Actor
Kim Nam-gil, the rising star who plays Bidam in the MBC TV hit drama "
Queen Seon-deok", has been diagnosed with influenza A (H1N1).
It is expected to disrupt the filming of future episodes and force the script to be revised.
"Kim has had to act day and night for about a week without rest. He showed some flu symptoms two days ago and was diagnosed with the flu on Thursday", his agency Star J Entertainment said in a statement.
Kim was quoted as saying that he was sorry for adversely affecting the drama shooting for the second time. He also fell from a horse while acting last week, forcing him to miss some scheduled shoots.
"I will return as soon as I recover. It won't go beyond this weekend", he said.
In the epic drama, he has played Bidam, the son of Mi-shil, who is the archrival of Queen Seondeok. After the death of Mi-shil, his role has been more important in the drama whose viewer rating has hovered around 40 percent.
Kim is the latest in a string of entertainers who have come down with the virus. Earlier this week, singer-actor
Lee Seung-gi and boy band SHINee member Onew were confirmed to have the flu.
