Song Joong-ki
Who was Song Joong-ki?
South Korean actor known for his roles in popular television dramas including "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" and "Descendants of the Sun."
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Song Joong-ki (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Song Joong-ki was born on September 19, 1985, in Daejeon, South Korea. He went to Sungkyunkwan University, studying Business Administration. Growing up in Daejeon and later studying in Seoul put him at the heart of South Korea's rise in global entertainment in the mid-2000s. Before fully embracing acting, Song aimed for a career in short-track speed skating, even competing nationally before an injury shifted his focus to acting.
Song began his entertainment career in the late 2000s, slowly gaining recognition through supporting roles and TV appearances. His big break came in 2010 with the historical drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal, where his role as a charming, witty character won fans in South Korea and parts of Asia. That same year, he joined the variety show Running Man, which boosted his public image by showing off his comedic and spontaneous side, different from his dramatic roles.
His career grew in the following years. In 2012, he played a complex lead in the melodrama The Innocent Man, showing his range as a dramatic actor. The romance film A Werewolf Boy, also in 2012, was one of the highest-grossing Korean films that year, establishing him as a bankable movie star. His performance in the historical drama Deep Rooted Tree also showed his ability to excel in serious, high-quality productions, making him one of the most sought-after actors of his time.
The 2016 military romance drama Descendants of the Sun became a hit across Asia, setting viewership records in South Korea and becoming one of the most-watched Korean dramas worldwide. Song played a special forces officer, and the show's simultaneous release in China drew huge commercial and cultural interest, making him a globally recognized hallyu star. He later appeared in the wartime epic The Battleship Island in 2017 and the sci-fi film Space Sweepers in 2021, adding large-scale productions to his resume.
Personally, Song was married to actress Song Hye-kyo, his co-star from Descendants of the Sun, from 2017 until their divorce in 2019. He later married British-Italian actress Katy Saunders. His TV work continued to draw praise, with the crime thriller Vincenzo in 2021 and the corporate drama Reborn Rich in 2022, both scoring well in ratings domestically and on international streaming platforms. His awards include two Baeksang Arts Awards, two Blue Dragon Film Awards, and one Buil Film Award. He was named Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2012 and 2017 and has appeared on the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list six times since 2012.
Before Fame
Song Joong-ki grew up in Daejeon, a city in central South Korea, during a time when the Korean entertainment industry was starting to gain international attention, later known as the Korean Wave, or hallyu. As a young man, he took up competitive short-track speed skating seriously enough to reach the national level, which helped him develop discipline and physical endurance. However, an injury ended his sports career and led him to consider a different path.
He enrolled at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul to study Business Administration and began exploring acting opportunities. He signed with a talent agency and started with minor roles in TV and commercials in the late 2000s, gradually honing his skills while South Korean dramas were becoming more professional and attracting wider audiences. His university years in Seoul exposed him to the competitive Korean entertainment industry just as it was starting to grow its international presence.
Key Achievements
- Won two Baeksang Arts Awards, one of South Korea's most prestigious entertainment honors
- Led Descendants of the Sun to become one of the highest-rated and most internationally distributed Korean dramas of its era
- Named Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in both 2012 and 2017
- Won two Blue Dragon Film Awards, recognizing his contributions to Korean cinema
- Appeared on the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list six times, reflecting sustained commercial and cultural influence
Did You Know?
- 01.Song Joong-ki competed in short-track speed skating at the national level in South Korea before an injury ended his athletic career and led him toward acting.
- 02.His 2016 drama Descendants of the Sun was pre-sold to the Chinese platform iQIYI before it even aired in South Korea, an unusual arrangement that reflected the enormous anticipated demand for his work in China.
- 03.He attended Sungkyunkwan University, the same institution featured in the title of his breakout drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal, though he studied Business Administration rather than the Confucian studies depicted in the show.
- 04.His 2012 film A Werewolf Boy, in which he played a feral boy raised in the wild, grossed over 8.7 million admissions in South Korea, making it one of the top-grossing Korean films of that year.
- 05.Song Joong-ki has appeared on the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list six times since 2012, placing in the top ten on four separate occasions.