Forget the news of North Korean missile launch. Media attention across the border quickly turned to a surprise wedding announced by two popular South Korean artists.
The announcement by actor Song Joong Ki and actress Song Hye Kyo broke the hearts of many fans, who were shocked that the promising young star, 31, decided to marry his 35-year-old girlfriend. Indeed, it is a real-life extension of the popular TV drama they co-star in, “Descendants of the Sun”.
The sudden joint announcement from Blossom Entertainment and United Artists’ Agency came after repeated denials that the couple was dating, including a recent report from MBS TV station that suggested they were secretly together in Bali, in Indonesia.
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The statement said: “Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo will be holding a wedding ceremony on the final day ofOctober, 2017. A marriageis not only a private matterbut also a meeting between two families, soit was a delicate situation [for us] in many ways.
“There was no choice but to be cautious prior to marriage. So we are at lastconveying this message. We ask for everyone’s understanding.”
It seemed to be likereality coming true for the most popular drama series in 2016 in which Song Joong Ki, who plays the captain (nicknamed “Big Boss”) of a South Korean Special Forces unit, meets Song Hye-kyo who plays Dr Kang, an unmarried surgeon (nicknamed “Beauty”) on a peacekeeping mission.
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The popular drama entices viewers with a few romantic scenes, but has given no clues on how the couple will work out their relationship in real life. There have been rumours thatthe pair had a serious relationship, but it was denied time and again by their agents.
Soon after the breaking news, fans in Hong Kong, many of whom are addicted to Korean dramas –somewhat more than the local ones, have had a lot to say abouttheir romance.
Some said the Song couple joined the fashionable trend of “elder sister-younger brother” love affairs, noting that the marriage came “just in time” for Hye-kyo, who might have reached her peak.
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Despite Hye-kyo, who has two houses in Samseong-dong, the Beverly Hills ofSouth Korea, seeming to be richer, Joong Ki, who also bought a 6, 500 square-feet house for 10 billion won (US$9 million) early this year, may have better money-making ability in the future because he is in the top five earners among male artists.
According to reports, the Song couple dwarfed pop sensations like Exo and Twice, to become the highest paid celebrities in South Korea, with each earning $1.78 million via endorsements in the first quarter of 2017.
That came despite the couple, who have become hugestars after the ‘Descendants of the Sun’ series, losinginternational revenue after Beijing banned Korean artists in China in retaliation for South Korea deploying THAAD, the US-made missile defence system.
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But Hong Kong fans, used to paying a few thousand dollars for a K-Pop concert, are likely to stick by their Korean stars – especially after the Song-song marriage, now that the drama has come true.SEOUL – South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo has won her first Best Actress award at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards held in Incheon last Friday, while South Korean actress Park Eun-bin won Grand Prize (Television), the highest honour in the TV category.
Recognising excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea, it is one of the three most prestigious award ceremonies in the country, alongside the Daejong Film Awards and Blue Dragon Film Awards.
Song, 41, won for her role as Moon Dong-eun, a victim of school violence who plots revenge against her perpetrators in the popular Netflix K-drama.
Song Hye Kyo
The Glory also won Best Drama and Best Supporting Actress for Lim Ji-yeon, who played the wicked ringleader-antagonist Park Yeon-jin in the series.
“I won the prize, Yeon-jin, I’m so thrilled right now, ” she said, according to a translation by Yonhap News Agency, as Lim, 32, smiled and clapped at her table. Song also thanked the production crew for its hard work in making The Glory a success.
Song, who made her debut in the entertainment industry in 1996, was previously nominated for Best Actress at Baeksang for Full House in 2005, That Winter, The Wind Blows in 2013 and Descendants Of The Sun in 2016.
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Park, 30, won the Grand Prize for her role as the titular autistic lawyer Woo Young-woo in the legal drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo, which also nabbed her a Best Actress nomination.
@unniefangirlph Song Hye Kyo Best Actress for #TheGlory Song Hye Kyo Speech #59thBaeksangArtsAwards #BaeksangArtsAwards2023 #SongHyeKyo #BestActressBaeksang #SongHyeKyo ♬ original sound - Unnie Fan Girl Mode
“When I was young, I thought to myself that if I don’t give up on my dream of becoming an actor, I may become a star who gets this award, ” she said. “Thanks for making my dream come true.”
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For Baeksang Arts Awards’ film category, romantic crime thriller Decision To Leave picked up the Grand Prize, Best Director for Park Chan-wook and Best Actress for Chinese star Tang Wei.
Tang, 43, who rose to fame in Taiwanese director Lee Ang’s erotic espionage thriller Lust, Caution (2007), won Best Actress at Baeksang in 2011 for Late Autumn (2010).
The Best Film award went to period thriller The Night Owl, with its director Ahn Tae-jin winning Best New Director and male lead Ryu Jun-yeol scoring Best Actor.