Song Joong Ki Makes First Public Appearance Since Epic Wedding Announcement to Fellow A-lister Song Hye Kyo
When I wrote in the last few months about the great Korean star wedding bonanza of 2017, kicked off in early February with Rain and Kim Tae Hee walking down the aisle, there was no substantive gossip about Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo getting married. Outside of die hard committed Song-Song shippers this was a far-fetched pipe dream which has not vaulted 2017 into untouchable territory. I’m not sure there will be another year with this many top Korean star weddings in the same year and that’s fine with me, the Song-Song news was as close as break the Korean internet as it gets and I love it! More excitement please and not of the scandal variety.
The media was already following everything Song Joong Ki thanks to his top star status and the fact that he’s promoting the end of July release of Battleship Island, but with this wedding news realistically the intensity has grown exponentially. Thankfully he’s always been a grounded actor and has fantastic poise so his first media frenzy public appearance since the wedding news broke just happened to be at night and in the rain but makes no difference for how charming and glowing he came across. The man certainly looks content and I’m so happy for him!
Poor guy! Now everything is a big deal. Like choosing his first project after announcing his wedding, first public appearance after announcing his wedding, first get-together with friends after announcing his wedding.
And then after getting married it will be: choosing his first project after getting married etc.
I’m afraid you’re right. Poor him and poor us too.
Hes wearing lipstick. A lot of Korean actors seem to wear such overt lipsticks. Its so weird. Even Japanese actors.
I always find it weird when people hold umbrellas for actors.
Yes I would think it makes more sense for somebody to hold it themselves because clearly as we see in the photos it doesn’t work anyway. lol
But the assistent is the slave, so he has to do it.
I detest ppl holding umbrellas for actors. It just seems slavish. Rather , just let them walk that distance rain or sun. If its meet hold it inside guys, rather than making the poor guy hold his arm overhead for what? min 10 15 minutes. Its not just in Korea, its everywhere entertainment. Nuts.
He was holding the mic under the rain and he had an assistant next to him, so why not?
It’s not his assistant, it’s his chief manager, an executive at Blossom who’s known and supported SJK since his debut days. There’s noting “slavish” about their relationship, he held the umbrella because it was pouring like crazy, and SJK was addressing the media for the first time since the announcement.
Thanks for the info. That’s why I don’t get the comments above about this simple gesture being “slavish”. The guy was standing in the rain holding the mike for an interview for christ’s sake, it’s not like he was resting on a slingback chair on the beach and had his assistant hold the umbrella for him. What is exactly “slavish” about helping a pal while his hands were busy?
How much has this men grow. I remember him from Sungkyunkwan Scandal as a support character that got him some recognition back in 2010. He was still a rookie in the field while Song Hye Kyo was already a huge actress and I think she was still dating Hyun Bin. Never in my sweetest dreams I could’ve imagined that their destinies would cross like that and that he would be the one to marry the goddess Hye Kyo. I’m so happy for them! They are my favorites from a long time and I only wish the best for their future together. If they choose to have babies, the kids will have some powerful genes lol *Also, I’m so envious of SJK skin, his baby face will never go keke
I know this is out of the topic but his outfit does not go well with his build. He is such a handsome actor but somehow it makes him look too skinny.
He is glowing! Love them both. Thank you Koala for sharing this tidbit news about the couple. I always check your website for any news about the song song couple. If anybody will ask me to hold an umbrella for JOONGKI, I will gladly do it. 🙂
His face was beaming with happiness. I love the way the MC and his castmates subtly teased him during the showcase yesterday ans he couldn’t stop smiling.
He does seem grounded despite being one of the top stars right now and marrying an even bigger star. I’m glad he remains humble and unaffected. Although it was cute when he said he’s nervous when the MC didn’t even mentioned the wedding (subtle hints but nothing direct).
I don’t know. i just love and love him even more now after announcing his marriage. He won’t let success become an obstacle to have family. love love love
The groom 2017. Songsong wedding is much talked that the rain kth wedding news
Is it because Rain-KTh relationship had been known while SJK-SHK is jumping to.wedding news?
That and could also be because SongSong couple are accomplished A-list actors whereas Rain-KTH couple are not.
No. Rain is more well known internationally, he has been in People Magazine & in Hollywood movies. SJK is not known outside the K-industry, he has a long way to catch up to Rain imho… I am not a fan of both, this is just my observation being a non-Asian…
Exactly. Rain is well known in Asia but with his repetitive failure in dramas, people slowly lost their interest on him. While sjk got bigger, thanks to dots. In korea, sjk is much more bigger now even he hasnt been in any american movie. The girl in transformer, claudya kim (correct me if i was wrong) is now casted in another american movie, but she’s not in the same level as song hae kyo in korea. So, it’s about who is more popular right now in korea and those countries that got hallyu wave. Your point is also correct, probably bcuz public waited for dating announcement yet they came with marriage announcement. However, im still thinking that even hyunbin and kangsora announce their wedding, peopld are still more curious about songsong couple bcuz of their star power. Lets see how leeminho suzy handle their any announcement later lols.
according to korean netizen, kim tae hee, song hye kyo, and Jeon Ji Ji Jhyun is already an S- Lister. haha.
I don’t know about this thing, but I’m so glad someone as talent as Song Joong Ki got a huge popularity. He is now can choose a movie as much as he want. He is now has a chance to compete with the best in chungmuro and got real acting recognation one day.
He’s a A-lister already? After 2 hit dramas and a movie. This dude is amazing.
What is A-lister anyways? I think we can make a distinction between b- and c-grade stars but what really makes an a-lister? Is Park Bo Gum an a-lister or not there yet. How much public popularity, hit dramas or accolades does one need to get to be on a-list?
I dont think park bogum is a lister. I think A listers are those who consistently having good project with high rating, million viewers, high salary, many awards, and many cfs. Bogum is just started. Hopefully he makes it bigger. But wonbin is still a lister without any drama or movie in 6 years. Heol.
Park Bo Gum is still not there yet.Too young and he needs more hits dramas and a box office hit as a main lead.
Aah ok thanks Yui and RubyRed.
I think for the most part,you need to have a combination of, at least one hit k-movie credit to your name to qualify, plus level of experience in acting (and net worth?how much you earn,though they are some who we don’t know how much they earn).Or if not a hit movie, then consistent good box office ratings.Thats why there are more k movie stars in A list than most kdrama actors.Even some k drama hallyu stars are not considered to be A-list in Korea just famous actors.
This is how Won Bin who hasn’t starred in a drama since 100 years ago is still a list.He has hit movies to his name.
K Movie in Korea>>>>>>>>K Drama
For some like Kim Tae Hee and Song Hye Kyo who haven’t necessarily been commercially successful in movie land.They qualify because of being icons of “goddess” beauty according to the Korean Standards plus starring in consistent hit dramas(SHK) and for Kim Tae Hee plus being a smart cookie in school.
For people like SJK, he had werewolf boy which was a hit and innocent Man too..and then he solidify his status by starring in a mega hit drama.On top of that dates and is going to marry SHK a mega hallyu actress and considered to be Asia goddess.Of course he goes straight to A list even though it’s only been 8 years since his debut.
I would say SJK is very lucky. He hasn’t had to work very hard to get to the big stage. Lots of actors had to do minor/supporting roles before being propelled to superstardom. I agree with @prettyautumn, what is the definition of ‘A lister’? All film actors who have had box office hits are ‘A list’ but not good drama actors, who haven’t hit popular ratings domestically? They work in a tough field, actors/actresses go in and out of favour all the time. To me Rain is an ‘A lister’ but his peak popularity was probably 8 years ago? That is a long time ago and he probably is at a stage where he doesn’t care about it.
He hasn’t had to work very hard to get to the big stage? Please do a little research into his career before dismissing his work ethic or efforts. He HAD done “minor/supporting roles before being propelled to superstardom.” He had one line in his debut role in Frozen Flower. He played the maknae dongsaeng in a weekend drama. His characters in Triple, OB/Gyn or Sungkyunkwan Scandal were supporting roles. It’s not “luck” he stood out even then. He chose, against the opposition and advice of his friends and acquaintances, to play the younger Sejong in Tree With Deep Roots for 4 eps (ultimately 6 eps because TPTB liked him so much in the role) when he was getting lead offers, because he believed in the project and that the rewards would be greater. (He was proven right.) He played a half-animal/half-human with few lines in his biggest movie success to-date. His first lead project on the small screen was a melodrama, a genre notoriously difficult to draw big ratings. His first choice out of military service was a 100% pre-produced military drama that many weren’t betting on because the risks involved were staggeringly high. He shaved his head and lost weight for Battleship Island for the better part of 2016. If it looks like he’s been “very lucky,” it’s precisely because he’s worked very hard to get there. He’s been judicious with his choices, but none of them were by no means easy or obvious. That’s not “luck,” that’s a combination of talent, intelligence, and hard work.
I know you bias had a small role in Frozen flower but comparatively, SJK’s career to superstardom and accolades is much more quicker and easier than say KRW and SJS, for example.
@ABC. Well what the definition of hard work anyway? choose many project which will make you to ultimate stardom but you don’t have the slightest will to improve your acting one bit? Or choose a project be it supporting roles or the main roles which will challenge your acting skill and gain you recognation as a real actor? I admit though compare to his peer, Song Jong Ki is very very lucky. But someone has been said you create your own luck. You work hard, and luck will come to you.
Well I might stop right now… I already like a broken record.
@Abc and “quicker” means he “hasn’t had to work very hard to get to the big stage”? And what exactly is an “easier” path to stardom? He enlisted for military service at the peak of his career, do you know how hard it is to find success after 2 years off radar, 3 in his case because DotS took a year to film? That he has met success means it was “easy”?
Many SK actors work hard and have good working ethics. This is a well known fact. These actors might not be as handsome as your oppa or luck isn’t on their side so they never win the big prize. Anyway, it is not a bad point for me to say SJK is lucky. That’s how I see it. SJK fans don’t need to prey on comments and think negatively straight away.
@CL – SJK was enlisted at age 28, do you think he could have delayed it any longer despite your so-called “at the peak of his career”? He could have done his military service a lot earlier like Yoo Seung Ho… Please don’t blow SJK’s success out of proportions… He still has not gone on the international stage like Hyunbin and Won Bin. He is a good actor, but he is not known in North America (like LBH) and in Europe (like WB)… he is still staying in his comfort zone in South Korea. A lot of actors have shaved their heads and lost weight in movies… he is not the only one…
No one know WB in Europe except for a small minority following Korean entertainment. Don’t blow WB’s or HB’s success out of proportion either.
@Abc: Unless I was making ad hominem attacks, which I wasn’t as I was questioning your qualification of SJK’s career path and not attacking you personally, how was I “preying” on your comments? You didn’t even get the facts straight, yet I can’t react “negatively”? If that’s how you react to people questioning your arguments, please say upfront you’re not interested in debating, or I wouldn’t have bothered.
@candycane: Are you supporting Abc’s arguments or making up your own, because I can’t follow either of your logic. She’s saying he’s become a top star ‘too easily,’ you’re saying he’s not or less of a star than so-and-so, so what is it? You do realize SJK’s younger than the examples you cited, right? That it’s only been two years since his military discharge, and he’s already done two big projects, unless that’s not enough in your definition of ‘stardom’ and he needs to work faster? I don’t even get the point of your comparing him to YSH, are you saying he’s to be criticized because he didn’t do his military service in his early 20s? Do you know he didn’t even become an actor until his mid-20s, that he was still in college and leading a normal college student life at YSH’s age? Relaunching your career after military service is difficult irregardless of your age range post-discharge, that was the point I was making in my response to Abc, what’s yours? And no, SJK’s not LBH or WB or HB, so what? Not one of them is alike, why should SJK? They’re charting their own career paths, and so is SJK. There’s no one way, there’s certainly no fixed way, and my objections to Abc were about her characterization of SJK’s career as ‘having had it easier’ than most. I’m still waiting to hear what was “easy” about it, maybe you could clarify in her place, since you decided to jump into the middle of the argument.
@CL, I was responding to @RubyRed’s comment of only 8 years since his debut but already an A list. You are obviously not very objective and jumping into my response to a comment without reading the previous conversations. Personally, I believe by working on Running man before has helped him greatly broaden his audience and the charms he emits are accepted by the audience easily. Of course being handsome like him helps greatly.
There must be a lot of un-happy and angry people in the world coz they notice the umbrella, lipstick, shirt. Probably because they didn’t see the whole content of the video where he was so polite to the people who waited in the rain. I saw the video and the first thing I noticed is how polite and nice he is.
@candycane. LBH is popular and wonbin are the first wave of Hallyu Star. Hyunbin is popular too but he dont reach the the highest peak of Hallyu wave as SJK reached like the buzz, the internet trending ,sns. I think it is not only korea he is popular but asian countries and also other countries because of Dots plus another wave of popularity now for his future marriage. LBH and WB is not that talk about when they got married. Even if HB will annouce his marriage I dont think the internet will most likely break as SONGsong couple which is trending And above all he is marrying a mega hallyu star which on this case LBH, WB and HB dont have.
Agree he is not successful on European or American market but then how many of Korean stars are? He has already cemented his A list status in korea and other countries where there is strong hallyu waves. He was already a established actor before dots, his movie and drama innocent man was hit and he already accumulated good fan following for him, but dots exploded his popularity in all different levels and made him top hallyu star.
I was in Korea last year and koreans says a lot of actors like Hyun Bin and Won Bin is not as nice, polite and charismatic like Song Joong ki. This is why they think he is well love.
Won Bin doesn’t give a damn what other people think of him. He is not there to please anybody nor is he to offend anybody. He’s just being himself and is good at it. So, don’t bash him even if you wanna show ur support to SJK.
I didn’t bash him. I just told you what some of the fans in Music bank and Mnet told us, I am not a K drama fans. I love Korean music and went to South Korea to watch a concert. While we were there we were also able to watch Music bank in KBS and Mnet as they had free seats at the time. At the time we were there was the SJK fandom phenomena and his face was everywhere. KBS even has a shrine for him and DOTS. We just ask the question, why is he is so big and that was the answer we were given. Mostly says is he very friendly even the taxi driver who drove us around says that he is very down to earth not very common with big K actors. I love GDragon and FT islands. I was told they are not that friendly too but I still like them because they make good music. So it looks like it is not a very common character to be nice and friendly so SJK probably stands out. This might be the reason he made it big for such a short period of time. In any race If being a gentleman is rare, that one person will stand out so probably that is why he is very much admired in SK.
Also, It’s help Song Joong Ki is also super attractive, easy going, and super super talent. Korea starving a geniune super talent young male actor. And he is one of the few of them . I just hope Popularity won’t get ahead of his self and make him stop trying like many young male actor who already at the top of their career.
Contrary to your beliefs, I actually think SK is filled with many talented actors and they are very successful at propelling them to hallyu status. It is talented actresses that they lack.
@ABC I can’t think of many. The closest of Joong Ki’s talent is Yeo Jin Go. The rest are senior actor above 35’s. But I can name many super talent actress who are still in their around 20’s-30’s.
Lacking talented actresses? LMAO get out of your bubble because Korea is filled with talented actresses, too. Jeon Do Yeon, Yoon Jung Hee, Bae Doo Na, Moon So Ri, Kim Min Hee, Im Soo Jung, Lee Young Ae, Kim Hye Soo, Son Ye Jin, Ha Ji Won, Jun Ji Hyun, Soo Ae, Kim Ok Bin, Kang Hye Jung, to name but a few. On the young side, we have Chun Woo Hee, Kim Go Eun, Lee Tae Ri, Kang So Ra, Kim Ji Won,… They just don’t have the same amount of opportunities as their male counterparts for obvious reasons.
@Lily, I meant similar age to SJK. Not the senior actresses.
@Lily, the young actresses you have named, have yet to hit Hallyu status.
@Abc: ok so you mean actors and actresses who are both talented and a Hallyu star? If that’s the case then we will have a quite limited list for both genders. If we take into consideration the ones who have got critical acclaim for both movies and dramas then we have Won Bin, Lee Byung Hun, Jung Woo Sung, Yoo Ah In and Song Joong Ki for males and Lee Young Ae, Jeon Ji Hyun, Kim Hye Soo, Ha Ji Won for females. Pretty equal I would say.
@Lily, you are on a totally different page to what I am referring to. I might not have made it clear. The talented and Hallyu young actors of around SJK age include KSH, LMH, LJS, Woo Bin, JKS, PBG, and maybe JCW and PHS. The talented male actors to yet reach Hallyu status include KHN, YJG, YSH, Lee Joon, ISW. I haven’t named LJK because he is more senior then all of these. Now for the young actresses you have named, I don’t deny their talent but hallyu status hasn’t been reached yet. The talented KSH and KYJ are even younger in generation so again I haven’t named them.
@ABC : talent can’t be classified as personal taste. talent is talent. We might be can’t make sure who is the most talent when the difference is already so thin. but not the obvious one when the difference of talent between them is already big and too obvious. We might not being demanding and nitpicky when it comes to our fav oppa. Especially when it comes to our bias. And that’s okay. But it means we are no longer view something as objective.
@Abc: Point taken. Yeah, that’s pretty sad that the number of talented female Hallyu stars of the new generation can be counted on one hand even though we have plenty of talented young actresses. I don’t blame them because it is the industry that fucks up big way. Instead of nurturing these new and young talents so that one day they can follow the step of their seniors, the industry gives roles to subpar idols for some quick publicity and cashgrab from idols fans, delegating the more talented actresses to secondary characters whom more often than not are written horribly. If they are lucky to be cast as the lead, it’s often some small budgeted, low-profile project that will be most likely to go unnoticed unless a stroke of luck happens (like Misaeng).
@Abc, they don’t exactly lack of talented young actresses in SK. It’s just the fandom culture and scripts that favor male actors much more than female ones. The actresses who have broken this mold are the 90s and early 2000s big stars like SHK and JJH who are beautiful and charismatic on top of that, child actresses like PSH and MGY who have left a lasting impression coupled with good public image and of course the current break through stars like KGE. Theses are the ones I’d consider popular outside Korea too, but undeniably it’s hard to get to SHK, JJH and PSH level of hallyu popularity and domestic popularity in equal proportions. I salute them for succeeding in getting similar fame as male stars do. We all know it takes a lot more time for women to get ’’hallyu status’’ than men in a relatively short amount of time (such as LMH, LJS and KWB) did. SJK didn’t get hallyu popularity quickly though, he worked hard and took small roles initially. KRW and SJS are super talented, but they’ve had their hallyu stardom too, not just at the peak of hallyu wave like LMH.
@Abc, I wouldn’t say Lee Min Ho, Jang Keun Suk, Lee Jong Suk or Kim Woo Bin belong to the ’’talented’’ list. They are only super popular hallyu oppas with good looks. KWB is the most talented out of that list btw. JCW domestic popularity isn’t on SJK level, so he only needs to have a hit drama and little bit better acting and charisma to reach SJK popularity and public recognition… 🙂
@Lily, all the young actresses in their twenties you listed are a tad overrated especially by the international kdrama fans and lack charisma (Chun Woo Hee being an exception in terms of skills). Only KYJ, KSH and to certain extent KSR I can see in the future reaching that ’’level’’ @Abc was referring to. I’d also add Park So Dam to the young actress list too. PSH may get into the list if she takes more diverse roles, but we can’t deny that she has several hits under her name. The young actresses in their twenties list is quite short, but there are many actresses that are even better than male actors, it’s just that very few dramas are centered around female characters..
@prettyautumn, but I believe they can be classified as ‘A lister’. Whether you or others think they are talented, handsome/gorgeous or overrated is down to personal taste.
I typed wrongly one name Kim* Tae Ri and she deserves every acclaim for her role in Handmaiden. I believe “overrated” is the wrong word to use for these actresses because compared to their male counterparts (Kim Woo Bin, Kim Soo Hyun, Lee Jong Suk, Lee Min Ho etc.), I think they are all superior or equal in acting skills but nowhere near the recognition that the male actors have garnered among international fans. PSH and PMY are both just serviceable, imo, nothing special but they can do very well with the right roles.
Also, I forgot to add Park Bo Young who is on the rise right now. In the just-out-of-20s side, Moon Geun Young and Moon Chae Won used to be super popular until bad drama choices kinda slow down their careers but I have faith in them.
jang keun suk is talent though. He is just always choose the wrong project until jackpot come and show his acting skill. But still SJk is just still better
@Lily, yes Park Bo Young to the list too. There are many talented young actresses but only handful of them can be counted in the ’’a-list’’ or ’’a-list tier’’. Park Bo Young, Park Shin Hye and Kang Sora from the 90s (add Kim Taeri and Park So Dam and Kim Go Eun when they have had the chance to show more of their acting). KGE has good emotional acting and pretty good range, but she’s bit of one note. Only in Coin Locker girl could she really stand out. PSD has ingredients to hallyu popularity. She’s unique, good acting and she chooses appealing dramas, like Beautiful Mind and Cinderella&four knights which were popular among international fans. KTR has had one critically acclaimed film, but is quite a newbie, we’ll have to see if she can reach that Son Ye Jin level.
PSH needs to start playing more diverse characters and ’’throw’’ herself more into her character but I can’t criticize her too much for choosing You’re Beautiful, Heartstrings or Heirs, because those brought her fame popularity and money and relevance, even if those were really mediocre dramas with terrible characters. Kang Sora needs to pick better projects (Misaeng was her best) and have more charisma. Park Bo Young just has to continue this path, taking films and dramas alike. I was disappointed in SWDBS, but since her international popularity rose because of that drama I can’t criticize her too much for choosing SWDBS.
Then from the younger ones there are Kim Ji Won and Nam Ji Hyun. Well, they both are good actresses but dunno about ’’Song Hye Kyo/Son Ye Jin level’’. Then the little ones, KYJ, KSH and KSR I can definitely see going to that ’’Jun Ji hyun and Song Hye Kyo level’’.
Joong ki is very smart when it’s comes to pick his project. He was offered moon embracing the Sun which made soohyun top hallayu star but instead he choose deep rooted flowers because he wanted to work with many experienced actor and senior actor. Many stars were offered dots but declined because there were many risk factors. I do agree compared to his other peers sjk fame to stardom was fast not because he was Lucky but because he was wise and smart in his choices plus he is very talented.