Song Il Kook 송일국

[KonaBeans]

The original article was published in 2008, and translated to English by Xiaomeihui last year 2011.
Thanks Huili for this wonderful work!

We can clearly see that Mother Dragon is mentioned in all of SIK's interviews.
I hope from now on, instead of the mother, he will be asked about his three children... and wifey too (I don't mind ) .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry...  I don't know to fix the blank space.

Haesin  (Emperor of the  Sea)
Written by Kam So-Young
Photographed by  Gina Jung
Translated from Korean to Japanese by Furuta Tomitate
Published on 8 April, 2008 by Kyodo News

Special Translation from Japanese to English: Xiaomeihuili

ABSTRACT

Raised by the pirates and all alone in the world, a solitary swordsman who acquired an excellent military arts and business ability, and a lonely man who suffered from his impossible love….The lifelong rival of the hero Jang Bo-go, Yeom Jang, although he is an enemy role, he was glowing with his multifaceted fascination, and supported the popularity of Haesin. And the new star Song Il Kook, who played Yeom Jang, was born. Before he took part in Haesin, he was only recognized as “an actor whose ancestors are well-known”. But by acting the character Yeom Jang, who suffered between love and ambition, he gained enormous popularity from female audiences.  And he was casted as “Jumong” which hit a record high of 52 percent. Now he outstripped his ancestors coattail and became a nationwide popular actor.

Acting performance is a work of thinking and persuiting alone. Performed lonely Yeom Jang and gained a tremendous popularity.

Caught a chance by the help of three women

“It is said that in one’s life, there are three chances. I think this is one of these three chances.” This is the words that Song Il Kook said at the completion party of Haesin. As a matter of fact, he got an informal appointment as a solo leading actor Yi Sun-sin in the weekend drama “Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin”(2004, KBS), which is broadcasted by other TV station at the same time as Haesin aired and was very popular. He prepared for this biggest role of his acting career since his debut, and finished the trainings of fundamental military arts skills, horse-riding, swordsmanship, archery etc..But he had to hand over this role at the stage of almost all the cast has been settled. And the rumor had been spread as an account of this leave. “ TV station worried about the influence of political activity of his mother Kim Eul-dong.”

 “At that time, I resented my mother momentarily. But now, I think I was not good enough to do that role. Only because I did not play Yi Sun-sin at that time, I could appear in “Terms of Endearment” and “Haesin” continuously, and solidify my position as an actor. And what is more, if I ever played the role Yi Sun-sin, I could not play “Jumong”(2006, MBC), I think.”, Song Il Kook said. He is a person who thinks very optimistic.

He who deserved a pain in the casting, in due course the lucky chance by the casting comes around. By the sudden leave of Ji Sung in “Terms of Endearment”, the director’s wife recommended Song Il Kook to the director, who was worried about the new cast. It is because she was strongly impressed by Song Il Kook in the morning drama “Album of Life”(2002, KBS). In "Terms of Endearment", he played the role of mean husband who tortured his wife after he had known his wife’s past. But he gained much popularity by housewives, which was a main target of the drama, and led the drama’s popularity.

And in Haesin as a next project, the drama staffs were in trouble about the cast. Han Jae-suk was appointed as Yeom Jang and already finished the photo-shooting but he has to enter the military all of sudden. At that time the draft evasion by show business people became a big issue in the society of South Korea. And the staffs were looking for the actor for Yeom Jang, the rival of Jang Bo-go. At that time, it was Chae Si-ra who strongly recommended Song Il Kook, co-starred with her in “Terms of Endearment”.

And one more hidden person of merit was the wife of director Kang Il-soo, the famous screenwriter of  “Be Strong, Geum-soon!”(2005, MBC), Lee Jung-sun. As director Kang had gone to China earlier for the shooting, he could not see the Song Il Kook who developed the acting skill in “Terms of Endearment”, and the director asked his wife an opinion. She said “ What are you saying? Now in South Korea, he becomes very popular. It is better for you to hurry up the casting.” Thus, by the help of three women, he was appointed continuously in two dramas, so he may used the word “chances of a lifetime”.

Yeom Jang is a complicated villain.
“Yeom Jang kills people like worthless vermin, but he is ‘a complicated villain’. He was defeated by Jang Bo-go every time, and he suffered for his unanswered love for Jang-hwa. His human side seems to catch audiences’ hearts.” As Song Il Kook said, Yeom Jang is an enemy who brought Jang Bo-go big hardships. And it is a rare case that the villain like Yeom Jang in Haesin, even though he has an complicated background, supported by audiences.

In addition to his cruelty, Yeom Jang has his hidden loneliness and sorrow, accordingly his character became very difficult one to gain sympathy from the audiences if the actor has an absolute acting talent. And Song Il Kook had developed his acting skills step by step until he appeared in “Terms of Endearment”, first appeared in single-shot dramas, then appeared in the morning drama in which young actors didn’t want to take their part, and he even played an enemy role. Here comes the time to unveil fruits of his efforts through Haesin.

“The moment when I become happy is not the moment I could forget you, my lady, but the exact moment when my life in which I’ve been loving you with all my existence extinguishes.”

This is a famous line of the villain Yeom Jang, and he was supported more than the hero Jang Bo-go. By several audiences, the drama was called not Haesin but “Yeom Jang the God”(not “Hae-sin” but “Yeom-sin”) or was called “Yeom Jang’s Drama”. And the audiences got to be enthusiastic by Yeom Jang’s every move. Then in the homepage of the drama, the posts came flooding in which asked “Don’t give Yeom Jang such cruel punishment. It is too pathetic!” The fans quoted the scene in which Jang Bo-go branded Yeom Jang with a hot iron seal of bandit  from the original novel and asked not to do.

But different from the charismatic image of Yeom Jang in the drama, actual Song Il kook never pretends and sometimes exposes a side like a mischievous boy. By some mass-media, he is said to be taciturn, but it is because of his bashful character as to be reserved with strangers. “In Haesin, I acted with Soo Ae. I am not exaggerating but in the shooting period, I talked with her “only about 3 lines in total”. When we met each other on the set, I only saluted her by bowing my head and not to say “Hello!”.  Because she is very bashful and so am I.

Apart from this, he said about himself that he is a “typical type A blood person” and likes to décor interior and go shopping. As soon as he finished shooting “Terms of Endearment”, Song Il Kook would have to join the filming in China by the dramatic fate. But filming Haesin is a series of killer schedules, even for the experienced actors, it was hard to sustain. “In the beginning of a week, we shot in the set at Suwon, in a weekend the shooting was held in Wan-do. So the casts had to endure the long-distance transfer of 6-7 hours once a week. On the filming at Wan-do, I even set a record of ‘four days and no night’!” (laughs!)

He was an inexpert rookie, spoiled scenes again and again.

Generally, appearing in a historical dramas, actors become thinner and thinner. But he usually trained himself by doing the triathlon or inline skating, and in addition he ate more to endure the shooting through the night. So instead he became more well-build, eventually he was requested to diet before the start of shooting of the movie “Art of Seduction”. But this never mean he can not control the amount of foods he takes.

He once was a large man weighing more than 105 kg. So to become an actor, he needed to loose weight, stopped eating meat which was his favorite food.“ I cut down the amount of food, got more exercise, changed my diet habit to the plant-based diet, then I lost weight in a natural way and no weight rebound.”

During the shooting period of Haesin, he maintained his body strength only by vegetables, he controlled himself by writing a motto “Vegetarianism Is My Power” on his mobile phone screen. Whether because of this motto or not, he prided himself on his strongest stamina which made him endure the whole day shooting with only 1 hour of sleep, and surprised the staffs and actors around him. Furthermore, he even said that during Haesin shooting “The shooting period was good for me because I could find time to enjoy horse-riding which is my favorite. The drastic self-managing is a motivating force to immerse him to the performance.

Even a noted actor like Song Il Kook also experienced years as a nameless new actor. On one occasion, he got loud criticism from his counterpart as an acting ability impairment.   “It was when I was appearing in a morning drama, my senior counterpart said it to me. I want to become better acquainted with this person, and invited this person to the restaurant where my friend worked as a manager. And the person said it in front of my friend. But now I think his  words taught me a good lesson.” But his painful memories about acting is not this one only. “When I was a new face actor, I played a military personnel who send a criminal under guard. It was only a minor part to walk about more than ten steps. Only walking such a short distance, but I could not act well, and spoiled that scene 20 times. I’m disgusted with myself….I always remember that experience and warn myself not to be arrogant. “If I’d have forgotten that experience, at that instance, my existence as an actor will be finished.”

 It is because of his determination, perhaps, the co-actors and the staffs who worked with him praised him as “the most textbook-perfect actor”. Among the senior actors, he was appreciated as a polite and faithful actor. For example, when the protraction of “Jumong” broadcast had surfaced, Song Il Kook stated the condition to the production side, in which he requested the upgrading of the treatment of the staffs in the first thing, more important than his own payment. Every staff acknowledged his this courageous act.

 Incidentally, though his mother was an actress, he didn’t dream of being an actor altogether. “When I was a boy, I visited my friend and seeing his mother prepared meals for us, friends of her son, and took care of us, I felt very jealous. My mother was not in our house during daytime. One day, my sister and me didn’t have a key to our house and we squatted down in front of our house late into the night and waiting our parents come home. It was very painful experience even for my childish mind, and I said to myself “To be an actor is the last thing I want to do.”, but I find myself becoming an actor.

I hope that I can emulate half as well as my mother’s acting skills and considerations. 

Song Il Kook’s dream of his childhood was to become a painter. He had been studying to enter an art university, but he failed three times and drank a bitter cup. At that time, his mother advised him to study a stage art. She said “The stage art is not simply decorate the stage beautifully, but have to know the action of the actors, so why don’t you enter the faculty of performance film creation?” He, who was not interested in the theatrical performances altogether, thus majored in the performance film creation. This is the result of his mother’s advice.

“The 1st floor was faculty of performance film creation and 3rd and 4th were faculty of painting and industrial design. I completely ignored my own major and mainly took the art classes, so consequently I sometimes could not earn sufficient credits. After then, I went to Unite States hoping “ to study stage art in earnest”, but as soon as I got to the United States, the IMF crisis (1997 Asian Financial Crisis) had started, and I came back. ”(laughs) Eventually acting is a second choice for him.

After came back home, he worked as a driver of his mother Kim Eul Dong, who at that time was appearing in the drama “The Tears of the Dragon” (1996, KBS), to the shooting set. But when the main character of “The tears of the dragon” and the famous historical drama actor Yu dong-geung saw the dignified frame of 185 cm and noble-looking Song Il Kook, and said “If I had an appearance like you, I definitely would aim at becoming an actor.” His words changed Song Il Kook’s life.

“Encouraged by his words, I tried the official talent recruitment and passed it unexpectedly. After a while, the director who chose me said the reason why he chose me is not because I acted well but to him I was seen somewhat “praiseworthy”. Usually when the second generation of show-biz people try a talent recruitment test, they used to do the behind-the-scene maneuvering. But my mother did nothing of that kind, so he was impressed by her. Actually I had a grudge against her at that time, because she didn’t made even one phone call. But in the result, I got an advantage by her wise attitude.”

If we talk about Song Il Kook’s success, we cannot skip his mother, the actress Kim Eul Dong. Raised as an stage actress, she entered the TV station as a voice actress, and played all kinds of roles in countless dramas. She is a great seasoned actress. She is also very famous as a performance coach, teaching inexperienced rookie performers by her correct enunciation and superior performance skills.

“There is no doubt that my mother is a subject of my respect. She is a senior of the TV station and the person I respect before she is my mother. I hope that “I can emulate half as well as my mother’s acting skills and considerations.” I think that my mother’s acting skills are natural talent. It is because my mother sewed seeds, so whenever I went to any TV station, I am always welcomed.”

He is always modest, but as for his mother, he praises her highly. After appeared in Haesin, he hesitated to accept the role in the historical drama “Jumong”, because of its hard shooting circumstances and he also feared that he got associated with the image of historical drama actor. But his mother’s words “You should accept.” was a clincher. She is famous for her kindness and also famous as a fascinating actress and a performance coach but to her son, she seems to become very strict. The son Song Il Kook said, “Before she commented about my performance “I cannot see your performance straight, because it is too uneasy.” But about Haesin, she said “It got to be better a little.”” So he learns from his mother?

(Laugh)  It seems to be less than successful between the mother and the son. When she teaches my senior performers, she rarely gets angry with them, but for me, she threw the script to me and said “Are you an idiot?”, “Why you do it so unskillful!” And I also could not bear and ran out from the room. I tried to learn from her several times but in the end I gave it up. But when I decide the framework of the character, her advice is of big help for me.”

Once he even thanked only a short appearance on the drama, but now, not merely in Korean dramas but as an movie star, he is promoted to the status where he can choose the project in which he can give full play to his ability among numerous offers. To such Song Il Kook, I asked about his performance and whether he is satisfied with the work now.

“Acting performance is a work of thinking and persuading alone, it suits to my personality. I’m not good at getting along with other people, so as for the sports, I prefer the solo play sports. “If I hadn’t become an actor, what would I do now?” I often talk with my mother the topic like this, but I cannot imagine another result.” For him, the profession as an actor came to him accidentally, but now, it has a strong fatality for him. He cannot imagine the life without acting.


Song Il Kook’s marriage and the lawsuit.


On March 15, 2008, at a hotel in Seoul, he celebrated a wedding in a traditional wedding style. The bride was Ms. Jung, Busan High Court Judge. When Song Il Kook got to be popular as a “Jumong”, he met Ms. Jung through an introduction of an acquaintance, a reporter. Both of them were very busy at that time, they cultivated their love with phone calls and e-mails, and from 2007, it started to be in the air that they may get married. 1 month before his marriage, Song Il Kook finished the shooting of “Lobbyst”(2007, SBS), travelled to their honeymoon destination Bali, combining it with the wedding photo shooting with his fiance.

At this time, his behavior which is different from other celebrities became a conversation topic. On the occasion of show-biz people’s marriage, the support from the travel company is took for granted, but he didn’t do it, and paid the expense of his fiance by himself. And furthermore, he chose the hotel which is distant from hers for half an hour ride. We got a glimpse of his real worth of “ the soundest person in the show-biz world”. And he showed compassion toward his newly-appointed new wife, settled their new home not in Seoul but in Busan, the place of his bride’s assignment.

But happy events tend to be accompanied by problems. In preparing for their marriage and at the peak of happiness, he was involved in the unexpected incident in January, 2008.

Having the principle that “he doesn’t accept any interviews other than the official press conference before their marriage”, Song Il Kook was accused by a female reporter. She said that she was fractured her teeth when she ked him a interview in front of his house, because “ his hand hit her teeth when he was to get his hand free.” But Song Il Kook ‘s side protested that “he didn’t touch even the tip of her garment, rather the female reporter sent mails to his mobile phone and intimidated him.” And the case was finally brought to justice. Having met him twice and remember his polite and humane gentlemanly demeanor, the author like to believe his words. At the end of January, two weeks after the incident, he expresses his true feelings in his fan website.

“Ever since I was a little boy, my mother would say this to me and my sister, "On a good, they call me the general's granddaughter. (Song Il Kook’s great-grandfather General Kim Jwa-jin) ", "On a bad, they call me the gangster's daughter (Song Il Kook’s grandfather, Kim Du-han was a gangster in the period of Japanese ruled Korea and afterward became a member of Congress).” Therefore I have lived very cautiously. Even more so now that the other side is a woman, and a reporter on top of that. I have always believed that the worst people are the ones who beat up women.” Through these sentences, he must want to communicate his mortification to his fans.

On the other hand, he took care of his fiance who had not been appointed as a judge at that time.  “"Song Il-Kook Assaulted Female Reporter", a sentence like that has enough possibility to make me covered all over with wounds. If it were you, do you want to be included in the incident in which you are alleged that you assaulted other woman, with your wedding just 2 months away and have to face your fiance who has not been appointed her official status yet?”

For the purpose of not to make second or third victims, he didn’t settle the case out of court peacefully, chose to take legal action. And if he won the case, he declared that he would use the compensation for the charity. 17 March, 2008, the prosecution announced an opinion “There’s no suspicion against Song Il Kook using violence on her.”, but it will take more time to pass on the case.

Came out belated in his late twenties, Song Il Kook won the Best New Actor Award at the 5th year, at the 7th year won the Best Actor Award for Haesin, and at the 8th year, won the Top Excellence Award for “Jumong”. Let’s just hope that his tireless effort and steady progress as an actor may not be recessed. Moreover I hope to see him in a fulfilling figure, improve his sensibility as an actor by the marriage, the best experience in life.  ♥
 

[ardently]

KONA, I know I have registered to that site before, if I'm not mistaken.  Maybe I should try it.  Uploading videos in my blogspot at Asianfanatics is tedious.  All videos must come from You Tube so I have to upload them first from Multiply to my folder, then to YT and finally, to my blogsite. 

Tatooes are fashionable and I am really considering having one.  But my other daughter said that I should have it in a hidden part of my body.  My other daughter suggested to have it around my finger or in my hand, and it should be small and not very conspicuous, not his face but something that would remind me of SIK always.  Now, I'm giving it a thorough thought.  Should I have his signature or his face, or maybe the words, "once loved, forever loved"?  I'm really going crazy because of our man.

 

[charmy2]

hu ardently said:

Thanks, CHARMY.  I feel sorry for you and the other fans who have earlier booked for the BDFan Meeting, but as you have said, going to the location shooting is equally good.  Just hope that SIK could find some time to meet and bond with all of you.  Maybe a few hours or more, if only for you to hug and kiss him (joke). 

I am also feeling down today because of Multiply's announcement that beginning December 1st this year, the site will be catering service only to marketing and all our personal sites would be closed, including all their contents.  Now, I am cramming to transfer all my files to my blogsite at Asianfanatics.com. and I have tons of them.  I know my account in the marketing site will not be cancelled, but they said the personal contents will be deleted permanently.  To think that I had just bragged that my files would not be deleted and would stay at my multiply site as long as the site exists, then this announcement came.

[hoonwoodjoon]

Nice..thanks KB for these lovely 2007 clips..hoping to see more of his driving skills!! hehe.had one or two clip..but that was it??  V  Yes..busy weeks..from appointments, work and olympics..and drama's..that top it all..v  waves..  Look at that olympian swim..I bet he can bring on the golds..


LOL..ardently..i think now SONGIE is the poem himself..Mr. Poem, and you Mrs. Poem!??  Oh.no wait I should be??  ;p v  AND  happiest birthday, think I should finally do a poem!!??  v  


Hi kish and lienaz, waves.....


________________________________________________

Happiest Birthday..Ardently...~~  He's calling, he's got a cake for ya!!  v

[Guest erinnys]

Hello dearest SIKers!!!!

Thank you all for the great pics and clips... wonderful job Ardent! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY dear Ardent!!!!!...about tattoo...his signature it`s a good idea
Kona, I love that calendar....to bad that is from 2005. Does anyone can create for 2013??? And of course many thanks to Xiaomeihuili for the translation. There are some things that I haven`t read it before.

Ok, look, I found this

on youtube...maybe you already know it. It`s Emanuelle`s work. I like very much the music and lyrics from Shania Twain.( I don`t now yet how to post it so, I made a link on "clip" word )
LOve you All!!!

[ardently]

HWJ, ERINNY, thank you so much, guys.

HWJ, SIK has always been my inspiration in all my works, the ryhthm in every song I sing, the rhyme in every poem I write, the meaning in every word I speak. 

Erinny, Emma has many videos that are also posted in her multiply site.  Her videos are fantastic. The sad thing is they will also be deleted later on.  Both of us would be victims of the closing of the site. 

About the tatoo, how about all SIKERS or international fans have SIK's signature tattoed in their body as a sign of membership/representation?  That would be the first in the entertainment world.  Lol! 

KONA, I love that interview of SIK and I don't get tired reading it over and over again.  He likes shopping?  Gosh he's just like me, shopaholic.

[charmy2]

ardently said:

KONA, I know I have registered to that site before, if I'm not mistaken.  Maybe I should try it.  Uploading videos in my blogspot at Asianfanatics is tedious.  All videos must come from You Tube so I have to upload them first from Multiply to my folder, then to YT and finally, to my blogsite. 

Tatooes are fashionable and I am really considering having one.  But my other daughter said that I should have it in a hidden part of my body.  My other daughter suggested to have it around my finger or in my hand, and it should be small and not very conspicuous, not his face but something that would remind me of SIK always.  Now, I'm giving it a thorough thought.  Should I have his signature or his face, or maybe the words, "once loved, forever loved"?  I'm really going crazy because of our man.

 

[KonaBeans]

Older video program but awesome!
Uploaded by luvhime.

Don't miss 06:37 - 06:39 :\"> .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hot Mama, although we love the tattoo idea but it's your skin so think thoroughly before you do it.
If I were going to do it, I would have his name in Hangul, and on the back of left shoulder.

송
일
국

SIKers, there's another solution:  Custom Temporary Tattoo.
Check out this site http://www.tattoosales.com/customtattoo.asp
or http://24hourtattoos.com

I might order some and put it on when I'm in Seoul.
Not a bad idea?

[Guest sig-Hadise]

Hello , Dear Fans Lovely Songilgook .
ilenaz said:

Dear SIG-hadise,how are you doing,it's longtime no talk,thank you always for your cheering!

[ardently]

KONA, some people say that permanent tatooes are harmful to the skin.  The dye that is used mix with the person's blood and if the instrument is not properly sterilized, it would cause infection and worst is if the needle is used with a person who's conatminated with blood disease such as HIV.  Nevertheless, I'm still considering having it when I come home to the Philippines.  I like his signature 'cause only SIK's fans will recognize it.

Having a temporary tatoo on the upper back of your shoulder is also a good idea, especially to someone who has a fair skin like you.  I'm sure SIK would be thrilled to see his fan having that.  Be sure to show it to him.

So much have been said about EOTS and all praises to our man as Yeum Jang.  I see that he is more popular with that name than Yeum Moon.  But what about the person beyond Jang Bogo?  I wonder how he felt then, reading and hearing the good comments about his second lead.  "Yeum Jang Sea God", "Yeum Jang drama" that's how the audience named EOTS?

I've read an article about EOTS that said the people in Iran were so obsessed in the drama that when it was being aired, they stopped along the streets to watch it in the place where there's a television open to public.  They even hurried home so as not to skip any episode, and the ratings was as high as 50%.  Do you have that article, Kona?  I'll try to find it in my blog.

[gabisikfan]

Hi, dear SIKers!
I'm sorry hearing about closing Multiply, many blogs are in there. You have a lot of work to do, dear Ardent - and who else is on  multiply. Blogspot is an option.  About tattoos, omg!! you really want to do it permanently? I agree Kona's idea, temporary: you just glue on skin. Maybe is somebody creative and do more models of SIKer - tattoo : "once in love, forever in love", SIK's signature - picture and/or hangul - his stylized figure from different dramas, and so on.
I remember that article about Iranians, wasn't there a video too? Anyway, I like more the name Yeom Moon, it reminds me his adventurous life before being Yeom Jang - the cruel Shilla's general who poisoned a king and killed a great merchant... and yes, who died on Chungnae's beach saving Jung Hwa's life. I better remember his friendship / adversity with Jang Bogo:



See soon, SIKers! Love you all!

[Guest sig-Hadise]

Hello , Dear Fans Gentle Song il kook a gain

I designed this pictures .

[charmy2]

KonaBeans said: Older video program but awesome!
Uploaded by luvhime.

Don't miss 06:37 - 06:39 :\"> .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hot Mama, although we love the tattoo idea but it's your skin so think thoroughly before you do it.
If I were going to do it, I would have his name in Hangul, and on the back of left shoulder.

송
일
국

SIKers, there's another solution:  Custom Temporary Tattoo.
Check out this site http://www.tattoosales.com/customtattoo.asp
or http://24hourtattoos.com

I might order some and put it on when I'm in Seoul.
Not a bad idea?

[KonaBeans]

Ardent, I have that article, but it's about Jumong's popularity in Iran.  I also have some other related articles in my archive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Iranians hooked on Korean TV drama

21-Dec-2009

By Iran GlobalPost Correspondent

Visiting family members as often as possible is a well-established tradition in Iranian society. Usually nights are spent sipping freshly brewed tea and eating fresh fruits and salted nuts. This goes on for long hours into the night, especially in summertime when children and college students are free from school schedules.

Things have changed, however, since state TV started broadcasting a Korean TV drama called "Jumong."

Now, in many homes after dinner, whole families race to huddle around the TV. Photos of the main characters grace everything from stationary to serving trays. Fans have set up blogs and forums to exchange news and discuss episodes.

"Jumong" is produced by MBC Korea. The series follows the life of the hero Jumong from childhood, when king Gumua takes on his guardianship, after thinking that his father He Mu So had been killed by the Han Dynasty. The series ends with Jumong's biggest achievement: building a nation called Goguryeo and marrying his second wife, Susano.

Many viewers embraced the series because of the human side of the story — Jumung's love for Susano. "I kept on watching religiously because I wanted to find out if in the end Jumong and Susano would reunite in their love or not," said Mina Moradi, 12, who has bought notebooks for school emblazoned with photos of Jumong and Susano.

The Iranian press has published numerous stories about the antics of fans. One told of a young man from Zanjan, a city in southwest Iran, who had fallen deeply in love with the series' heroine, Susano. He asked his father several times to sell their goats and sheep and finance a trip for him to South Korea so he could ask Susano's hand in marriage. His father refused, and one day the family found the son hanging from the ceiling of his bedroom.

Another story said that a toddler had died after her parents, picnicking out of town, packed hurriedly to get home in time to watch "Jumong" and forgot to take their child with them.

While many such reports are unsubstantiated, it is clear that many in the Islamic Republic have become enamored with Korean dramas.

The love affair started before "Jumong," with the broadcast of another Korean drama called "Jewel in the Palace." It's the story of a woman chef-turned-physician in the Korean royal court.

"The story of the struggles the heroine endures, is what made the connection between the audience and the movie," said Yuni Cho, of the Korea Society in New York. "The human elements and emotion present in a lot of Korean TV dramas, has made them very popular."

Thirty years of strict censorship and Islamic propaganda has resulted in low-quality TV programs in Iran, which almost no one watches. It's rare to turn on the TV and not see an Imam in his turban going on about a Muslim's life and death, how the pious young should wait and find their perfect soulmate, and how couples whose marriages have turned sour can resolve their problems.

In the past few years satellite TV has entered homes to counter the dull state TV. Satellite dishes mushroomed on almost all roof tops in the country, from posh neighborhoods in northern Tehran, to small towns and villages.

The government banned satellite TV and for a while deployed the morality police to take them down and fine the owners. But it became impossible to go to every single house and take down the dishes, which would go up again the moment the police left the house.

To compete with the satellite stations, the government decided to step up the quality of its programs by buying foreign TV programs. But choosing wasn't easy. Stories had to comply with religious and moral rules, and women, if not wearing Islamic clothes, should at least be covered as much as possible. This left South Korean TV dramas as a good option. Their scenes are less risque, the women decently clad, and the series foreign. Korean dramas appealed to a large audience, both religious and secular.

Ismael Nouri, a 60-year-old who lives in Isfahan, said he had never followed TV dramas on Iranian TV before "Jumong."

"This Korean drama was different," he said. "Jumong seemed so in charge of his life. He overcame any obstacles that life laid on his path. He always had a plan and came out victorious," he adds.

Iranians were so fond of the drama and its main characters that the electronic company LG, which has a branch in Iran, invited Song Il Gook to visit Iran for three days. He came in August and fans waited for autographs at the airport and at the hotel where he was staying. One of the fans even learned a few Korean words to welcome Gook to Iran in the actor's native language, news outlets reported.

In the press conference held during his visit, Gook said that he was surprised by his celebrity status in Iran. He said before coming to Iran, he didn't have a good understanding of the country, and its culture other than what he had read in books.

Gook wasn't the only one surprised. Nahee Kim, the content business and planning manager at MBC's office in LA, says that she was surprised by the high ratings in Iran. "We have also broad casted in other countries in the Middle East, and in those countries too, 'Jumong' was very well received. One of them is Turkey," she added.

The appeal to Korean TV dramas, and Korean culture in general is part of a bigger phenomenon dubbed the "Korean Wave."

"Since the 1990s, Korean pop music, movies and TV drama swept Asia, and journalists covering this surge, started calling this the 'Korean Wave,'" said Michael Shin, a historian at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.

Part of the popularity of Korean culture in countries such as China, explained Shin, was that the Chinese liked the fact that the Koreans have managed to conserve the Confucian tradition. "But when we see people in countries such as Iran or Turkey (who have very different traditions), connecting to Korean culture, it's very interesting," Shin added.

Even though "Jumong" has finished, the Iranian's love with Korean culture hasn't. Song Il Gook's visit to Iran turned out so well that LG is sponsoring another visit of four main characters to Iran, Mohsen Shariat, director of international concerts and programs, told Fars news this month. The group will be visiting in February, and plan to stop by in the city of Kerman in southwest Iran, as well as Tehran.

It seemed that after the end of "Jumong" this September, many families might go back to the usual nocturne rituals: fresh fruits, nuts and tea. But no, Iranians have discovered such  American reality TV dramas as "Lost" and "Prison Break."

[ardently]

Temporary tattoo is also another option.  But the reason I want a permanent tatoo is that I always want to remember him.  I don't think I would ever have a change of heart.  He's the only person that has been this important to me.

I love that video, Kona.  Thank you.  SIK is very cute, sticking his tongue and licking his lips like that.  I notice that he has that mannerism.  I have seen some of his videoclips and pictures doing that, aside from putting his finger in his lips.  He looks so lovable each time he does them.

[ardently]

KONA, the article you posted is kinda new to me.  Have you posted that here before? This is different from the one I have read which mentioned about ratings and people stopping their work just to watch the drama, some of them on the streets.  Anyway, EOTS or Jumong, bothe mentioned the dramas' popularity.  What annoys me is to know that some people's lives were lost because of this.

In the Philippines, "Jumong" was very popular and had an average rating of 40%, dominating the teleseries world in our network.  There were songs created that were used as OST.  Here are some

 

 

[ardently]

[kish_agnes]

ardently

said:

KONA, I know I have registered to that site before, if I'm not mistaken.  Maybe I should try it.  Uploading videos in my blogspot at Asianfanatics is tedious.  All videos must come from You Tube so I have to upload them first from Multiply to my folder, then to YT and finally, to my blogsite. 

Tatooes are fashionable and I am really considering having one.  But my other daughter said that I should have it in a hidden part of my body.  My other daughter suggested to have it around my finger or in my hand, and it should be small and not very conspicuous, not his face but something that would remind me of SIK always.  Now, I'm giving it a thorough thought.  Should I have his signature or his face, or maybe the words, "once loved, forever loved"?  I'm really going crazy because of our man.

 

[gabisikfan]

HI, dear SIKers!
Dear Kona, you asked me what I'm watching currently. "What happened in Bali" and  "Hwang Jin Yi". I just finished "Rooftop Prince" with Park Yoo Chun and I want to analyze a bit Park's performance here. I liked him more in Sungkyunkwan Scandal; here I found him too forced with his sageuk voice, too rigid. The story was amazing, but his voice was no longer proper for this film. The Director told him to use a sageuk voice almost all the time, but PYC looked  for me flat, dull, doing this - of course, is a personal opinion, don't shoot!!.  For comparison, listen SIK's voice in I Am You, as theater actor in a non-sageuk play:

SIK also use almost all the time a sageuk voice, but this is his natural voice: abdominal, from his deep body&lungs, with modulations, sensitive, with a thousand tones even when he's screaming or roaring.  PYC did his best and is a great actor; but he is not for sageuk, or - at least - director Shin Yoon Sub had to work harder on sageuks from now on. 
Anyway, the King of Sageuk is only one in this world: our beloved Prince Song il Kook!!!
Dear Celia, thank you a thousand times for translating and posting "I Am You". I re-posted at once few parts: in our crazy days - and crazy world - we desperately need a pillar of support, and this play is something like this: a milestone.
Love you all, SIKers!

[KonaBeans]

Kim Jang-Hoon & Song Il-Kook Crossing Dokko Island


August 12, 2012


Singer Kim Jang-hoon has set a new challenge for himself to swim from the coast of Jukbyun in North Gyeonsang to the islet of Dokdo on Aug. 15 to mark Korea's National Liberation Day.

Participating with Kim Jang-Hoon  in this relay swimming are actor Song Il-Kook and 40 students from Korea National Sport University.

It will take about 55 hours to reach the island, and each swimmer will swim 220 kilometers ~ 1 hours 30 minutes.

The swimmers will depart at 6:00 AM on Aug 13 in order to arrive by the 2:00 PM on Aug 15, which is the day that Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule back in 1945.





by KonaBeans via NATE

Related article:  Kim Jang-hoon to swim to the islet of Dokdo

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Horray Song Il-Kook, I bet he has been training for this event.  A great opportunity to get in shape for the next project!