Filebook: Korea's Sweetheart Song Hye Kyo

One of the most beautiful actress and model in Korea, Song Hye Kyo. Her popularity is not just because of her appearance, but also because of her remarkably good acting skill.

Career

Hye Kyo debuted in the entertainment industry in 1996 when she won First Place in the SunKyung Smart (a school uniform company) Model Contest when she was finishing her third year in high school. It was not long until she starred in her first drama, Merry Morning. Since then, she would continue to star in a string of various dramas and sitcoms but it wasn't until the KBS drama Autumn in My Heart in 2000 with Song Seung Hun and Won Bin that she rose to fame throughout Asia.

In 2003, her popularity continued to climb when she played a leading role alongside Lee Byung-hun in the gambling drama All In. The following year, she co-starred with singer Rain in the hit romantic comedy series Full House.

After the pan-Asian success of Full House, she made her big-screen debut in My Girl and I (a Korean adaptation of Crying Out Love in the Center of the World). She went on a 2-year hiatus. She went to San Francisco to study English, and later traveled to Seattle. "I have had a good rest. It was a good opportunity to reflect on myself," she said.

She returned to acting in 2007, as the lead actress in the film adaptation of Hwang Jin Yi. Because they found Hye Kyo's image "too cute", Jun Ji-hyun and Soo Ae were the producers' original choices for the role, but Song went on a vigorous diet and surprised them with her will and desire to be Hwang Jini.

A year later, she made her American debut in the Hollywood indie Make Yourself at Home (formerly titled Fetish), a psychological thriller about a girl who was born to a shaman mother and tries to flee her fate by becoming an immigrant bride in the U.S.

She made her TV comeback in late 2008 with The World That They Live In (also known as Worlds Within), a series set at a broadcast station in which Hye Kyo and Hyun Bin play drama PDs who work together and fall in love.

Endorsements

Song is one of the most in-demand product endorsers in Korea and has done many TV commercials and print ads over the years. She has been a spokesperson for popular brands such as Laneige, Levi's Lady Style, Etude, Whitea, Aritaum, Innisfree, Roem, McDonalds Ice Cream, Nintendo DS Animal Crossing, FHM and Vivien Bra.

To promote a new line for cosmetics brand Laneige, Song made her official singing debut in a collaboration with Superstar K2 runner-up John Park. The single Switch: Be White was released in March 2012, along with a music video which featured Song and Park recording the track. Proceeds from the sale of the tune benefited the “Be Waterful” campaign, a joint project between Laneige and Save the Children, an international aid group.

Personal Life

When Song was born, she was sick and her parents and doctor thought she would not survive. Miraculously she did and her parents only registered her birth on February 26, 1982 (instead of her actual birthdate). She has no siblings. Her hobbies are traveling, figure skating, and swimming.[45] She was described by her high school teacher as having a "cheerful character, she mixed well with her friends and was always in a bright mood."

In 2003, Song began dating actor Lee Byung Hun while both were filming All In. Their relationship and subsequent break-up in 2004 generated much media attention and gossip. The experience taught her to draw a clear line between private and public life, saying in a 2008 Dong-A Ilbo interview, "The viewers suddenly learned, while in the midst of watching a drama I was acting in, that I was somebody’s girlfriend. In the end, this was an obstacle and only served to create a sense of dislike among viewers."

Song kept in touch with Worlds Within co-star Hyun Bin after the drama ended, but it was their separation while Hyun was filming Friend, Our Legend in Busan that made them realize they were in love. They announced their dating status in June 2009. But unlike her previous relationship with Lee, Song and Hyun were rarely seen in public together and refused to discuss their relationship with the press. In March 2011 mere hours after Hyun's military enlistment, his and Song's agencies confirmed speculation that the couple had broken up. According to the joint press release, "Both have been very busy shooting films and dramas both in and out of Korea, which inevitably caused them to grow apart." With rumors of their separation circulating since late 2010, the agencies said the two split up in early 2011 but wanted to keep it secret for the time being "because neither of them wanted the public attention to be directed on their split instead of their professional work. Hyun also did not want a personal issue to interfere with his last days with his fans before starting his military service."

Asked about the after effects of her two romantic relationships that caught the public's attention, Song said in October 2011, "I think the time when I felt uncomfortable about living under a microscope has gone. I'm no longer afraid of such things. What I did was typical of any woman my age. In fact, I haven't had any time to feel lonely."

Gallery

Song Hye Kyo's pictures in different magazine, ads, and everything in between. Her beauty will surely captivate you.

Photoshoot for W Korea magazine.