Korean unscripted reality series had a pre-elimination challenge to help the contestants spark their competitive edge and gain an advantage. Divided into groups of two, the contestants had to hang from a metal barricade for as long as possible. As the contestants were ranked according to their time, everyone was surprised when Kim entered as number one.

Comically, a majority of the contestants asked each other who he was. Behind his kind smile, Kim is considered an everyday hero. Kim works with the Bukhansan Special Mountain Rescue and is a national ice-climbing athlete. For K-drama fans, his career as a mountain rescuer was the focal point of the popular thriller drama Jirisan. It followed a group of mountain rescuers in Jirisan through their many perilous rescues mission, fights with mother nature, and a series of murders with a time travel twist.

Just as fans are blown away by the heroism of the mountain rescuers in the K-drama, it is part of Kim’s everyday life. “When we’re on a rescue mission, we climb mountains carrying backpacks that weigh about 10 to 15kg, so we have to be strong and have balance,” explained Kim.

Something Kim said has stuck with fans and has everyone rooting for him to win Physical 100. While his competitors built their muscular physique in the gym, “My muscles weren’t made in the gym. They were made in my daily life of rescuing people.”

Fans can follow Kim Min-cheol’s life on Instagram

Besides being a mountain rescuer and national ice climber, what else do fans know about Kim? On his Instagram, @kmc_1203_, it is no surprise almost his entire page is dedicated to his personal accomplishments hiking up mountains, rock climbing, marathons, and more.

Fans can see him scale some treacherous terrain, like a mountain covered in thick ice during a competition. His posts also include his impressive trail running records, with one of his Instagram posts displaying his over 25k trail run. His career as a national athlete and mountain rescuer has led to a few sponsorships like 100 Percent Korea, Urban Packers, Garmin, and All For Gear.

According to a KoreaJoongangdaily article, the Bukhansan Special Mountain Rescue is well recognized. The article from 2019 states the team members have up to 10 years of climbing experience, and “rescuers can easily predict the locations, better forecast injuries and respond more rapidly.” Having to work within the “golden time” of a rescue mission, fans can only imagine the risk Physical 100’s Kim takes daily.

The ‘Physical 100’ contestant has won every quest so far

Kim Min-cheol was off to a good start winning the Physical 100 pre-elimination challenge. He was allowed to pick his opponent for the first quest and chose Kim Ji-wook. Kim was victorious and was saved from elimination. While not getting a lot of screen time, Kim has proven to be a competitor to keep an eye on.

During the Moving Sang quest, Kim was a part of celebrity MMA fighter Choo Sung-hoon’s team and helped his teammates to victory. The third quest required two teams to join forces to move a 1.5-ton boat within the shortest time frame. Once again, Kim was a part of the winning team and moved on to the fourth quest.

The fourth quest for Physical 100 used Greek mythology as an inspiration behind the concepts of the challenges. Each team had to delegate someone for each challenge. For Kim, there was an obvious choice. The Wings of Icarus had four contestants climb a rope. But instead of reaching the top, they had to hold on the longest as the rope extended.

Kim’s physique was built to withstand the challenge as a trained mountain rescuer and ice climber. It was no surprise when Kim climbed higher and looked at ease as the rope got longer. His female competitor Da-young commented, “Kim Min-cheol held onto the rope with one hand, stood upright on his feet, and shook his other arm. When I saw that, I thought, ‘That’s ridiculous.'”

The other contestants were in awe after Kim’s win of the Wings of Icarus challenge. One commented, “If that’s what mountain rescuers are like, I could go hiking without worry.” Kim comically admits he could have hung on for another hour.