1. Song Joong-ki is a South Korean actor who primarily works in television.
68 Facts About Song Joong-ki
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Song Joong-ki's accolades include two Baeksang Arts Awards, one Buil Film Award and two Blue Dragon Film Awards.
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Song Joong-ki was named as Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2012 and 2017.
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Song Joong-ki was born in Dong District, Daejeon, South Korea as the middle child of three siblings.
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Song Joong-ki was raised in a rural outskirts of the city.
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Song Joong-ki competed in short track speed skating and represented his home city at a national level; his skating background would prove useful for his role as a national team skater in the TV series Triple.
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Song Joong-ki excelled in his studies all through high school and scored 380 points out of 400 on his national college entrance test, gaining admission to Sungkyunkwan University.
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Song Joong-ki continued to study part-time after deciding to enter the entertainment industry full-time during his third year of university, eventually graduating with a degree in Business Administration in 2012.
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Song Joong-ki first appeared in a TV show as a contestant on KBS's Quiz Korea, substituting for a senior who was sick.
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Song Joong-ki made his acting debut in the 2008 period film A Frozen Flower.
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Song Joong-ki became a regular host of KBS Friday music program Music Bank from 2009 to 2010.
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Song Joong-ki's breakthrough came in the fusion historical drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal where he played the role of an 18th-century Joseon-era rich, indolent playboy.
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Song Joong-ki joined the cast of variety program Running Man from 2010 to 2011.
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Song Joong-ki later released the book Beautiful Skin Project, a bestselling health and beauty guide for men.
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In 2011, Song Joong-ki starred as a jobless deadbeat in the romantic comedy Penny Pinchers.
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Song Joong-ki took on the role of the young king Sejong in Deep Rooted Tree.
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Critics praised Song Joong-ki's performance, calling it a portrayal of a genius who "realizes the futility of power early in life" and hides in his books to cope with growing up under the rule of his tyrannical father Taejong.
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Song Joong-ki received the PD Award at the 2011 SBS Drama Awards for the role.
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Song Joong-ki later narrated the six-part documentary Tears of the Antarctic for MBC program Tears of the Earth, which focuses on pressing environmental issues on the planet and donated his entire salary to charity.
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Song Joong-ki reprised his role as the narrator when the series was re-edited and released in theaters as Pengi and Sommi.
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Song Joong-ki described 2012 as a "phenomenal year" for his career.
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Song Joong-ki played the titular character in fantasy romance film A Werewolf Boy, which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.
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In preparation for his role, Song Joong-ki watched nature documentaries and observed stray dogs on the streets to learn how to mime and imitate the body movements of an animal.
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Song Joong-ki repeatedly watched Tim Burton's 1990 romantic fantasy Edward Scissorhands, Matt Reeves' 2010 vampire flick Let Me In, and Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.
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Song Joong-ki's assured and nuanced portrayal of an antihero received praise from critics and audience.
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Song Joong-ki won Top Excellence Award at the 20th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards, 1st K-Drama Star Awards and the 2012 KBS Drama Awards.
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In February 2013, after his contract with entertainment agency Sidus HQ expired, Song Joong-ki announced that he would be joining Blossom Entertainment.
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Song Joong-ki served in an infantry unit assigned to patrol and conduct reconnaissance missions along the DMZ and was discharged on May 26,2015.
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Song Joong-ki made his small screen comeback in Descendants of the Sun alongside actress Song Joong-ki Hye-kyo, playing a military officer.
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Song Joong-ki was made the Korean Tourism Honorary Ambassador by the Korea Tourism Organization to actively promote Korean tourism worldwide.
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Song Joong-ki was the first actor to be invited to the nationwide live prime-time news show KBS News 9.
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Song Joong-ki became the face of over 30 brands in 2016 alone and was one of the recipients of Korea's "Brand of the Year" award.
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Song Joong-ki won the Daesang, the highest award for television, at the 30th KBS Drama Awards and the 5th APAN Star Awards as well as the Best Actor award at the 11th Seoul International Drama Awards and the 29th Korean Producer Awards for his acting performance.
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Song Joong-ki then embarked on a series of sold-out Asian tour spanning 10 different cities, where he met more than 60,000 fans.
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Song Joong-ki was then cast in the period action film The Battleship Island.
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Song Joong-ki made his small screen comeback in the historical fantasy drama Arthdal Chronicles, which premiered on tvN in 2019.
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In 2021, Song Joong-ki starred in the science fiction film Space Sweepers alongside Kim Tae-ri, directed by Jo Sung-hee, released exclusively on Netflix on February 5,2021.
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Song Joong-ki starred as the titular character in the series Vincenzo alongside Jeon Yeo-been, which was released on February 20,2021, on Netflix and tvN.
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Song Joong-ki was then cast in the fantasy revenge series Reborn Rich directed by Jeong Dae-Yoon, adapted from the popular web novel of the same name.
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In 2024, Song Joong-ki played the titular character Loh Kiwan, a North Korean defector in the drama film My Name Is Loh Kiwan alongside Choi Sung-eun, written and directed by Kim Hee-jin, released exclusively on Netflix on March 1,2024.
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Song Joong-ki is set to appear in the criminal thriller film Bogota: City of the Lost alongside Lee Hee-joon and Kwon Hae-hyo, which will be directed by Kim Seong-je.
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Song Joong-ki majored in business administration at Korea's Sungkyunkwan University and worked as an active anchor of the campus broadcaster.
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Song Joong-ki was called the school's ulzzang and umchina or "mom's friend's son".
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Song Joong-ki is known for his regular donations to several causes and participation in philanthropic acts.
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When interviewed for KBS News 9 in 2016, Song Joong-ki revealed that it was challenging for him to keep up with the latest technology, including social media.
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Song Joong-ki's fancafe, established in early 2006, became his way to communicate with his official fandom named "Ki Aile", which means "Ki's wings".
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Song Joong-ki said the fans were like his wings for they lift him up, emotionally and financially, by voting for him and buying the products he endorses as well as watch all his movies and TV shows.
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In 2011, Song Joong-ki was chosen as the ambassador for the Good-hearted Library Project, a talent donation campaign by the Standard Chartered that allows the public to participate in the production of audiobooks for the visually impaired.
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In 2016, Song Joong-ki was chosen as the honorary ambassador and promotional model for Korean tourism under South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
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From 2017 to 2021, Song Joong-ki is titled the honorary ambassador for Incheon International Airport.
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Song Joong-ki has been a celebrity advocate for cancer-stricken children since 2011.
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Song Joong-ki took part in lending his voice for the visually impaired.
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In 2016, Song Joong-ki donated all of his proceeds from being featured on the May 13 episode of Hurry Up, Brother, a Chinese version of Running Man, to a Chinese charity organization.
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Song Joong-ki has donated a portion of his profits from the 2016 Asian Fan Meeting Tour to a foundation that helps those affected by 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
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Subsequently, Song Joong-ki donated 20 million won to the House of Sharing in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, a shelter for elderly women who were forced into being comfort women by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
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In 2019, Song Joong-ki has donated 30 million won for the victims of wildfire in Gangwon Province.
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From 2020 to 2021, Song Joong-ki made donations for coronavirus prevention.
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On October 26,2021, Song Joong-ki received the Presidential Commendation Award for his generous contributions over the years.
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Song Joong-ki had endorsed deals in nearly every industry such as healthcare, cosmetic, clothing, food, travel and tourism, telecom, electronics and retail.
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Song Joong-ki first appeared in a television commercial of Dunkin' Donuts in May 2008.
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Song Joong-ki was appointed as the official ambassador of the skincare Tony Moly and FUJIFILM polaroid for two consecutive years.
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Song Joong-ki was chosen as the new model of the dairy brand Seoul Milk.
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Song Joong-ki worked with Park Bo-gum as brand models for Domino's Pizza and LINE Pay Card.
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In February 2017, Song Joong-ki was announced as the brand ambassador of the online market place "11Street" of SK Planet in Thailand.
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Song Joong-ki was paired with Thai actress Mew Nittha on TV, digital, and outdoor ads on the busiest Bangkok Mass Transit System stations in Chit Lom, Siam and Phrom Pong.
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On December 26,2022, it was confirmed that Song Joong-ki was dating a British girlfriend, though nothing more was stated about her identity.
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On January 30,2023, Song Joong-ki announced through his fancafe that he had married his British girlfriend Katy Louise Saunders, a former actress who was already pregnant with their first child.
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On November 20,2024, Song Joong-ki announced the birth of their daughter.