Song Joong-ki

Song Joong Ki is a South Korean actor under History D&C Entertainment. He rose to fame through the 2010 historical coming-of-age drama “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” and the variety show “Running Man” as one of the original cast members. Since then, he played a diverse spectrum of roles in the television series, as well as the box office hits “A Werewolf Boy” and “The Battleship Island”, both of which are on the list of highest-grossing films in South Korea.

Life & Education:

Song was in short track speed skating competitions. Representing his hometown, the city of Daejeon, he participated in the National Games three times and won awards at other major meets. However, during his first year of high school, he was injured and had to give up the sport (Song would later play a national speed skater in the TV series Triple). He then turned his attention back to his studies. Having scored 380 points out of 400 on his national university entrance, he entered the prestigious Sungkyunkwan University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2012.

Song wanted to be an actor, athlete and broadcaster since he was in elementary school. Song majored in business administration and minored in broadcasting. He first appeared on a TV show as a contestant on KBS’s Quiz Korea, filling in for a senior who was sick. Song eventually won second place. This brought him significant attention and he became a cover model for college magazine College.

Career: 2008-2011 early career and breakthrough.

Song made his acting debut in the 2008 film A Frozen Flower. The following year, he appeared in the “Believe in the Moment” omnibus swingers segment of Five Senses of Eros and continued to take on small but notable roles in Triple and Will Snow for Christmas. Song also became a regular host of the KBS Friday Music Bank music show from 2009 to 2010. He subsequently appeared in the 2010 medical drama OB/GYN gynecologists and the animal film sequel Hearty Paws. Breaking’s role came in the historical fusion drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal playing the role of a rich and indolent playboy in the 18th century Joseon era. Song also joined the cast of the variety program Running Man from 2010 to 2011. The program gained popularity among Hallyu fans and became a hit in Asia.

In May 2011 he later released the book Beautiful Skin Project, a best-selling health and beauty guide for men (which was re-released in Japan in 2013). In late 2010, he went on a bicycle tour of Sydney, which aired two episodes on television through ELLE, an offshoot of the eponymous fashion magazine. In addition, a TV special of the actor’s trip to Japan titled I’m Real: Song Joong ki aired two parts in early 2011. Song later became an MC for the audition program JTBC Made in U. In 2011, he starred as an unemployed deadbeat in the romantic comedy Penny Pinchers. His performance was praised by critics, declaring him “a charismatic, cringe-worthy man with a viable presence.” Song took on the role of the young king Sejong in Deep Root Tree (2011). Song received the DP Award at the 2011 SBS Drama Awards for the role. He later narrated the six-part documentary Tears of the Antarctic for MBC’s Tears of the Earth (2012), which focuses on pressing environmental issues on the planet and donated his entire salary to charity. He excelled in his role as narrator when the series was re-released and launched in theaters as Pengi and Sommi (2012). He later went on a fan meeting trip-called the Song Joong-ki Asia fan meeting reunion – THRILL & LOVE, holding fan meetings in Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea.

2012-2015 main functions and military isolation:

At The Innocent Man press conference, September 2012 Song Joong Ki described 2012 as a “phenomenal year” for his career. He played the lead role in the romantic film A Werewolf Boy, which won an award at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. In preparation for his role, Song watched nature documentaries and observed stray dogs on the streets to learn how to mimic and imitate an animal’s body movements. He also watched Tim Burton’s 2003 romantic fantasy Edward Scissorhands, Matt Reeves’ 2010 vampire film ‘Let Me In’, and Gollum in Lord of the Rings on several occasions. Song said, “It was a project I took on with the idea that I’m saying goodbye to the young I’m not young anymore and it’s time for me to become a man.” The movie became The most successful Korean melodrama of all time, with more than 7 million tickets sold.

In December 2012 , he starred in the TV drama, “The Innocent Man.” His confident and nuanced portrayal of an anti-hero received critical and audience praise. The drama attracted high ratings, which along with A Werewolf Boy’s impressive box office, cemented Song’s image in the press as the “savior” of the melodrama genre, both on the big and small screen. In February 2013, after his contract with entertainment agency Sidus HQ expired, Song announced that he would be joining Blossom Entertainment. Prior to his enlistment for his two-year mandatory military service, Song held a fan meeting on August 17, 2013. He then enlisted on August 27 at the 102nd draft camp in Chuncheon. Song was discharged on May 26, 2015.

2016-present popularity:

In March 2016, he made his return to the small screen in Descendants of the Sun alongside actress Song Hye Kyo, playing the role of the leader of a special UN peacekeeping unit. The drama achieved 38.8% in the domestic audience and 41.6% in the capital city of Seoul. The success of Descendants of the Sun, especially in China, made him the Honorary Ambassador of Korean Tourism by the Korea Tourism Organization to actively promote Korean tourism worldwide. He was also listed as one of the top 100 in the so-called Generation of Leaders, with the number 34. He became the face of more than 30 brands in 2016 alone and was one of the recipients of the “Korea Brand of the Year”. He then embarked on a series of grueling Asian tours that spanned 10 different cities, where he met with more than 60,000 fans.

On October 31, 2017, he married his co-star in the drama Descendants of the Sun, actress Song Hye Kyo. On June 27, 2019, he filed for divorce.

Facts

• Debut: As an actor: in the 2008 film “A Frozen Flower”.
• Education:
  • St. Mary’s Elementary School – Daejeon
  • Hanbat Middle School – Daejeon
  • Namdaejeon High School
  • Sungkyunkwan University
  • Business major
• Hobbies: Watching American and Japanese series.
• His parents own a car wash. The actor still helps in the family business when he has time.
• Represented Daejeon in a national short track speed skating competition. But although it looked like he could have gone pro, he suffered an injury during his freshman year of high school that ended his career before he could start.
• He voiced Blu in the movie Rio Korean version.
• Ahn Sun Young praised Joong Ki, he explained, “Song Joong Kí’s beautiful face aside, he is the definition of a man who earns his living. Once, I went with my staff to visit Song Joong Ki’s parents’ car wash business in the countryside and the place was packed. To our surprise, we saw Song Joong Ki working at the car wash as one of the employees.”
• After his decision to enlist in active military service, CFs fell like rain for his good fortune, taking full advantage of his popularity Joon Ki signed contract for 10 different CFs; from cell phones, sportswear, food and even cars. It is said that he was one of the highest earning celebrities, with each commercial earning him $500,000. Even after being discharged from military service, he renewed his contract with all of them.
• He is the celebrity who had the best response (most fans) in KBS Star Date program, so much so, that during the taping, there were fears for Joon Ki’s safety.
• He was ranked #25 in the Top 50 in Sohu magazine, one of the most important portals in China. The magazine conducted a poll to choose the Most Beautiful Face in the World.
• Ranked #6 in the Top 10 of Dr. Oh Myung Jun, one of the leading plastic surgeons in South Korea, has compiled a list of Korea’s ten cutest and handsomest actors according to the facial ratio of 1.618, also known as the “golden number,” which is supposed to be “the most beautiful on a human face.”
• He plays soccer on the team with Yong (famous goalkeeper of the Korean national soccer team) in which he is a teacher.
• He went to Beijing, China, on March 16, 2015, to be MC of “The Korean Army Forces Culture and Arts Festival” of the National Ministry of Defense.
• On January 23, MBC’s entertainment program “Weekly Idol” revealed Jung Hyung Don’s parody of Song Joong Ki, in the section “Real Chart! Idol Self Ranking.”
• He served his mandatory military service from August 27, 2013 to May 26, 2015.
• He suffered an arm injury on November 23, 2015 while filming an action scene for drama Descendants of the Sun.
• On January 11, he rejoined the cast of Running Man where he filmed a special of a soccer match in China at the same location where the 2016 Asian Smile Cup will be held, unfortunately, he suffered a serious leg injury and was unable to participate in the special.
• He is one of the most important actors in South Korea and all of Asia. His popularity has been increasing in countries in Europe, America and Australia.
• On March 31, 2016, he becomes the first celebrity to appear on KBS’s “News9″, which is the flagship news broadcast on KBS every night at 21:00 KST.
• Song Joong Ki is appointed as the new Honorary Ambassador of Korea Tourism in April 2016.
• Blossom Entertainment and United Artists Agency (UAA), issued a joint statement on July 05, 2017. It was confirmed that actor Song Joong Ki and actress Song Hye Kyo will get married on October 31, 2017. Both actors met in drama Descendants of the Sun.
• It was confirmed that the couple tied the knot on October 31 during Korean time in a private ceremony with only 250 guests, including friends and family of the two.
• On June 27, Song Joong Ki’s lawyer, Park Jae Hyun, officially announced: “Our law firm filed for divorce on behalf of Song Joong Ki at the Seoul Family Court on June 26. In addition, we would like to convey Song Joong Ki’s official statement.” In his statement, Song Joong Ki apologized to his fans and explained that he hoped for an amicable divorce.
• In December 2019, he left Blossom Entertainment to which he had belonged since February 2013.
• On January 3, 2019, it was revealed that he signed a management contract with agency History D&C.
• On December 26, 2022, it was reported that the actor was dating a British woman who is not a celebrity and later that morning, his agency confirmed that he is in a relationship.
• On January 30, 2023, the actor took to his official fan cafe to share the news with fans, where he announced that he registered his marriage with Katy Louise Saunders, who has been by his side supporting him and with whom he has spent valuable time while appreciating each other. He also announced a new life on the way (pregnancy).