Lee Tae Gon 이태곤

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KBS 2011 Excellence Awards

Serial Drama, Actor: Lee Tae-gon (King Gwanggaeto)

[Guest honzbear]

Looking at the Happy Together clips, it makes me wonder if Lee Tae Gon is a bit tired of his image as a handsome hunk. I caught that vibe when one of the female hosts said that she had been a long time fan of his and had actually gotten one of her friends in showbiz to arrange a phone call so that she could talk to him. Also she seemed to be openly admiring his physical attributes and I caught him give a brief but clearly annoyed look at this. He wasn't even embarrassed by what she said as most actors would be but seemed irritated as if he wanted to change the subject.

I don't think Lee Tae Gon meant to be rude or arrogant but reacted like that because he is bored with this kind of treatment. He has been the object of female attention since he was in high school so it's nothing novel for him. It is probably de rigeur as a matter of fact - getting the same comments over and over again, the same reactions from women and fans all the time. Most people would feel extremely flattered if they had been told these things but for people who have heard these comments nearly all their adult lives it's uninteresting to the point of being irritating.

Not only that but no one wants to be treated as a piece of meat when it comes down to it. It feels demeaning after a while. Especially for someone as masculine as Lee Tae Gon.  Good looks are good looks but not the be-all and end-all of his existence I would surmise. He doesn't seem to be a vain man and I don't think he primps himself when he doesn't have to. He is a typical guy I think - doesn't care much about his looks (except maybe when he's working as a model or as an actor). Fitness is important for him but that's more of a guy competitiveness thing about who has bigger muscles. And it's part of his overall athleticism.

I think ultimately he doesn't want his good looks to overshadow his other qualities, but I suspect, unfortunately for him, that they often do.

I don't think he's actually complaining as such about the treatment he receives from the opposite sex. It's just that he thinks, "Oh no, here we go again. Where have I heard that before? [rolls eyes]"

Also, I think he knows looks are an ephemeral thing and other qualities last longer and in the long run are much more important. It makes a world of difference to a man to be appreciated for his mental qualities and not just for his physical ones. Women are different on the whole I think (though some women are not that much different). That's why facial wrinkle creams sell well among women but not among men.

In other words, he wants to be recognized more as A Serious Actor and less as A Goodlooking Hunk.

So I kind of understand Lee Tae Gon's attitude on Happy Together when the female host mentioned she was a big fan of his. He knew what she was going to say and felt annoyed by it. I am not blaming the female host in any shape or form. I would probably react the same way as she did if I had had the chance.

So landing the role of King Gwanggaeto the Great is a big break for him. Acting the lead in a successful drama and winning an award for this role gives him a chance to break out of the mold of a hunk and establish a more dignified presence as an actor, one in which he is respected more for his acting abilities than he is recognized for his good looks.

[Guest katherinekang]

Maybe it is because of the days and hours he has to put in into the drama. I heard that sometimes he have only a couple of hours to rest. Not surprising cause he is the main lead. Honzbear, you must not think too much into his expressions. I think he is tired.

We should admire his hard work and maybe you are also right that he doesn't really want his fans to pay too much attention to his looks.. He has done a good job. Well done, Lee Tae Gon.

[Guest honzbear]

Very slow thread. Any news? I wrote something about Lee Tae Gon but I realized it was unfair to him and deleted it.

BTW, the drama King Gwanggaeto the Great has not had much of a boost in its ratings since Lee Tae Gon won the KBS drama award for best male actor in long term drama.

Has anything been confirmed about his next project? After KGTG finishes, I am going to go into severe withdrawal if he doesn't appear in anything for a while.

I think if KGTG was sold to European countries, it would do very well. Also, if it's shown on the main channels on American TV (not just Korean cable channels), it will be popular. Westerners haven't seen anything like this before on their main channels, and they will be very impressed I think. The good thing about this drama is that it starts off in a very exciting way so it doesn't take long for people to get interested in it. It will introduce Korean history to many people overseas. I am sure that it will do very very well with the male audiences because it combines adventure, war and drama in the one series. I think it's mainly a problem of exposure. People in the mainstream in western countries just aren't aware of this drama and others that are like it. I think this drama will have universal appeal once they do come across it. Unlike Jewel in the Palace, the drama has a lot of action and doesn't drag too much. The plots in Jewel in the Palace got a little too complicated and the translations weren't that good at times which made the drama hard to cipher at times (I stopped watching around the 50th episode when I couldn't follow the plot). The storylines in KGTG are more straightforward and easier to follow even when the translations are a bit wonky. There isn't too much dialog either so you don't have to focus on the subtitles overly. The drama is faster-moving too. It's easy to get absorbed in this drama from the first episode as I've said. The main actor is very attractive which also helps. The action scenes have been directed very well and the cinematography, scenery, props, costumes are all excellent. You really feel that you are in that period. There is much suspense so that even though it's a long drama, it's worth waiting to watch every week.

I am sure if it's shown on the main channels, it will spawn a whole slew of Korean historical drama addicts. Lee Tae Gon will gain international fans. He might even become as big as a Hollywood star. I think he has the potential to become that huge though I don't know whether I would really like that. But he is very macho and handsome and has a certain charm that women like. Let's hope he doesn't get this sort of fame. Even though I want this drama to be appreciated by as many people as possible, I want him to remain just a star in Korea and in Asian countries. I want him to be as normal as he can be. He's very natural as a person and that is a major reason he appeals to me so much.

I would like to find out his blood group, Many stars have their blood group in their bios but LTG doesn't. I am interested in this kind of thing. I don't believe in horoscopes though. There really isn't that much known about him actually. That is what's frustrating about being a fan of LTG. He's not secretive or anything but there just isn't a lot out there. Especially for people who don't understand Korean. He has given interviews on TV though and I have picked up interesting snippets about him from those. He does give interesting interviews and he tells funny anecdotes about himself.

[Guest honzbear]

Here is a recent interview for Japanese television. He's growing his hair long for his upcoming role in King Gwanggaeto the Great. He is talking about his roles in Love in Heaven and other earlier dramas.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Z1Woff6z_M4

Interview

He has a go at speaking in Japanese.

[Guest katherinekang]

Here is a recent interview for Japanese television. He's growing his hair long for his upcoming role in King Gwanggaeto the Great. He is talking about his roles in Love in Heaven and other earlier dramas.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Z1Woff6z_M4

Interview

He has a go at speaking in Japanese.

Yes, Honzbear, I have seen that. He looks fantastically good looking in that interview, King Gwanggaeto the Great has matured him.

[Guest honzbear]

I am studying Korean (I just started six months ago) and as an exercise, I have started translating this interview with Lee Tae Gon. It's slow work because I don't know much Korean and have to look up every second word. So I will only be posting a paragraph at a time. If there is someone who understands Korean, feel free to translate the whole interview in its entirety and post it up here.

This is the link for the interview:

http://woman.chosun....e.do?atCode=280

때론 부드럽게 때론 터프하게 이태곤 프라이버시 인터뷰

선한 눈매와 미소가 매력적인 남자 이태곤. SBS ‘연개소문’ 이후 두문불출했던 그가 김수현 작가의 동명소설을 각색한 MBC 주말극 ‘겨울새’의 주연을 맡아 오랜만에 팬들 앞에 섰다. 중견연기자 못지않은 연기력과 성실함으로 주부 팬들을 사로잡고 있는 이태곤과의 솔직해서 더 즐거운 이야기. 반듯하기만 한 ‘구왕모’가 아닌 호탕하고 유머러스한 남자 이태곤을 만났다.

At times, coming across as gentle, at other times, as a tough guy, this is a private interview with Lee Tae Gon

With lively eyes and a smile, the charming Lee Tae Gon is acting, after appearing in SBS's “Yeon Gaesomun”, in a weekend drama called “Winter Bird”, dramatized from Kim Su Hyeon's novel of the same name. He has undertaken the role of the  main character which means he will be in front of his fans for a long time. His sincere acting performance fascinates many fans, and as a person, he is very straightforward and an entertaining conversationalist. The person I met wasn’t only the decent and upright Gu Wang Mo, but also the expansive and funny man, Lee Tae Gon.

[Guest katherinekang]

Ooo, Honzbear, I wish I can help you with the translation but my Korean is elementary style. Maybe, my brains are too old for learning something new. I can understand some spoken Korean.

[Guest honzbear]

Just something amusing happened to me yesterday. I took my computer into an Apple store (in America) to have a technician look at it. I wasn't able to boot it. For my desktop picture, I have the wedding photo from Jewel Bibimbap.

The technician took my laptop into the back room to check on it. He came out and the computer had been turned on. The desktop picture was showing. He said, "We were looking at this picture and thought it was a cute couple. Is that you in the photo?" I laughed and said, "She's a TV star."

Then I left and did something else. I had to go back to the Apple store for another problem. I opened the computer and I started to do something. Another Apple person came over to help. He saw the desktop picture and he asked me the same question. "Is that your wedding photo?" I told him that this picture was from a drama, and secretly thought, "I wish."

I felt good and bad after that. Good that people actually thought it could be me in that photo with Lee Tae Gon, and bad that the reality was so different from what they thought.

[Guest katherinekang]

Oh, Honzbear that was a lovely compliment. I wish someone said something similar to me, then I will be in 7th heaven. I think I have close to 600plus pix of Lee Tae Gon on my computer and my sis-in-law says I am nuts. Then she went to download her share on her computer and I told her she had is peanuts.

Guess, there are two grain in the family (never mind the husbands cos they never understand all these oogling). I wonder how is winter in South Korea and how cold it is. Maybe that is why LTG is not in the limelight cos he must be bundled up at home.

Anyway, I am very happy that he had won an award last year. You, too?

[Guest katherinekang]

Hi, Honzbear, Are u away on holidays. Are u still watching King Gwanggaeto the Great. Didn't see your comments on the KGTG thread on Soompi. Hope u r well. We miss you.

Lee Tae Gon-ssi, we fans wonder what will be your next role. We hope it will be another winner. You make a great appearance on KBS Drama Awards 2011. It was also a disappointment that they didn't show more of you. The cameraman really must wake up and zero more on you. It is a long winter in South Korea and we pray that you keep warm. Great job you have done and we all wish you best and well.

[rubie]

April 18, 2012

"Gwanggaeto" star Lee Tae-gon to kick off fan meetings in Japan this July

Reporter : Monica Suk. Editor : Lucia Hong. 10Asia

Actor Lee Tae-gon [Nate]

Korean actor Lee Tae-gon will be launching three sets of his fan meeting in Japan, starting with Tokyo in July.

“Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror" star is prepping up for his meet-and-greets in Tokyo on July 1, Osaka on August 25 and Fukuokaon September 29, his agency PI Entertainment announced in a press release on Wednesday.

Lee's upcoming event is to show his appreciation toward his fans in Japan and to celebrate the launch of the Lee's official website, PI said in the statement.

Meanwhile, Lee has been told to have inked a contract with the firm recently, which is known for managing the careers of actor Lee Min-ho from the current series “Rooftop Prince,” actor Jung Woong-in and actress Back Bo-ram.

In addition, “Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror," one of the actor's popular TV series, is scheduled to be sold in DVD format in Japanese version in August, the officials said.

Lee made his acting debut by playing the male lead in SBS drama "Love in Heaven" in 2005. Most of his past credits have been receiving favorable reviews from the viewers and critics, including the current “Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror" and MBC's "Golden Fish" in 2010.

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June 5, 2012
Lee Tae-gon to hold fan meetings and hopes to spread Korean culture

Actor Lee Tae-gon will hold fan meetings in Japan from July 1, starting with Katsushika in Tokyo where residents will be picked to attend the event free-of-charge.
In an unusual move, Lee hopes to exemplify the charitable deeds and beliefs behind Korean culture by making the event free.“I’ve been involved with period dramas that shed some light onto Korean culture. I just wanted to show my gratitude towards the Japanese fans in a befitting manner so I thought that this would be it,” said Lee about the Tokyo based fan meet.
Meanwhile, after the meet in Tokyo, Lee will travel to Osaka and Fukuoka for additional meets.
T.G International said that its talent plans on expanding his activities in Japan and hopes to come up with various activities in a bid to appeal to both Japanese and Korean fans alike.
Lee has rocketed to fame of late through the historical drama “King Gwang-gae-to the Great,” which ended in April.
By Carla Sunwoo 

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class="content-title" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 0px; visibility: visible; "Controvery on Actor Lee Tae Gon’s Attitude Toward Yoo Jae Suk on “Running Man”jnkm June 18, 2012

Recently, actor Lee Tae Gon (age 35) has been caught up in a controversy for his attitude on the latest episode of “Running Man.” However, one of the PDs for “Running Man”,” Jo Hyun Jin said that there was no problem at all.

Lee Tae Gon was a guest on the June 17 episode of “Running Man – The King’s Race.” He grouped up with Yoo Jae Suk and Haha to form a team. However, all throughout the broadcast, he poked, slapped and shoved Yoo Jae Suk. He also interrupted Yoo Jae Suk in the middle of his sentence and did other eye-raising things like pull strongly on Yoo Jae Suk’s clothes. Yoo Jae Suk jokingly muttered multiple times throughout the show, “My pride is so hurt, seriously.” Even Kim Jong Gook stated at one point, “Stop bothering my hyung.”

Viewers are bombarding Lee Tae Gon with criticism for his attitude on the show. This particular viewer left a comment on the forum saying, “I think Lee Tae Gon went too far.I know articles were released today saying that Lee Tae Gon and Yoo Jae Suk have always been close. Is he crazy? Is the broadcasted episode only viewed by friends and family? What kind of broadcast allows one to act however they want? Swearing and poking at each other are what friends do normally but is it the same for broadcast? I think Lee Tae Gon is the kind of celebrity who thinks he is so special.”

Other netizens did say, “It’s just entertainment TV,” and “He just did it for laughs and now you’re running at him with death.” However, comments left on the “Running Man” forum or Lee Tae Gon’s minihompy include, “You dare to touch Yoo Jae Suk?” “Lee Tae Gon, don’t do that,” “You’re so cocky,” “Please learn variety TV all over again,” “No matter how close you are, this is too much,” “I won’t ever watch anything with Lee Tae Gon in it,” and more.

However, sources are saying that the set during the actual recording was very lively and warm. Yoo Jae Suk’s sources especially tried to dismiss this issue. They said, “We didn’t even know about this. We don’t really know how close Yoo Jae Suk and Lee Tae Gon are in reality but things like this happen all the time during broadcast. We really hope everyone will think positively.”

As the controversy grew, Lee Tae Gon’s sources stated, “Since he was focusing on the games and since he is close with Yoo Jae Suk, he just acted comfortably. If Yoo Jae Suk didn’t feel good about this, we apologize. We will try our best for this not to happen again.”

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June 19, 2012
Actor Lee Tae Gon receiving mixed reactions for his behavior towards Yoo Jae Sukby choiwj allkpop.com

Actor Lee Tae Gon is receiving mixed reactions from viewers for his behavior towards the nation’s MC on ‘Running Man‘.
The latest episode of SBS‘s ‘Running Man’ featured actors Lim Ho and Lee Tae Gon as guests for a ‘King’s Race’ special as the two actors are well known for taking on the role of kings in various past works. The cast members split into three teams to carry out various missions across the city of Seoul.
With the opening of the show, netizens noticed Lee Tae Gon’s rather rash behavior towards his sunbae, Yoo Jae Suk. This included jokingly hitting, pushing, cutting him off, and pulling on his clothes even before the members embarked on the official “race” part of the show, which is usually when the hitting, shoving, and pulling start. Seeing Lee Tae Gon’s actions towards the MC, ‘Sparta Gook’ Kim Jong Kook even threatened jokingly during the beginning, asking, “Why are you hitting my hyung?”
After the show, some viewers expressed their uncomfortable feelings with the actor’s perhaps too carefree behavior towards his senior, Yoo Jae Suk. They commented, “It was uncomfortable watching him throughout the episode“, “How could he behave like that towards Yoo Jae Suk, who is five years older than him?“, and more.
However, other viewers disagreed, commenting, “Wasn’t he doing this because it’s a variety program?” and “It’s for entertainment purposes.”
Source & Image: Star News via Nate

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Source: innolife.net

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Source: innolife.net

DL VOD

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July 23, 2012
Lee Tae-gon to represent himself, and othersBy Carla Sunwoo Korea JoongAng Daily

Actor Lee Tae-gon has established an agency to represent himself and hopefully to recruit some newbies.
TG E&C was Lee’s idea after he decided to not renew his contract with a former agency; the 34-year-old actor will take the helm as the director and talent of his own company.
To date, Lee has orchestrated a press conference and collaborated with TV networks in Japan in a bid to carve a name for himself there as not only an actor, but a businessman.
“Lee wants to become an influential person who is able to help Korean actors when they make their debut in Japan and abroad,” said a spokesperson for TG E&C.
Currently, Lee is starring in the SBS show “Law of the Jungle,” as he contemplates his next move.

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August 28, 2012
KBS' Highest-Paid Stars RevealedChosunIlbo
Shin Dong-yeop was the highest-paid entertainer at terrestrial network KBS last year.
Shin earned a total of W609.5 million (US$1=W1,137) as presenter of "Immortal Songs 2" and host of a talk show titled "Hello Counselor," according to data submitted by KBS on Monday to Democratic United Party lawmaker Jun Byung-hun of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports, Tourism, Broadcasting and Communications Committee.
Next came comedian Lee Su-geun with W595 million, followed by actor Lee Tae-gon (W522 million), comedian Lee Hwi-jae W471 million), actor Kam Woo-sung (W440 million), and comedian Yoo Jae-suk (W439 million). 
Actress Kim Ji-soo (with W400 million), actor Kim Seung-woo (W350 million), actress Ban Hyo-jung (W331.3 million), and comedian Park Myung-soo (W321 million) rounded up the top 10.
In 2010, comedian Lee Kyung-kyu topped the list with W535 million, and in 2009 versatile TV personality Tak Jae-hoon ranked first with W429 million.
"KBS's base pay for the highest-paid celebrities at W146,770 for 10 minutes is 4.3 times more than W34,550 for the lowest-paid," Jun said. "It should make efforts to narrow the gap."

[badsmuler]

Miss him much...hope to see him on screen soon...Maybe he can try movie for his next projects ???